Orange Basted Wild Turkey Recipes

HAPPY ORANGE TURKEY

Steps:

• Finely grate zest from oranges. Cut the fruit into wedges. Combine softened butter and orange zest. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey; rub butter mixture under the skin., Pat turkey dry. Combine the garlic powder, salt and pepper; rub over the outside and inside of turkey. Drizzle with melted butter. Place the oranges, onion, rosemary and thyme inside the cavity. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together., Place flour in oven bag and shake to coat. Place oven bag in a roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, in bag. Pour Champagne and orange juice over turkey. Cut six 1/2-in. slits in top of bag; close bag with tie provided., Bake at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. Remove turkey to a serving platter and keep warm. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.

ROASTED TURKEY A L'ORANGE

Steps:

• Mince four garlic cloves; transfer to a small bowl. Juice half of the orange; add to bowl. Stir in the marmalade, lemon juice, honey, parsley, paprika, oregano, salt, thyme and pepper. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey; rub 1/2 cup marmalade mixture under the skin., Thinly slice remaining orange half; place under the skin. Brush turkey with remaining marmalade mixture. Place remaining garlic cloves inside the cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Combine the celery, carrots, onion and potatoes in a roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, over vegetables., Bake at 325° for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before carving.

ROASTED WILD TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan; place apples in turkey cavity. Place potatoes, carrots and onions around turkey. Pour water over vegetables. Combine seasoned salt, salt and pepper; rub over turkey. Combine remaining ingredients; spoon over the turkey. , Cover and bake until a thermometer reads 170°, 3-1/2 hours, basting occasionally if desired. Turkey may be uncovered for the last 30 minutes for additional browning if desired.

ORANGE-GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, savory and sage. Rub 1 tablespoon of seasoning mixture in turkey cavity. Place the pears, onion and celery in turkey cavity; tie drumsticks together. Place, breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Combine butter and remaining seasoning mixture; brush over turkey. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 3-1/4 to 3-1/2 hours. , Meanwhile, combine orange marmalade, orange juice and honey in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Set aside and keep warm. When turkey begins to brown, cover lightly with a tent of foil. Bake 1 hour longer or until thermometer reads 180°, brushing occasionally with the orange glaze. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving. Thicken pan juices for gravy if desired.

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.

ORANGEY TURKEY LEGS

Steps:

• In a blender or food processor, mix the orange segments, vinegar, and brown sugar. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag, and mix in the reserved mandarin orange liquid and oil. Place the turkey drumsticks in the bag, seal, and marinate in the refrigerator 1 hour.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place the marinated turkey drumsticks on the baking sheet, and season with salt.
• Cover, and bake 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove cover, and continue baking 1 hour, basting often with the remaining orange mixture, to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (80 degrees C).

ORANGE BASTED WILD TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Insert thermometer into the thickest part of the breast or thigh without touching bone.
• Sprinkle the bird with as much soy sauce as you would like (and then add more).
• Season the turkey with pepper.
• Cover turkey loosely with foil and bake for an hour.
• Baste the bird frequently with the frozen orange juice concentrate until it is gone.
• Finish cooking, covered, until thermometer reads 170°F.

ORANGE-BOURBON TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey; discard. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Combine orange juice, water, 1/2 cup bourbon, and molasses in a 2-gallon heavy-duty ziptop plastic bag; add turkey. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours turning bag occasionally. Remove turkey from bag, reserving marinade.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Tie ends of legs with cord. Lift wing tip up and over back and tuck under bird. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt into body cavity. Stuff cavity with oranges. Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray or on a rack set in a shallow pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees. (Cover loosely with foil if it gets too brown.) Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand at least 10 minutes before carving. Discard oranges.
• Pour reserved marinade into saucepan; bring to a boil. Skim foam from mixture with a slotted spoon; discard. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 3 1/2 cups (about 15 minutes). Combine 1/4 cup bourbon and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add to reduced marinade; bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve sauce with turkey. Garnish with orange slices and parsley sprigs if desired.

HOLIDAY TURKEY WITH HONEY ORANGE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
• Combine sage, salt, and thyme in a small bowl. Rub half of the sage mixture all over the turkey, then place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Set remaining sage mixture aside. Bring butter, orange juice, orange marmalade, honey, and orange sections to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered until thickened, stirring occasionally, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in the remaining sage mixture. Brush the turkey with the glaze.
• Bake the turkey in the preheated oven for 5 hours and 30 minutes, basting every 30 minutes. Cover turkey lightly with foil and continue baking until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 30 minutes to 1 hour, occasionally brushing with the glaze. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the turkey from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

BAY & ORANGE ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Remove giblets, then wash and dry the turkey, removing any remaining feathers. Mix half the butter with the orange zest and plenty of seasoning. Lift up the skin at the neck end of the turkey and use your fingers to ease the skin away from the breasts. Gently smear some of the zesty butter over the breasts and under the skin. Pack the stuffing into the neck opening and secure the skin closed with skewers or cocktail sticks. Weigh the turkey at this point and write it down so you can work out your timings, then rub the rest of the zesty butter all over.
• Stuff the 2 whole oranges into the cavity with some bay leaves. Pile the sliced shallots and a few more bay leaves into a large roasting tin and sit the turkey on top. Pour 500ml of the stock around, cover with foil to make a tent over the turkey, then roast for 20 mins per 450g/1lb.
• Meanwhile, bubble the remaining butter, orange juice and sugar together until syrupy. With 30 mins cooking time to go, remove the foil, brush the turkey liberally with the syrup, then return to the oven to brown at 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Brush once or twice more while roasting. To test that the turkey is ready, pierce the thigh in its thickest part and make sure the juices run clear. Lift the turkey out, brush again with syrup and leave to rest, covered loosely with foil, for 20 mins or so while you make the gravy and finish cooking the veg.
• Pour the tin juices into a jug (keeping shallots and bay in the tin), then put the roasting tin over a flame. Stir in the flour, then gradually stir in the remaining stock Marmite and reserved turkey juices - skimmed of any fat. Bubble until a nice consistency, then strain into a saucepan, squishing the shallots with a masher to squeeze out all the flavour. Keep the gravy warm while you carve the turkey to serve.

SLOW-ROASTED HERITAGE TURKEY WITH ORANGE AND SAGE

Steps:

• One day before roasting turkey, salt cavity. Prick oranges all over with the tines of a fork and stuff inside turkey cavity along with sage. Using a 3-foot-long piece of kitchen twine, loop in half over the neck and pull under the back, crossing twine. Pull twine between legs and breasts and flip bird over; tie drumsticks together tightly. Place turkey on a rimmed baking sheet, breast side up, and refrigerate uncovered overnight.
• Heat butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and bubbling. Skim foam from top and let butter continue to cook until the milk solids sink to the bottom and begin to brown and become fragrant, about 30 minutes. Set a fine mesh sieve lined with a coffee liner over a metal container and strain butter into container. Let cool to room temperature. Refrigerate, covered, until ready to use. Reheat browned butter before using.
• Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Fit a roasting pan with a rack and transfer turkey to rack; season with salt and pepper. Let stand 15 minutes.
• Brush turkey with some of the browned butter and transfer to oven. Roast, rotating every hour and brushing with browned butter, for 2 hours.
• Using an instant-read thermometer, check temperature of turkey by inserting into the largest part of the thigh. Continue cooking turkey until it reaches 140 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. Remove turkey from oven and let stand 30 minutes; increase oven temperature to 475 degrees.
• Drain fat from roasting pan and clean rack. Place turkey on clean rack and return to oven. Cook, turning frequently, until skin is browned and crispy, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 20 minutes before carving. Serve.