I started treating turkey as if it were pork, ha, and using the same seasonings I use with pork except that pork is a very flavorful meat and it trully needs very little seasoning.
So i'm going to give you my recipe for seasoning the turkey, and I promise you that if you follow these steps, your turkey will no longer require the dreaded jar of gravy!
Unfortunately many of the seasonings I use are not available in all areas of the country, some are only available locally since they are very specifically used in Cuban cuisine, but you can always order them online!
YOU CAN USE THIS RECIPE FOR YOUR XMAS TURKEY AS WELL!
Ingredients:
Dried oregano
Complete seasoning (a mix of ground herbs and spices, cuban Style-I use Badia Brand Sazon Completa)
2-1L bottles Mojo Criollo (Spanish Marinade- A liquid seasoning. I use different brands, Kirby, La Lechonera, Badia, Iberia, etc)
White cooking dry wine ( Specifically dry cooking wine because it is seasoned, this wine is not for drinking, again several brands available, Edmundo, Iberia, La criolla etc)
2 medium size bitter oranges (not the kind you eat or make juice with. If you do not have bitter oranges use LEMONS.
1/2 L of Bitter orange juice
2 1lbs packages of thin sliced bacon (my friend Tania introduced me to the bacon wrap)
1/2 cup of chopped garlic
Directions
1-Defrost your turkey, make sure it is nice and dry.
2-First, with a a sharp knife separate the skin from the meat but DO NOT REMOVE the kin.
3-Make cuts on the meat of about an inch wide and as deep as you can.
4-get the chopped garlic and begin to rub it all over the turkey, underneath the skin. Stuff it in the cuts you made.
5- Then generously sprinkle sazon completa (Badia Brand, Complete Seasoning) all over the bird, try to get some of in the the small cuts you made on the skin.
6- Sprinkle the dried oregano generously as well all over the bird.
7- Cut the bitter oranges in slices, with skin and all, and place between the slices skin and the meat throughout the turkey.
8- Then place the bird inside a bag ( I use a new trash bag)
9- Pour the two bottles of mojo Criollo (spanish liquid marinade)and the bitter orange juice in the bag with the bird. Tighten the bag, ensuring the knot is as low as possible very close to the bird and cut the excess bag.
10- Place in the the refrigirator for 2 days prior to cooking -DO NOT FREEZE ONCE IT IS SEASONED.
At cooking time:
1-Remove the turkey from the bag, place on the baking pan or tray, sprinkle some more Sazon Completa (complete seasoning)
2- Use the two packages of thin-sliced bacon to wrap around and completely cover the turkey
3- Stuff the turkey with your favorite stuffing
4- Place in a pre-heated oven at 400 degrees, cook for about 2 1/2 hours, then lower the temperature to about 325 degrees and cook for another hour or until the meat is cooked. Check internal temperature of the turkey with a meat thermometer. I usually like my pork and turkey or chicken to be a t around 160 degrees.
About the bacon:
You can wrap the turkey in bacon before cooking it or you can put the bacon on after the first two hours of cooking, it is up to you. When the turkey is fully cooked, the bacon will most likely be burnt so remove and discard, and you should have a delicious and flavorful turkey.
If you still want gravy, use the fluids and juices released by the bacon and the turkey meat. Mix about two teaspoons of corn starch with water, empty the turkey juices on a 1 qt saucepan , bring to a boil and slowly ad the mix of water and and corn starch. Lower the heat to medium, stir until thick and VOILA!!! you have delicious home made gravy!
Enjoy!!
