Molasses Brined Turkey With Gingersnap Gravy Recipes

PEKING-STYLE ROAST TURKEY WITH MOLASSES-SOY GLAZE AND ORANGE-GINGER GRAVY

Steps:

• Steam the turkey:
• Preheat the oven to 400°F. Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper and tie the legs together. In the bottom of a large pot fitted with a small round rack or crumpled foil, bring 8 cups water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and lower the turkey into the pot. Cover and steam for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter. Whisk in 1/2 cup orange juice, soy sauce, molasses, vinegar, and 5-spice powder. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and cook until the glaze is slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes.
• Roast the turkey:
• In a large roasting pan, toss the scallions, celery, and reserved orange peels with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Fit a roasting rack over the vegetables and place the turkey on top. Brush all over with the glaze, lower oven to 350°F, and roast the turkey, basting every 20 minutes, until a thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165°F, about 2 hours. If the turkey is browning too quickly, tent with a piece of foil. Let the turkey rest about 20 minutes before carving.
• Make the gravy:
• While the turkey is cooking, in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the turkey neck, gizzard, and liver and cook until browned on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes, flipping occasionally; season with salt and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and add the shallot, garlic, ginger, cloves, star anise, and allspice, and cook until the vegetables are softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the stock is flavorful and slightly reduced, about 1 hour. Strain the broth into a large clean saucepan and set aside on the stovetop to keep warm.
• In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the butter and whisk to combine. Cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon, until butter mixture is browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until gravy is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once the turkey has been removed from the roasting pan, strain the drippings into the pot with the gravy, discarding the solids. Place the roasting pan over two burners over medium-high heat. Pour in the wine and orange juice and bring to a boil. Scrape up brown bits on the bottom of the pan, and cook until reduced, about 1 minute. Pour pan juices into the gravy. Season with salt and pepper and serve with the turkey.

THANKSGIVING TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• In a medium pot, bring 3 quarts of the tap water to a boil over medium heat. Put the kosher salt in a large bowl and slowly (and carefully!) pour the boiling water over the salt. Stir to blend.
• Add the molasses, honey, soy sauce, red pepper flakes, sage, thyme and garlic to the salt and water mixture. Stir to blend. Add the remaining 3 quarts of cool water. Add the ice to a cooler or bucket large enough to hold the brine and the turkey. Pour the brine over the ice and use a large whisk to blend all of the ingredients.
• Submerge the turkey, breast side down, in the brine. Make sure the cavity of the bird fills with the liquid as you are submerging it. Cover the cooler and allow the bird to sit in the brine overnight or for about 12 hours.
• Remove the bird from the brine and dry it thoroughly with thick (absorbent) kitchen towels. Take care to wipe inside the cavity as well. Discard the brine. Whisk together the butter and the lemon zest. Gently lift the skin covering 1 breast of the turkey and spread half of the butter right on the meat under the skin. Repeat with the other breast. The butter will add extra moisture and richness as the bird roasts.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Arrange the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack. Put on the lower rack of the oven and roast until the internal temperature of the turkey taken from the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 3 1/2 hours. Remove the turkey from the oven to a cutting board or serving platter and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving and serving.

THYME-ROASTED TURKEY WITH GINGERSNAP GRAVY

Steps:

• For thyme butter:
• Mix first 5 ingredients in small bowl to blend. (Thyme butter can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
• For turkey:
• Set rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 350°F. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Discard any pieces of fat from cavities. Sprinkle main cavity of turkey with salt and pepper. Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Spread 3 tablespoons thyme butter over breast meat under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing into neck and main cavities. If not stuffing, place 6 thyme sprigs and 1/2 cup onions in main cavity. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together to hold shape. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Rub 4 tablespoons thyme butter over outside of turkey. Cover turkey breast loosely with foil. Scatter 2 1/2 cups onions and reserved turkey parts in pan around turkey. Pour 2 cups broth into pan.
• Roast turkey 1 1/2 hours, lifting foil to baste with pan juices every 30 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups broth to roasting pan. Roast turkey 30 minutes; baste with pan juices. Add 1 cup broth to pan. Remove foil. Continue to roast turkey until instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, basting turkey with pan juices every 30 minutes and adding 1/2 cup broth to pan if juices evaporate, about 1 hour longer for unstuffed turkey and 1 hour 30 minutes longer for stuffed. Transfer turkey to platter. Brush turkey with remaining thyme butter. Tent turkey loosely with foil; let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature of turkey will increase 5 to 10 degrees). Discard neck, gizzard, and heart from roasting pan. Strain turkey pan juices into large measuring cup. Spoon fat from top of pan juices; discard fat.
• Meanwhile, prepare gravy:
• Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add shallots; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon chopped thyme, ginger, and cayenne; stir 1 minute. Add broth; increase heat to high and boil until liquid is reduced to 3 cups, about 12 minutes.
• Add turkey pan juices, gingersnap cookies, and any accumulated juices from turkey platter to gravy base in saucepan. Boil until gravy is thick enough to coat spoon, whisking to dissolve gingersnaps, about 2 minutes. Mix in remaining 1 tablespoon chopped thyme. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper. Serve turkey with gravy.

MOLASSES BRINED TURKEY WITH GINGERSNAP GRAVY

Steps:

• For brine and turkey:
• Line very large (about 16-quart) bowl with two 30-gallon plastic bags, one inside the other. (I used my canning pot.) Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in plastic-lined bowl. Combine 7 quarts water, salt, sugar, molasses, 1 bunch thyme, and 1/2 bunch sage in large bowl or pot. Stir until salt and sugar dissolve. Mix in ice cubes. Pour brine over turkey in plastic bags. Gather tops of bags together, eliminating air space above brine; seal bags. Refrigerate turkey in brine 18 to 20 hours.
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 350°F Remove turkey from brine. Drain very well; discard brine. Pat turkey dry inside and out. Place turkey on small rack set in large roasting pan. Fill main cavity with remaining 1 bunch thyme and 1/2 bunch sage, onions, and garlic. Stir oil, pepper, chopped thyme, and chopped sage in small bowl to form paste; smear all over outside of turkey. Tuck wing tips under; tie legs together loosely to hold shape.
• Roast turkey 1 hour, tenting loosely with foil if browning quickly. Turn pan around; roast turkey 30 minutes. Pour 1 cup broth over turkey; re-tent loosely with foil. Roast turkey, basting with 1 cup broth every 30 minutes until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, about 2 hours longer.
• Transfer turkey to platter. Remove vegetables and herbs from main cavity and discard. Spoon any juices from cavity into roasting pan. Let turkey stand 30 minutes (internal temperature will increase 5 to 10 degrees).
• For gravy:
• Strain pan juices into bowl. Spoon off fat, reserving 2 tablespoons. Heat reserved 2 tablespoons turkey fat in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and thyme. Sauté until onion browns, about 10 minutes. Add turkey stock, gingersnaps, 3 tablespoons cider vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce. Add 2 cups degreased pan juices and bring to boil, whisking to dissolve gingersnaps. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until gravy thickens, about 4 minutes. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper, adding remaining tablespoon vinegar and cream, if desired. (( I added the vinegar but not the cream )).
• Serve turkey with gravy.