There’s just something about the crispy seasoned skin, tender juicy meat that’s just filled with seasoning and bursting with flavor, a Thanksgiving Turkey that practically melts in your mouth.
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite times of the year, I love the food, the smells, the flavors and the fact that most people stop and give thanks for their blessings.
Y’all know that after discovering brining last year, I am convinced that it’s the trick to a ridiculously moist and flavor packed Turkey. Whether you fry – YUM – or roast or grill, I seriously suggest brining that Turkey.
For my Poblano Roasted Turkey I used Apple Cider and Water for my brining liquid
To that I added fresh ground peppercorns, brown sugar, kosher salt, jalapenos and crushed garlic.
Mix everything together and pour it into your container: lots of you suggest using small coolers, I have a VERY large pot that I use, add your Turkey to the brine and refrigerate and brine for 12 to 24 hours.
After your Turkey is done with its brine bath, remove it from the brine, pat it dry and choose your seasonings.
I used brown sugar, cayenne, fresh ground peppercorns, oregano, cumin, sugar and crushed garlic — and that’s just the rub. That rub right there, makes me wish for scratch and sniff internet, so y’all could smell that little bowl of heaven.
Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh and massage the rub all over the flesh. Rub the skin with olive oil and whatever rub you have left-over.
Now, comes the fun part, stuffing the turkey with delicious vegetables and fruits and herbs that will impart an amazing flavor to the turkey from the inside out.
I am a HUGE fan of poblano peppers, as y’all well know; so I chose them to be one of my ingredients for this Tonguegasmic Turkey.
I stuffed my Turkey with Sliced Poblano Peppers, Garlic, Gala Apples, Cilantro and Oranges.
I placed my turkey, breast side up, wings and legs tucked, on a roasting rack in my roasting pan and I put, 2 sliced poblanos, 1 sliced apple and 1 C vegetable broth in the bottom of the pan.
My Turkey was 12.2 pounds so I cooked it for a total of 3 1/2 hours.
Holy deliciousness. Nathan has declared this to be the best Turkey ever.
I used the drippings from the Turkey, 2 of the roasted poblanos and more vegetable broth and flour to make a ridiculously amazing gravy.
I am so grateful to Butterball for sharing their knowledge with me (stay tuned.. next week I am going to share the interview that I had with Mary, the director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line, and for providing me with a Turkey Check to pay for this Tonguegasmic Turkey.
Poblano, Citrus and Cilantro Roast Turkey with a Poblano Gravy.
Ingredients
- 12 lb Butterball
- 1 gallon, water
- 1 gallon, apple cider
- 3 jalapenos, sliced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 1/2 C brown sugar
- 1 C kosher salt
- 1/2 C fresh ground peppercorns
- 2 Tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tsp fresh ground black pepper (you can use less if you’re pepper sensitive)
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 poblano peppers, quartered
- 2 gala apples, quartered
- 1/2 bunch, fresh cilantro
- 1 orange, quartered
- Vegetable Broth
- Flour
Instructions
- Combine the brine ingredients
- Remove neck and giblets from turkey cavity
- submerge turkey in brine and soak, refrigerated, for 12 to 24 hours
- remove from brine, pat turkey dry and set aside.
- Combine Rub ingredients
- using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the flesh and massage the rub into the turkey under the skin.
- rub some olive oil over the skin and massage any leftover rub into the skin
- prepare your inside ingredients:
- Stuff the cavity with 1/2 of the poblanos, 1/2 of the apples, all of the cilantro and the orange quarters.
- Put the remaining poblanos and apple into the bottom of a foil lined roasting pan. Pour in 1 1/2 C vegetable broth
- Put in a pre-heated 325 degree oven, check your Butterball Turkey guide that came with your turkey for how long to cook.
- I cooked mine for 3 1/2 hours. At 2 1/2 hours, I took the turkey out, covered it with a foil tent and placed it back in to finish cooking.
- After the Turkey is done cooking, allow to rest 15 minutes before carving so the juices can go back in to the turkey and it’ll be the juiciest, most delicious turkey imaginable :-)
- Pour drippings from pan into a 4 Cup measure. Strain the fat off the drippings and put in a skillet over medium heat.
- Chop up 2 of the poblanos from the roasting pan and add to the skillet.
- Stir 1/2 C flour into the fat and poblanos and stir until smooth, gradually blend in drippings.
- Cook and stir the gravy until it comes to a boil and thickens over medium heat. (if you need to add vegetable broth to the gravy to thin it, add it a little at a time)
- Continue to cook for another 3 to 5 minutes
- Season with Salt and Pepper, if desired
Congrats to Lisa and JeNae! They won the Butterball Turkey Checks!
I received a Butterball turkey check to pay for my Turkey. The turkey recipe, ideas, opinions and etc.. are all mine. I had this recipe already in my head to make… Butterball just ended up being a bonus, for me AND 2 of y’all!
http://twitter.com/#!/designhermomma/status/4160535855636480
yep, I tweeted!
designHer Momma´s most recent brilliance ..The Weekend Gimme – FOSTER WELD
I’m totally sold on brining, too!
Candace´s most recent brilliance ..Stone Soup
Your turkey looks and sounds fantastic!! I have to admit I have never brined a turkey before but I think after seeing this I will have to try it.
I cannot WAIT to try this!!
I may have to put your phone number on speed dial for that day! 
Seriously… this looks awesome! And how cool of YOU to put step by step…. your blog is my new cookbook! 
Funny AND delicious! 
Jo Hilton´s most recent brilliance ..Eve of December 1st