This recipe has subtle Asian flavors that delicately perfume the turkey in a way thats beautifully compatible with the rest of the Thanksgiving meal.
Ingredients
Asian-spiced salt:
Turkey:
Gravy:
For asian-spiced salt:
Step 1
Coarsely grind first 5 ingredients in spice mill; transfer to small bowl. Place cinnamon stick in spice mill and grind coarsely; add to bowl. Mix in coarse salt. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 week ahead.Cover and store at room temperature. Stir orange peel into Asian-spiced salt before using.
For turkey:
Step 2
Rinse turkey inside and out (do not pat dry). Pull any fat pads from main cavity and neck cavity of turkey; wrap, chill, and reserve for roasting. Place turkey in roasting bag; sprinkle inside and out with Asian-spiced salt. Close bag. Place on baking sheet; refrigerate 18 to 24 hours.
Step 3
Mix green onions and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead.Cover and chill.
Step 4
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 325°F. Mix soy sauce and molasses in small bowl; reserve for glaze. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat very dry. Divide chopped green onion mixture between main and neck cavities. Fold neck skin under and secure with skewer. Tuck wing tips under. Tie legs together loosely. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Spread butter all over turkey. Place reserved fat pads and reserved neck, heart, and gizzard in roasting pan; pour in 2 cups Golden Turkey Stock.
Step 5
Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices. Continue to roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165°F to 170°F, basting every 45 minutes, adding stock or water to pan by cupfuls if dry, and tenting turkey loosely with foil if browning too quickly, 3 to 31/2 hours longer. Brush turkey with soy sauce glaze twice during last 30 minutes. Transfer turkey to platter; tent very loosely with foil and let rest 30 to 45 minutes. Reserve roasting pan with juices for gravy.
For gravy:
Step 6
Remove turkey neck, heart, and gizzard from roasting pan. Pull meat off neck; chop neck meat, heart, and gizzard and reserve for gravy, if desired. Pour pan juices into 8-cup measuring cup. Spoon off fat from surface, reserving 1/2 cup fat. Add enough turkey stock to degreased pan juices to measure 5 1/4 cups total.
Step 7
Place reserved roasting pan over 2 burners on medium heat; add 1/2 cup reserved turkey fat and 1/2 cup flour. Whisk until roux is light brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in Sherry, then stock mixture. Bring to boil, scraping up browned bits and whisking to blend. Boil until gravy is thick enough to coat spoon, about 8 minutes. Add chopped neck, heart, and gizzard, if desired. Whisk in 1 tablespoon soy sauce; season with salt and pepper.
Step 8
Serve turkey with gravy.
Step 9
- A brown star-shaped seedpod; available in the spice section of some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores and Asian markets.
Step 10
**Sometimes called wild pepper or sansho peppercorns; available at some specialty foods stores and at Asian markets.
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Reviews (5)
Back to TopThis is a fantastic turkey method. On the day of, you've got fantastic fragrant tasty moist turkey that smells a little like Asian duck, and the next day or so, you can roast an onion and some ginger, toss it in a pot with your carcass, add a few herbs, spices, and chilis, and make the most amazing pho broth. Grab a pack of rice noodles and other goodies like cilantro and basil when you're doing your T-day shopping; there's nothing like a big bowl of warm homemade pho with bits of leftover turkey, green onions, cilantro, and the works. You'll be giving thanks for the entire weekend.
Anonymous
St Paul
11/23/2016
This turkey was so good, there was literally none left over! I am going to make it again this year, and I am sure it will be a constant favorite for years to come. Last year, I didn't realize that I had to salt the bird 24 hours prior, but it still came out so juicy, flavorful, and absolutely delicious, it didn't seem to matter. Everyone should make this recipe- it may be a few more steps than you're used to, but its definitley worth it!! Happy Thanksgiving!
georgeherman
Los Angeles, CA
11/21/2011
This was our Thanksgiving bird recipe last year, and it will definitely be making a return appearance this year thanks to rave reviews all around. This seasoning combination adds an incredible depth of flavor to both the bird and the gravy. Yum! It went over SO well last year that there were hardly any leftovers; we'll have to get a bigger bird this time around!
elisams
Brooklyn, NY
10/9/2009
Best turkey ever. Exotic collections of herbs and fruits adds turkey an amazing flavor. The gravy came out delicious, too. If turkey tastes this good, I'd like to make it more often.
Hazki
12/8/2008
We wanted to try out the salting method before subjecting a Thanksgiving crowd to an untested method, so we used 1/3 quantity of all the ingredients and roasted a chicken. We left the spiced salt on for 8 hours, roasted it at 400F for 30 minutes before brushing on the glaze, then reglazed every 15 minutes until the meat thermometer beeped at us. It turned out awesome. The meat was perfectly cooked and the gravy got rave reviews from the whole family.
auriga4
12/3/2008
