Maple Bourbon Roast Turkey
My favorite holiday is almost here! Growing up, I had few opinions about Thanksgiving, and as my family and I were all sitting around the other evening discussing how the meal was when we grew up, I realized that I did not really grow up with staple menu items that were memorable. In truth, my mom was not the type of mother that slaved away in the kitchen all day simply because she did not enjoy it! Our weekly meals consisted of taco salad, rotisserie chicken and mashed potatoes, and take and bake pizzas. While this was certainly not the worst choice of meals, it usually meant that much of what we ate for Thanksgiving dinner came from little cardboard boxes at the grocery store. It wasn’t until I began experimenting in our kitchen in high school that we began eating our holiday meal with from scratch recipes, and the concept of roasting a whole turkey went from daunting to enjoyable.
I have made this particular turkey recipe for the past six or so years, and it turns out incredible every single time. I love it for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or even just a non-special weeknight meal that can leave leftovers for several days or frozen meals for the future! It’s wonderfully easy and sure to leave you with a delicious and juicy turkey.
ingredients & recipe:
FOR ONE 10-14 POUND WHOLE TURKEY:
1/4 cup salt
1 tbsp brown sugar
2 tsp chili powder
1 orange
1 lime
1 medium onion, quartered
2 bay leaves, fresh if possible
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 cups bourbon
MAPLE GLAZE:
3/4 cup maple syrup
2 tbsp molasses
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
DIRECTIONS:
In small bowl, mix together the salt, brown sugar, and chili powder. Place the turkey in a roasting pan with a rack and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the neck and giblets and place them in the bottom of the roasting pan. Rub down the turkey on the outside of the skin with the salt mixture. Carefully, peel away the thin membrane between the skin and muscle of the turkey, and without breaking the skin, rub down the muscle with the salt mixture as well. This intensely flavors the meat throughout, rather than just flavoring the skin which is more difficult to penetrate! Because turkeys are a larger bird, you can do this on the breast, the back, and the legs.
Pierce the orange and lime all over with a fork. Stuff in the cavity of your turkey with the orange, lime, quartered onion, bay leaves, and garlic cloves.
Pour the 2 cups of bourbon into the bottom of the roasting pan (this does not need to be poured over the turkey). Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 325° F.
Make the glaze. In a small saucepan, combine the maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Heat over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until it begins to simmer. Simmer about 5 minutes to concentrate the flavors.
With a basting brush, brush the turkey all over with maple syrup glaze, reserving about 1/3 of the mixture leftover in the pan.
Tent the turkey with greased foil or cover with a lid for the roasting pan. Place in the oven. To roast a 10-14 pound turkey, the directions are as follows… To safely roast this size turkey that is stuffed, you will want to roast for about 3.5-4 hours or until the meat registers 165° F. Roast the turkey covered for about 3 hours. Brush with the remaining maple syrup glaze. Roast uncovered for the remaining 30 minutes to 1 hour. This will create a golden and crispy skin without drying out the turkey.
Cover and let stand about 20-30 minutes before slicing and serving.
how to make gravy:
One thing that I think is always missing from the Thanksgiving table is really delicious turkey gravy. Gravy is often made from a packet of seasoning and water, which is truly missing a deep set of flavor profiles and the entire point of using a roasting pan. The pan is literally meant to catch all of those drippings, which have been historically used to make the most delicious tasting gravy! This is something that shocks so many people who have sat at my supper table, especially when they ask how I make my gravy. It’s the simplest thing in the world, and you can most certainly make it happen for your big event.
Depending on how flavorful you would like your gravy, take 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup of the drippings from the bottom of the roasting pan. They will be syrupy and sticky from the combination of maple syrup and bourbon, and most of the alcohol should be cooked off.
Combine the drippings in a small saucepan starting with about 2 tbsp of flour and 1 cup of chicken or turkey broth. Whisk over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and continue to whisk, letting the gravy thicken over about 5 minutes time. At this point, you can add more flour to thicken or broth to thin the gravy. It really depends on the thickness of your drippings (which is acting as the fat), and how much you want the flavor to be concentrated. Taste test as you make it and experiment a little! It should not need any added salt or flavorings as all of that comes from the turkey drippings.
As we approach Thanksgiving week, I have been discussing the traditions of this holiday with my relatives and friends. I find it so interesting that many families do not even eat turkey! They choose to go with chicken instead because of the scary task of drying out the turkey. After many years of eating dry turkey, I have found that it helps to learn the correct roasting temperature using a meat thermometer rather than waiting for the little red popper that comes with the turkey to “pop!”. A finished turkey will register at 165° F, checked in the thigh without touching bone. If you are nervous, I always find the best way to know if the meat is done is to cut a little into the joint where the thigh meats the body; if this is still bright red and looking raw, it needs more time. Stuffing your turkey with fruit or vegetables also increases your cooking time, but it helps to make the meat flavorful and juicy!
All in all, don’t fret if you have to cut in and check. Better to continually check and have it turn out just right than guess while you are at the table, in my opinion. Enjoy!
xoxo Kayla
