Jerk Turkey
- Ready In:
- 65hrs
- Ingredients:
- 20
- Serves:
-
30
ingredients
- 15 lbs whole turkey
- 3⁄4 cup salt
- 3 limes, sliced in 2
- 3 gallons water (enough to cover the turkey)
- 13 ounces Caribbean jerk marinade
- 1⁄2 cup soya sauce
- 1⁄4 cup ground pimientos or 1/4 cup allspice
- 1⁄4 cup ground cumin (powder)
- 1⁄4 cup cayenne pepper (powder)
- 1⁄4 cup salt
- 1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped with stalks removed
- 8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 3 stalks rosemary, chopped
- 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
- 2 medium carrots, diced roughly
- 1 orange, diced with peel left on
- 3 cups chicken broth or 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1⁄2 cup orange juice
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
directions
- Brining – helps to keep the turkey moist during cooking.
- - Pour water into a pan or bucket.
- - Squeeze limes into water and leave the remains in the water.
- - Add salt.
- - Stir to dissolve salt.
- - Place turkey, neck and livers in mixture for 8-12 hours.
- Marinade.
- - Combine the seasonings below overnight before rubbing on the turkey.
- - Combine 3/4 jerk seasoning, soya sauce, pimento, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and butter.
- - Mix together into a paste.
- - Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture.
- - Remove turkey from brine and dispose of brine.
- - Rinse turkey lightly with fresh water.
- - Take 1/4 cup the butter marinade and rub directly on each turkey breast underneath the skin (this helps to keep the seasoning on the breast and ensures it is flavourful and moist).
- - Repeat this process for the thighs under the skin.
- - Rub remaining mixture on the outside of the turkey on top of the skin, front and back.
- - Put turkey, neck, and livers in a plastic bag tied tight to keep the marinade from leaking out. You may want to wrap it in a couple of bags and place in a bowl or foil tin to prevent leaks in the fridge.
- - Place turkey in fridge for 24-48 hours to marinate. Half way though your marinating time flip the turkey onto its breast so that the marinade isn’t sitting just at the bottom of the bag.
- - When you are ready to cook, take the remaining 2 tablespoons of marinade and add thyme, rosemary, onions, carrots and orange.
- - Use this mixture to stuff the turkey (this helps to season the turkey during cooking).
- Cooking.
- - Pre-heat oven to 375 – 400 degrees (depending on your oven) – average 20 mins/1 lb of turkey.
- - Place turkey in roasting pan.
- - Pour 1 cup chicken broth around the edged of the pan – this helps to ensure there is enough juice to baste the turkey.
- - Put turkey in oven, covered with tin foil (‘tented’) so not too tight so foil sticks to the skin.
- - Baste turkey approximately every 30 minutes.
- - Leave turkey tented while cooking until the final 30 minutes of cooking, then remove foil.
- - Internal temperature of the breast should be 175 degrees when cooked – I highly recommend you use an oven safe one, that can stay in the turkey while you cook.
- - If you don’t have a thermometer, when the cooking time has elapsed, make a cut between the thigh and the breast and look at the juice that's released – It will be clear when cooked. If the juice is at all pink or red, put the turkey back in the oven.
- - TIP: Another good test is to check the turkey neck that was cooking in the pan. If the meat on the neck is falling off the bone with ease, that’s a good sign.
- Gravy.
- - Take 1 cup of the pan juices out of roasting pan and set aside.
- - Take 3 tablespoons of the vegetable stuffing out of roasting pan – (onions, carrots, thyme – TIP: Do not include orange as peel will make gravy bitter.
- - In a blender, combine the vegetables and 1 cup chicken broth.
- - Blend the vegetables into a puree.
- - Optional – for extra flavour add the cooked turkey liver to the blender with the vegetables to puree.
- - In a sauce pan combine the puree with 1 cup chicken broth and ½ cup orange juice and bring to a boil.
- - Slowly add ½ cup of the pan drippings. Taste mixture to ensure it is not too salty or spicy.
- - Add more pan drippings until it reaches a taste you prefer.
- - In a separate cup mix the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water until cornstarch is fully melted and pours easily.
- - Pour cornstarch mixture into the gravy, slowly and continue stirring until thickened. If the gravy is too salty or thick add more water as needed.
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