Apple, Orange, and Brown Sugar Roasted Turkey
Can you believe that we have almost reached the end of October? That means that my favorite holiday is right around the corner! I love Thanksgiving most of all. Can you blame me? Cooking is my favorite thing to do.
As we plan for the big day, I thought I would experiment with one of the turkeys we had from last year in our freezer. I wanted a turkey with a sweet flavor and absolutely juicy breast meat. That was accomplished with a fun new kitchen tool that I got recently. I made this bird with the Camerons Turkey Dunrite, which is an appliance that roasts your turkey upside down. But more on that later!
This turkey features flavors of brown sugar, apple cider, and sweet orange. It also has a little bit of a kick to it with a homemade spice rub. I think you will really love this one!
cooking with the turkey dunrite:
I was happily surprised by the Camerons Turkey Dunrite. This tool cooks a turkey with the breast side down, which is generally unheard of. When roasting a turkey, it usually sits on a rack in a roasting pan with the breast side facing up. While this is a perfectly acceptable way of cooking large poultry, I was piqued to find out how the Turkey Dunrite changed a way of cooking that I was used to.
The Turkey Dunrite sits in the roasting pan, with the base of the mechanism inserted into the cavity of the turkey, suspending it over the pan. It can hold up to 25 pounds, and this bird was a little over 12 pounds and there were no signs of collapse.
The product claims that all of the juices from the turkey that would usually drip into the bottom of the pan collect into the breast meat, creating an even juicier turkey than other cooking methods. I have to say that this ended up being true! While there were obviously pan drippings, the amount was not nearly as much and the breast meat was incredibly juicy and tender.
The other claim is that it cooks the turkey up to 20% faster. I was skeptical. To my surprise, it did cook faster… a LOT faster. I was poking our turkey all over with the instant read thermometer double checking myself. This bird, which would have taken about 3.5 to 4 hours cooked in about 3 hours. I was shocked!
Apple, Orange, and Brown Sugar Roasted Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 quart apple cider
- 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth
- 2 large navel oranges, sliced
- 10-12 pound whole turkey
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp ground mustard
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup salted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 2 cups dry white wine
Instructions
- In a large stock pot, stir together the brown sugar, salt, apple cider, and broth until the sugar and salt have fully dissolved. Add in the orange slices.
- Gently place the turkey, including the neck and giblets, into the brine until fully submerged. If there is not enough liquid to cover the turkey, add more broth. Place a plate over the turkey to weigh it down.
- Place the pot into the refrigerator for about 12 hours or overnight.
- The next day, remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry with paper towels. Discard the brine.
- Preheat the oven to 350° F. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, paprika, mustard, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, and pepper. Rub this all over the turkey, including underneath the skin on the back, breast, and legs. Rub inside of the cavity as well. Brush the turkey all over with about half of the melted butter, including under the skin. Set aside the remaining half of the butter.
- Truss the turkey by tying together the legs and tucking the tips of the wings underneath the bird. Place the turkey breast side up in a roasting pan with a rack and tent with foil. If using the Turkey Dunrite, place the turkey onto the appliance with the back facing up and tent with foil.
- Roast the turkey until the internal temperature reaches 165° F when an instant read thermometer is inserted into the thigh without touching bone. This will depend entirely upon the size of your turkey, but the general rule is to roast for about 15-20 minutes per pound. For a 12 pound turkey, this would be about 3.5 to 4 hours.
- For the last 30 minutes of roasting, remove the foil and brush the turkey all over with the butter. With a baster, baste some of the pan drippings all over the turkey every 15 minutes.
- When the turkey is finished roasting, remove it from the oven and tent with foil for 30 minutes before carving.
Altogether, the apple flavor in this turkey really shines. It’s juicy, sweet, and tender. I love how the apple cider brine really packed a punch!
To enjoy this turkey further, I would highly suggest making a gravy out of the white wine and pan drippings. It is phenomenal. With the color of the rub, you will most likely have a bright orange-brown colored gravy, which is kind of fun. Simply whisk about 1/4 cup of the pan drippings with 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and about 2 cups of turkey or chicken broth. Heat on the stove to a boil and simmer until thickened.
xoxo Kayla
CLICK HERE TO SHOP THE CAMERONS TURKEY DUNRITE.
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