Spiced Citrus Turkey
your new go-to turkey recipe
Making a turkey is a BIG deal. They’re expensive, difficult to deal with, and usually the centerpiece of the table. If you’re in charge of the turkey, I get your stress. That’s why I am SO excited to share this recipe. It’s my version of a few different versions I’ve used over the years. My two favorite recipes recently have been Bon Appetit’s spiced and glazed turkey recipe and Hailee Catalano’s orange turkey from this year.
My favorite thing from the Bon Appetit recipe is that they have you get the turkey broken into 4 parts- two legs and two breasts. This allows it to cook much faster so that it doesn’t dry out. Also, who wants to wait 3-4 hours for a turkey to cook?!?!?!?! This frees up your oven so quickly and is just way better to integrate into the day.
Ingredients:
5-6 kg turkey (feeds 12-15 people)
dry brine
1/2 cup kosher diamond salt or Maldon sea salt
zest of 1 orange
zest of 1 lemon
3 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp all-spice
2 tsp gochugaru (optional)
1 tsp chili flakes
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cracked black pepper
1 tsp dried sage
glaze
bouquet garni of 2 rosemary sprigs, 3 thyme sprigs, and a handful of sage
1/4 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup dark soy sauce
4 crushed garlic cloves
peel of 1 orange
2 tbsp tamarind paste
3 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp oil
Method:
Have your turkey broken down into four pieces by your butcher. You can also do this at home, there are many tutorials on YouTube!
Mix all the ingredients for the dry rub together. Start by rubbing the orange and lemon zest into the salt until colored orange and fragrant. Then add the rest of the dry ingredients into the salt. Place the turkey on a wire rack over a large roasting tray. Pat dry with a paper towel on the outside and inside.
Sprinkle the dry spice rub all over the turkey. Make sure you get it all over the turkey, even on the inside. You want it to be quite heavily spiced as this is what’s going to flavor the turkey. Place in the fridge on the lowest shelf uncovered for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours. The longer the better.
2-3 hours before you put it in the oven, take it out so it can come to room temperature. This will ensure the turkey will cook evenly and not have to cook from cold.
Place all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan, and over high heat, reduce it down until it’s a thick and syrupy consistency.
Preheat the oven to 245 F or 210 C.
Pat any excess spice rub off and brush the turkey with a few tbsp of oil. Put 1/2 a cup of water in the bottom of the pan.
Place in the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes, it should be turning golden brown. Turn it around halfway through if you’re not using the fan.
Then, turn the oven down to 300 F or 150 C. Glaze the turkey with some of the reduced sauce and keep roasting. Make sure to glaze it every 20 minutes, this will create a beautiful color and crispy skin. Make sure you’re adding about 1/2 a cup of water to the roasting tin every time it gets too low.
It will take about an hour and a half to cook, it’s done when the internal temp of the breast registers 150 F and 170 F in the thigh.
Take out of the roasting tin and cover with some foil or parchment paper. Let rest for 30-60 minutes.
Separate the legs and thighs and carve the breast off the bone. Enjoy!