Mojo Turkey Recipes

CUBAN MOJO SPATCHCOCK TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• First things first, make sure you thaw your 14-pound turkey three days before in the fridge. You can't rush this part because a frozen turkey will just not defrost quick enough the day of. Make sure to add a reminder for yourself on your phone to transfer the turkey from the freezer to the fridge 3 days before serving (the Monday before Thanksgiving).
• In a mortar and pestle, mash garlic, salt, oregano, cumin, and pepper together until you get a paste. Transfer to a bowl and combine the garlic mojo marinade with the oil and sour orange juice. Set aside.
• To spatchcock (aka butterfly) the turkey, place the thawed turkey, breast-side down, on a cutting board or baking sheet. Make sure it's sturdy so you don't hurt yourself in this process. Run your hand along the center of the bird to find the backbone.
• Using a pair of very sharp kitchen shears, cut as close to the spine as possible, one side at a time. You may have to use both your hands to cut through the ribs. Once the backbone is cut out, save it for homemade gravy.
• Now, turn the turkey over, breast-side up, and using both hands, one on top of another, press down firmly on the breast until you hear a crack. Transfer the now flattened, spatchcocked turkey to a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Rub the garlic mojo marinade inside and under the skin of the turkey. Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, brush it with olive oil and season with a bit of salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips behind the turkey breast to prevent them from burning.
• Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 1 1/2 hours (90 minutes) until browned and cooked through. The internal temp should be 165ºF using a food thermometer. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. Enjoy!

MOJO TURKEY

Steps:

• Rinse turkey well in cold water and pat very dry with paper towels.
• Make the marinade: Combine garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl and mash the mixture together with the back of a kitchen spoon to make a kind of paste. Stir sour orange juice (or orange and lime juices) and oil into the paste and whisk to combine. Add oregano leaves and mix again. Reserve 1/2 cup of marinade and put aside.
• Put turkey in a roasting pan that can fit in the refrigerator and cover with remaining marinade, making sure to get a lot of it into the turkey's open cavity. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least a few hours. Baste a few times with marinade.
• When ready to cook, heat oven to 450 degrees. Remove turkey from marinade and place on a clean cutting board. Discard marinade and clean roasting pan well. Return turkey to roasting pan, tuck the tips of the wings under the bird and shower it with salt and pepper. Place orange, lime and onion quarters in the turkey's cavity, then truss its legs together with cotton string. Roast turkey, uncovered, in the oven for 30 minutes.
• Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees. Baste turkey with pan juices, and add remaining marinade to the pan. Continue roasting turkey, basting every 30 minutes and tenting it with foil if the skin is turning too dark, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone registers 165 degrees, approximately 2 hours 45 minutes to 3 hours more. Transfer to a cutting board or platter and allow to rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

MOJO MARINATED PORK

Steps:

• Combine 4 cups of the orange juice and 1 cup of the lime juice and zest in a large saucepan over high heat and reduce to 2 cups. Remove from the heat and stir in the remaining orange juice and lime juice add a few cloves of garlic and 1/4 cup of the oregano. Let cool to room temperature.
• Using a paring knife, make small slits over the entire surface of the pork and rub the garlic into the slashes. Whisk together the oil and remaining 1/4 cup of the oregano in a large roasting pan, add the pork and turn to coat, cover and let marinate in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Remove the pork from the refrigerator 30 minutes before roasting. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375 degrees F and continue roasting, basting with the marinade during the last 30 minutes of roasting until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center reaches 150 degrees F. Remove from the oven, baste with any remaining glaze, tent loosely and let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
• Serve the pork with the Mojo Dipping Sauce and the Plantains with Rum and Brown Sugar.
• Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic, serrano, cilantro and a few pinches of salt until it becomes a paste. Add the orange juice, lime juice and oil and stir to combine.
• Heat butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the sugar and cook until melted. Add the plantains and cook until soft and heated through. Remove pan from the heat, add the rum, return to the heat and cook until the alcohol has reduced.

STUFFED TURKEY WITH MOJO SAUCE

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Crumble sausage over mixture and mix well., With skin side down, pound turkey breast with a meat mallet to 1/2-in. thickness. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread sausage mixture over turkey to within 1 in. of edges. Roll up jelly-roll style, starting with a short side; tie at 1-1/2-in. to 2-in. intervals with kitchen string. Place in a 5-qt. oval slow cooker., In a blender, combine the first 9 sauce ingredients; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream. Pour over turkey., Cover and cook on low for 5 hours or until a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°. Remove from slow cooker; cover and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Discard string., Meanwhile, skim fat from cooking juices; transfer juices to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until liquid is reduced by half. Serve with turkey.

MOJO GRILLING MARINADE

Steps:

• Pulse the garlic and onion in a blender until very finely chopped. Pour in orange juice, lime juice; season with cumin, oregano, lemon-pepper, black pepper, salt, cilantro, and hot pepper sauce. Blend until thoroughly incorporated. Pour in the olive oil, and blend until smooth.

MOJO CUBANO BRINE

Steps:

• Thaw turkey in refrigerator for 3 days.
• Remove neck and giblets from cavity.
• Place the bird in a x-large cooking bag.
• Using your hands, thoroughly rub the marinade into the bird and fill the cavity.
• Secure cooking bag with twist tie.
• Allow bird to marinate in the refrigerator for at least one day in advance of cooking.
• Reserve the remaining half of the marinade.
• Preheat the oven to 500°F.
• Remove the bird from the marinade, reserving the marinade.
• Place the bird on a rack on a roasting pan.
• Fill the cavity with the limes, oranges, onion and cilantro& thyme sprigs.
• Put it in the hot oven.
• Caramelize the exterior of the bird, leaving the interior undone.
• Pour the used marinade over the bird and reduce the oven heat to 300, Roast real slowly for up to 3 hours or until interior reaches 160 degrees.
• Remove from oven and cover with foil until ready to carve.
• Don't let the meat get cold.
• Slice in 1/4 inch medallions, drizzled with reserved marinade.