Expertly Spiced And Glazed Roast Turkey Recipes

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.

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.

GLAZED AND LACQUERED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove wishbone from turkey by lifting neck skin to expose meat and cutting along both sides of bone with a small paring knife to separate flesh from bone. Pull firmly on both sides to snap out (if bone does not come out in one piece, grip remaining fragments with a paper towel and pull out). This will make carving the breast much easier later.
• Grind bay leaves, peppercorns, and allspice in a spice mill until very fine; toss with salt, sage, and 1/4 cup brown sugar in a medium bowl. Generously sprinkle dry brine inside cavity and rub all over skin, packing on until you've used entire mixture. Chill turkey on a large rimmed baking sheet uncovered 8-12 hours.
• Thoroughly rinse turkey to remove brine; pat dry. Let sit on baking sheet 3 hours to bring to room temperature.
• Meanwhile, bring vinegar, soy sauce, and remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is thickened to the consistency of molasses (it needs to be very thick to adhere to the turkey; if glaze is too thin, keep simmering), 5-8 minutes. Let glaze cool.
• Preheat oven to 325ºF. Starting at neck end of turkey, gently slide your fingers between skin and breast to loosen skin. Place butter pieces underneath skin, spacing evenly over breasts. Coat a piece of foil large enough to cover turkey breast with nonstick spray. Cover breast with foil, coated side down, avoiding thighs and tucking end inside cavity (foil will protect skin from tearing during first stage of cooking). Place turkey, breast side down, on a V-shape roasting rack set inside a large roasting pan. Roast until back side of turkey is golden brown, 50-60 minutes.
• Remove turkey from oven and transfer to a clean rimmed baking sheet with oven mitts or 2 pairs of tongs. Turn bird breast side up and transfer back to rack in roasting pan; discard foil. Pour any juices collected on baking sheet into pan. Roast turkey until breast is golden brown and skin is crisp, 35-45 minutes.
• Remove turkey from oven and brush all over with glaze. Continue to roast, checking temperature every 5 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast near neck registers 150ºF (temperature will rise as the bird rests;), 15-25 minutes. Transfer turkey to a platter and let rest 1 hour.
• Increase oven to 450ºF. Brush another even layer of glaze over turkey. Roast, watching closely in case glaze starts to burn, until turkey is deep golden brown and skin is shiny and crisp, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a clean platter and let rest 30 minutes before carving.
• Do ahead
• Turkey can be brined 2 days ahead. Brine on Tuesday, then rinse on Wednesday and chill overnight so you are ready to roast on Thursday.