Christmas turkey
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Christmas turkey is a real holiday dish, especially popular in America.
Turkey is served at Christmas and Thanksgiving. My family cooks turkey quite often, but this was my first time baking it whole. My mother-in-law gave me the bird, and I really wanted to cook it without cutting it into pieces.
Ингредиенты
Whole turkey - 4 kg
Salt - 10 tsp.
Sugar - 100 g
Coriander seeds - 1.5 tsp.
Bay leaf - 2 pcs.
Onions - 1 pc.
Carrots - 1 pc.
Orange - 1 pc.
Cloves - 10 pcs.
Head of garlic - 1 pc.
Butter - 100 g
Ground black pepper - 1 tsp.
Water - 3-4 l
Рецепт
1. Since there is a possibility that homemade turkey may turn out tough, it is better to pre-marinate it for 2-3 days. The weight of the turkey I received was 4 kg, without neck and giblets. Of course, my bird was not cut perfectly, but there’s nothing you can do about it... a gift horse, as they say...
2. Pour a liter of water into a saucepan and bring to a boil, add salt, sugar and all the spices. Leave the marinade to cool.
3. It is better to marinate the turkey in a tall and narrow pan. It’s not easy to find such a container, so I had to think about how to do it. As a result, I found a thick plastic bag, put it in a pan and immersed the turkey in it, legs up.
4. Then cut the onions and carrots into rings and add them to the turkey. Add another 3-4 liters of cold boiled water to the cooled marinade, depending on the size of the bird. Pour marinade over turkey. The water should completely cover the bird. The bag must be tightly tied and stored in a cool place. It was on my balcony. The temperature should not exceed +5 degrees. Leave the turkey for 2-3 days.
5. After time, combine soft butter with ground black pepper.
6. Dip an orange in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, then stick clove buds into it. Cut the head of garlic crosswise.
7. Remove the turkey from the marinade and dry thoroughly. Tear off long pieces of foil so that the turkey can be wrapped well. Place the turkey on foil, breast side up, and brush thickly with a mixture of butter and pepper. Where possible, apply oil under the skin.
8. Place a head of garlic cut in half and a whole orange with cloves inside the turkey. Onions and carrots that were marinated with the turkey can also be placed inside. Sew up the hole with thread or secure with toothpicks.
9. Wrap the turkey in foil so that air circulates underneath it. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees and bake the bird for 45 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180 degrees and bake for another 3 hours. Then you should open the foil, increase the temperature to 230 degrees and cook until the bird is browned - about 30 minutes. You can turn on the convection mode for 10-15 minutes, if your oven has one. If the bird is not brown enough on its back, it needs to be turned over. Using a wooden skewer, pierce the flesh of the bird and see if it is ready: clear juice should come out. Once cooked, let the turkey rest for 30 minutes.
10. Place the Christmas turkey on a platter and serve.
11. Bon appetit!