Spice Cured Turkey Recipes

SUGAR-AND-SPICE CURED TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck; rinse turkey with cold water.
• Pat dry.
• Tie legs together with string; tuck wingtips under.
• Combine brown sugar and next 6 ingredients.
• Rub over turkey.
• Cover with plastic wrap; chill 8 hours.
• Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up.
• Arrange onion quarters round turkey.
• Pour 2 cans broth in bottom of pan.
• Bake, loosely covered with foil, at 325°F for 1 1/2 hours.
• Uncover and bake 1 1/2 more hours or until meat thermometer registers 180°F.
• (Cover with foil to prevent excessive browning, if necessary.) Remove onion; discard, reserving pan drippings.
• Let turkey stand 15 minutes before carving.
• Combine pan drippings and enough additional chicken broth to equal 2 cups in a saucepan over medium heat.
• Whisk in flour, and cook, whisking constantly, 5 minutes or until thickened.
• Serve with turkey.

BROWN SUGAR-CURED TURKEY WITH WILD MUSHROOM-SHALLOT GRAVY

Steps:

• Rinse turkey inside and out. Pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on platter. Mix brown sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, cloves and mace in small bowl to blend well. Rub brown sugar mixture all over outside of turkey. Refrigerate turkey uncovered 24 hours.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 300°F. Arrange onion quarters in large roasting pan. Place turkey atop onions. Tie turkey legs together. Tuck wings under turkey. Sprinkle turkey with pepper. Cover loosely with foil.
• Roast turkey 2 hours. Uncover; roast 30 minutes. Add 1 cup broth to roasting pan; baste turkey with broth. Roast turkey 1 hour, basting occasionally. Add 1 cup broth to roasting pan; continue to roast turkey until dark brown, basting with broth every 20 minutes, about 1 hour. Cover turkey loosely with foil; continue to roast until thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F, about 1 hour 30 minutes longer.
• Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil and let stand 30 minutes. Serve with Wild Mushroom-Shallot Gravy.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• Brine the turkey: Bring 2 cups water, the salt, brown sugar, 1 halved garlic head and 10 thyme sprigs to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and add 6 cups cold water; let cool to room temperature. Whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, mustard and sliced onion in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt-sugar mixture. Place the turkey in a brining bag or extra-large pot. Pour the brine over the turkey, seal or cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Position a rack in the lowest part of the oven; remove the other racks and preheat to 350˚. Set a rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the turkey from the brine, letting the excess drip off as much as possible, and transfer, breast-side up, to the rack. Pat the turkey dry. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Combine the paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Stuff the turkey cavity with the remaining 1 halved garlic head and 10 thyme sprigs and the quartered onion; tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wings under the body. Season the turkey all over with salt and brush with the melted butter. Coat the turkey with the spice mixture.
• Roast the turkey 1 1/2 hours, then baste with the pan drippings. (Add 1/4 cup water to the roasting pan if it's too dry.) Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes, until the skin is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165˚, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving.

SPICY BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine chicken stock, salt, brown sugar, onion, pepper flakes, cinnamon sticks, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Stir until sugar and salt have dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate brine until thoroughly chilled.
• Combine brine and ice water in a clean, food-grade, 5-gallon bucket. Place turkey in the brine, breast-side down. Cover and refrigerate (or set in a cool area like a basement) for 6 hours, turning turkey once halfway through.
• Set an oven rack to the lowest level and preheat the oven to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C). Place a roasting rack inside a wide, low pan.
• Remove turkey from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Place turkey on the roasting rack and pat dry with paper towels. Tuck back the wings and rub butter liberally over the entire bird.
• Roast turkey in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, and cover the breast with a double layer of aluminum foil.
• Return to the oven, reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and cook until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 3 to 3 1/2 hours longer. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove from the oven, keep loosely covered, and allow to rest in a warm area for 15 minutes before slicing.

BROWN SUGAR-CURED TURKEY WITH WILD MUSHROOM-SHALLOT GRAVY

Steps:

• TURKEY:.
• Rinse turkey inside and out.
• Pat dry with paper towels.
• Place turkey on platter.
• Mix brown sugar, salt, onion powder, garlic powder, allspice, cloves and mace in small bowl to blend well.
• Rub brown sugar mixture all over outside of turkey.
• Refrigerate turkey uncovered 24 hours.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 300.
• Arrange onion quarters in large roasting pan.
• Place turkey atop onions.
• Tie turkey legs together.
• Tuck wings under turkey.
• Sprinkle turkey with pepper.
• Cover loosely with foil.
• Roast turkey 2 hours.
• Uncover; roast 30 minutes.
• Add 1 cup broth to roasting pan; baste turkey with broth.
• Roast turkey 1 hour, basting occasionally.
• Add 1 cup broth to roasting pan; continue to roast turkey until dark brown, basting with broth every 20 minutes, about 1 hour.
• Cover turkey loosely with foil; continue to roast until thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180, about 1 hour 30 minutes longer.
• Transfer turkey to platter.
• Tent with foil and let stand 30 minutes.
• Serve with Wild Mushroom-Shallot Gravy.
• GRAVY:.
• Preheat oven to 300.
• Combine oil, shallots and garlic in small glass baking dish.
• Cover dish with foil.
• Bake until shallots and garlic are very tender and pale golden, about 1 hour.
• Cool slightly.
• Thinly slice shallots and garlic; reserve oil in dish. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover separately and refrigerate).
• Transfer 1 tablespoon oil from baking dish to heavy large saucepan.
• Heat oil over medium-high heat.
• Add mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, sage, and roasted shallots and garlic to saucepan; saute until mushrooms are tender, about 5 minutes.
• Add Marsala and sherry; boil until syrupy, about 6 minutes.
• Add stock; boil until liquid is reduced by half, about 10 minutes.
• Add cream; boil until mixture thickens to sauce consistency, about 5 minutes.
• Season with salt and pepper.