Because so many loved this recipe, we’ve decided to make it available to EVERYONE! You don’t even have to own a copy of the Heirloom Cookbook!
We sometimes argue over who gets to do the carving of this delicious Thanksgiving bird. Keeping the turkey covered for most its cooking time, in a pan with a fair amount of liquid, makes for a nice juicy turkey. Uncovering and basting for the final 30 minutes ensures crisp, beautifully golden skin. Maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar and a little Worcestershire are reminiscent of barbecue sauce. The bourbon flavor (slightly sweet with vanilla undertones) permeates the bird and makes a wonderful gravy.
NOTE: cooking with alcohol can be tricky. When roasting this bird, use a heavy roasting pan (not a disposable one) and use the middle of the oven. Using a thin, disposable pan and placing it too close to the heat source can heat the alcohol too quickly and cause flaming
Bourbon Roast Turkey
Serves 10 to 12
Ingredients
1 turkey (about 14 pounds), rinsed and patted dry, neck and giblets removed, liver discarded
1/4 cup coarse salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons ancho chile powder
1 juice orange
1 lime
1 small onion, halved
2 bay leaves
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
3/4 cup maple syrup (preferably grade B)
2 tablespoons molasses
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup bourbon
1 cup canned chicken broth
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Tuck the wing tips under the turkey by bending them back and pushing them under the wings. In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and chile powder. Carefully run your fingers under the breast and thigh skin of the turkey to loosen and then season with about one-third of the salt mixture. Rub the remaining mixture in the cavity of the turkey and all over the skin. With a fork, pierce the orange and lime all over. Place them in the cavity along with the onion, bay leaves, and garlic cloves. Truss the turkey.
In a small skillet, combine the maple syrup, molasses, brown sugar, and Worcestershire sauce. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes for the flavors to concentrate.
Place the turkey on a rack and the turkey neck and giblets in a heavy roasting pan with a lid. In a small bowl combine the bourbon and chicken broth and carefully pour the mixture into the pan (do not splash the oven or outside of the pan with the mixture). Pour all but 1/3 cup of the maple syrup mixture over the turkey breast. Cover the pan with the lid and roast the turkey, without uncovering, for 1 hour 30 minutes.
Uncover the pan and brush the turkey with the reserved maple syrup mixture. Roast for 30 minutes, uncovered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thigh, without touching bone, registers 165°F.
Lift the turkey from the pan and transfer to a platter or cutting board. Tent with foil and let stand for 30 minutes. Discard the neck and giblets.
Pour the juices from the roasting pan into a gravy separator or a large measuring cup and remove the fat, reserving 3 tablespoons. If there isn’t enough turkey fat, add butter to make up the difference. If you don’t have 4 cups of pan juices, add water to make up the difference.
Place the turkey fat in a large saucepan and heat over low heat. Gradually whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour has browned, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in the 4 cups of pan juices and cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy is lightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Slice the turkey and serve with the gravy and the cornbread stuffing.
If you’ve added your own twist to this recipe from the Beekman 1802 Heirloom Recipe Cookbook, tell us about it in the comments section below. Each recipe becomes a thousand different recipes (with your help and ingenuity!)
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I used a tangerine and a lemon instead of an orange and lime (since it was what we had on hand) and it turned out great! The hungry famiy LOVED it! The gravy was a huge hit too! Thanks again for a great recipe! Everything I have made from the cookbook has been amazing!
Who drank all the bourbon before I made the turkey?
I’ve made this twice. I ran out of bourbon and used brandy and it was excellent.
Hi, Mike
It is hard to give a cooking time for a turkey because of the many variables: size of turkey, strength of oven, etc. You can turn your oven to 350 degrees. Cook until the breast temperature is 160 degrees. For the last 15-20 minutes, you can increase temperature to 400 degrees to achieve a nice golden brown
The receipe does not give a cooking temperature for the turkey. Also the cooking time is half of what is given on the turkey package. Please clarify.
Mike