Expertly Spiced And Glazed Roast Turkey Recipes

SPICED AND SUPER-JUICY ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• For the turkey:
• Place the water into your largest cooking pot or bucket/plastic bin and add all the turkey ingredients, stirring to dissolve the salt, sugar, syrup and honey. (Squeeze the juice of the orange quarters into the brine before you chuck in the pieces.) Untie and remove any string or trussing attached to the turkey, shake it free and add it to the liquid. Add more water if the turkey is not completely submerged. Keep the mixture in a cold place, even outside overnight or for up 1 or 2 days before you cook it, remembering to take it out of its liquid (and wiping it dry with kitchen-towel) a good 40 or 50 minutes before it has to go into the oven. Turkeys - indeed this is the case for all meat - should be at room temperature before being put in the preheated oven. If you're at all concerned - the cold water in the brine will really chill this bird - then just cook the turkey for longer than its actual weight requires.
• For the basting glaze:
• Place the butter and syrup into a saucepan and cook over a low heat, while stirring, until the ingredients have melted and combined. Brush the turkey with the glaze before roasting, and baste periodically throughout the roasting time. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Cook the turkey for 30 minutes at this relatively high temperature, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees F and continue cooking, turning the oven back up to 425 degrees F for the final15 minutes or so if you want to give a browning boost to the skin. For a 9 to 11-pound turkey, allow 2 1/2 to 3-hours in total. But remember that ovens vary enormously, so just check by piercing the flesh between leg and body with a small sharp knife: when the juices run clear, the turkey is cooked. Just as it's crucial to let the turkey come to room temperature before it goes in to the oven, so it's important to let it stand out of the oven for a good 20 minutes before you actually carve it.

SPICED GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and reserve for gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and put breast-side up on a rack set in a large roasting pan.
• Combine 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper and the coriander and allspice in a small bowl. Squeeze the orange halves all over the turkey and rub the juices into the skin, then stuff the squeezed oranges into the cavity along with the shallot and parsley. Brush the turkey all over with the melted butter, then sprinkle all over with the spice mixture. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the body. Pour the broth into the roasting pan.
• Microwave the pineapple preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 1 minute; strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Stir in the vinegar. Set the glaze aside.
• Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, brushing with the pineapple glaze twice during the last 30 minutes of roasting; use about two-thirds of the glaze. (Tent the turkey with foil if the skin gets too dark.) Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
• Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top. Discard the fat (or drizzle on your stuffing). Serve the turkey with the defatted drippings.

EXPERTLY SPICED AND GLAZED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Place turkey, breast side up, on a cutting board and pat dry. Grip a wing and pull it outward so you can see where it attaches to the body. Using a sharp boning or chef's knife, cut though the joint to separate the wing from the breast (if you hit bone, you're in the wrong spot; pull the wing out farther to help you get into the place where the joint meets the socket). Remove wing; repeat on the other side.
• Cut through skin connecting 1 leg to carcass. Pull leg back until the ball joint pops out of its socket; cut through the joint to separate leg. Repeat on the other side.
• Now for the breast: Position the turkey breast side down with the opening facing you. Using kitchen shears, cut along one side of backbone until you get all the way through the neck end, then turn the turkey 180°F and cut through the other side to remove the backbone (save it for making stock).
• Very finely grind black and pink peppercorns in a spice mill or mortar and pestle; transfer to a medium bowl. Add salt, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and 1 Tbsp. brown sugar and use your fingers to mix together.
• Place turkey pieces, skin side up, on a wire rack set inside a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle salt mixture liberally all over turkey, patting to adhere. You may not need all of it, but it's good to have extra since some will end up on the baking sheet. Chill bird, uncovered, at least 24 hours and up to 2 days.
• Remove turkey from wire rack and rinse baking sheet and rack if needed (turkey will most likely release some liquid). Line baking sheet with 3 layers of foil to make cleanup easy and set rack back inside. Arrange turkey pieces on rack, skin side up, and let sit at room temperature 2-3 hours to help decrease the cooking time.
• Meanwhile, cook herbs, garlic, orange zest, soy sauce, vinegar, and remaining ⅓ cup brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and glaze thickens slightly (it should just barely coat a spoon), 10-12 minutes. Remove glaze from heat.
• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 425°F. Rub turkey with oil and pour 1 cup water into baking sheet. Roast turkey, rotating baking sheet halfway through, until skin is mostly golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F and continue to roast turkey, brushing with glaze every 20 minutes and adding more water by ½-cupfuls as needed to maintain some liquid in baking sheet, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 150°F, and 170°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thighs, 50-70 minutes longer (total cooking time will be 1-1½ hours). Skin should be deep golden brown and shiny. Transfer turkey to a cutting board; tent loosely with foil. Let rest 30-60 minutes before carving.