Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Citrus Brined Turkey with Herbed Citrus Butter


Last year I tried a new recipe for the Thanksgiving turkey and I think I am going to do the same this time around. Brining turkey makes such a difference- it really comes out much juicer. Another trick I do is I roast the turkey breast down so that all of the juices flow into the breast. In the last 45 minutes of cooking I flip it to brown the skin. Another thing I really like about this recipe is that the herb-citrus butter give it a nice color when you cut into it. So here's how you make it:

For the brine (I am approximating the measurements)
3 gallons water
2 cups freshly squeezed lemon Juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice
1 & 1/3 cups kosher salt
8 garlic cloves grated
1/2 cup whole peppercorns

Wash the turkey well and remove the innards. Make sure you wash the cavity really well too. Add water to a container large enough to completely submerge the turkey, I use a HUGE mixing bowl and cover it with Plastic wrap but some people use a cooler. Add all of the brine ingredients to the water. Next add the turkey and tightly cover with plastic wrap. I actually take a garbage bag and cut the edges off and put that on top of the turkey/ brine mix, then I wrap the top. If you're using a cooler, use a lid. Leave in the refrigerator overnight.

For the herb-citrus butter:
1 bunch sage
1 bunch Italian flat leaf parsley
1 sprig rosemary
2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
3 tbsp lemon zest
6 garlic cloves- grated ( I use a microplane)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
3 tbsp kosher salt
2 lbs butter

In a food processor add the butter and begin to cream until it's soft. Next add the herbs, salt and grated garlic. Add the lemon and grapefruit juice and lemon zest. Mix in the food processor until all of the herbs have been thoroughly chopped. Take the tureky out of the brine solution and pat dry. Next put it on a roasting pan. Take the butter mixture and put under the turkey skin. Cut small slits into the bird and scoop the butter in the pockets. Smear over the skin- all over the turkey. Save about 1/3 of the butter for basting during roasting. Add the leftover Rosemary, sage, parsley and thyme into the cavity of the bird. Next peel an onion and cut in half- add to the cavity of the bird. Lastly add the lemons juiced previously and add to the cavity of the bird. Tie the turkey legs together with Butcher's twine. Tuck the wings under the bird. Roast for 4 1/2 hours on 300 degrees (this is for a 16 lb bird). Baste every half hour. Flip the bird over during the last 45 minutes of cooking. Raise the temperature to 350 to allow the skin to brown. Remove from the oven and place a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. The temperature should read at least 165 degrees. Allow the meat to rest- do not touch until the meat has rested otherwise the juices will run out and leave the turkey dry. Save the drippings for the gravy. Carve and serve on a platter.

4 comments:

Nathan said...

Delicious Turkey recipe I can tell by the ingredients and procedures great job :)

Queen B. said...

that looks awesome !

Joie de vivre said...

We brine our turkey too. Isn't it wonderful? The herb citrus butter sounds like a great tough.

~Dana said...

Where can I get one of those "search" buttons like you have at the top of your blog?


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