Sunnys Butterflied Roast Turkey With Easy Orange Spice Rub Recipes

SUNNY'S AUTUMN FRIED TURKEY

Steps:

• Three days before roasting the turkey, make the brine.
• For the brine: In a large pot on medium-high heat, add 6 quarts (24 cups) water and the salt, peppercorns, sage, thyme and lemon. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and simmer until the salt is dissolved and the water is fragrant. Turn off the heat and let cool.
• Put the turkey in a brining bag, large plastic bag or a bowl large enough to fit it with still more space to give. Pour in the cooled brining liquid and seal or cover. If there's not enough room for all of the liquid in the brine, be sure to at least include the herbs, lemon and peppercorns in with the turkey for brining. Refrigerate for 3 days.
• When ready to cook, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and discard all of the brining liquid and solids. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
• For the rub: In a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin pie spice, paprika, salt, cumin and pepper. Rub the mixture on all sides of the turkey and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Leave at room temperature for 2 hours. (If you have an extra day in your planning, leave it in the refrigerator overnight uncovered. This will help dry the skin more, then when ready to fry, remove from the refrigerator and let rest at room temperature for 2 hours.)
• Fill the fryer with vegetable or canola oil and heat to 350 degrees F according to the manufacturer's instructions (see Cook's Note).
• Cook the bird for approximately 3 minutes per pound and then add an additional 5 minutes onto the cooking time. A 15-pound bird will take about 50 minutes. (Check the cooking times on your fryer; cook according to instructions and fry for the correct time according to weight.) Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour so the juices can redistribute, then carve.

SUNNY'S BUTTERFLIED GRILLED TURKEY WITH LEMON PEPPER GLAZE

Steps:

• For the brine: Combine the sage, thyme, lemon, salt, peppercorns and 1 1/2 gallons water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cook until the salt is dissolved and the water is fragrant. Turn off the heat and let cool completely.
• Place the turkey in a roasting bag, large plastic bag or bowl large enough to fit it with still more space to give. Pour in the brining liquid and seal or cover. If there's not enough room for all of the liquid in the brine, be sure to at least include the herbs, lemon and peppercorns. Refrigerate at least overnight or up to 3 days. When ready to cook, remove from the refrigerator and discard all of the brining liquid and solids.
• For the turkey: Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Place the turkey cavity-side down on a wire rack resting in a roasting/baking dish and allow to sit on the countertop for about 2 hours to come to room temperature.
• Using kitchen shears or a knife, cut the backbone of the turkey out and break the breastbone to open up and flatten the bird by gently pressing down with the skin-side up. Flip over and pat dry. Using your finger, gently release the skin from the muscle of the turkey and insert the butter pieces between the skin and meat all over the bird. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle the skin with salt and pepper.
• Preheat the grill to 400 degrees F.
• Place the turkey over direct heat skin-side down. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F and close the lid of the grill. Cook until the turkey releases from the grates and reveals grill marks, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the glaze: Heat the olive oil and black pepper together in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Steep over medium heat until the oil smells and tastes like pepper, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the honey, Worcestershire sauce, lemon zest and lemon juice to the same pan. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture begins to simmer and slightly reduce. Remove from the heat and rest until it tightens a bit, about 2 minutes.
• Flip the turkey and glaze the skin with the lemon pepper glaze. Close the lid of the grill and continue to cook, glazing every 30 minutes, until an internal-read thermometer inserted in the thigh reads 160 degrees F, 1 to 2 hours. Remove the turkey form the grill and let rest at room temperature tented with aluminum foil for 30 minutes before carving.

ROAST TURKEY WITH ORANGE AND SAGE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Pat turkey dry with paper towel and place it on a rack in a roasting pan. In a small bowl or on a clean cutting board, mash the butter together with the orange zest, sage, garlic, salt and pepper to create a paste. Lift the turkey's skin at the neck and gently use your hand to separate skin from breast meat. Rub about half of the compound butter under the skin, covering the breast meat. Rub the rest of the butter over the skin of the turkey and season with a little more salt and pepper.
• Fold the wings of the turkey under the bird, and tie its legs together with butcher's twine. Pour the wine and orange juice into the roasting pan, scatter the sage leaves over the liquid and carefully slide the pan into the oven.
• Roast for about 2 to 3 hours, basting bird every 30 minutes with drippings. Start checking the bird 1 hour and 45 minutes into cooking, and tent it with foil if skin is turning too dark. Cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

HOMEMADE TURKEY SEASONING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 6 months. To use on whole turkey, rub under skin, over skin and in body and neck cavities before roasting.

ROASTED ORANGE TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. In a small bowl, combine butter, brown sugar, orange zest and ginger. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; rub some of the butter mixture under skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks., Rub remaining butter mixture inside turkey cavity; fill with orange, apple and onion. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Carefully pour juices over turkey., Bake, uncovered, 3 to 3-3/4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly., Cover and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Discard fruit and onion from cavity. Skim fat and thicken pan juices if desired.

SPICE RUB

Steps:

• Add the ancho chile powder, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, cayenne and black pepper to a medium bowl and slowly whisk until thoroughly combined. Scoop the blended mixture into a jar and top with a tight-fitting lid. The spice rub will keep at room temperature in a dark place (like your cabinet) for up to 1 year.

BUTTERFLIED TURKEY WITH YUCATAN RUB

Steps:

• For the turkey: The day before serving, heat 3 quarts of the water with salt and sugar in a large pan, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 quart cold water, and stir. Set brine aside to cool to room temperature.
• Put turkey in a large container and cover with the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours. (If you want to brine the turkey overnight, use half the amount of salt and sugar.)
• For rub: Crumble annatto paste into a food processor and blend with the garlic, oregano, coriander, black pepper, salt, and allspice. Add the fruit juices and the olive oil and process to make a pasty sauce. Drain and pat the turkey very dry. Smear the rub all over the bird. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare an outdoor grill with a large medium-heat fire for direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on indirect side of the grill.
• Place turkey, breast side up, over the drip pan and grill, covered, until meat is cooked about halfway through, about 50 minutes. Turn and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 50 minutes more. Move turkey to direct heat and rotate to evenly brown the skin in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a carving board, cover, and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
• Shopsmart: Annatto paste is a Mexican flavoring composed of ground annatto, or achiote, seeds mixed with herbs-usually oregano-and spices. The rust-color paste is then pressed into a compact brick. Look for it in the Hispanic section of your grocery.