Best Rum Glazed Turkey Recipes

RUM GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add onions, carrots and celery and saute until tender. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and toss with parsley, sage, chestnuts, apples, dried cranberries, mushrooms and bread. Pour eggs, stock and remaining 12 tablespoons of melted butter over, season with salt and pepper and toss again well. If the stuffing is too dry add a bit more stock or water. It should not be saturated or soggy, though.
• Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Rub the cavity opening with salt and pepper. With your fingers, carefully separate as much of the turkey's skin from the breast, as you can, trying not to puncture any holes in the skin as you go.
• In a small mixing bowl stir together 8 tablespoons of the softened butter with 1 cup of the brown sugar. Smear about half of the softened butter and sugar mixture over the breast under the skin. Rub the remaining butter and sugar mixture all over the turkey.
• Loosely stuff the turkey with the cooled chestnut stuffing. If there is extra stuffing bake it in a buttered baking dish next to the turkey in the oven.
• Roast the stuffed turkey about 3 to 3 1/2 hours, basting often during the last hour of cooking with the buttered rum glaze, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the turkey leg registers 155 degrees F; it will continue cooking for another 20 minutes or so out of the oven. If the turkey skin starts to get too dark, tent it with foil while it roasts.
• While turkey is cooking, in a small saucepan combine remaining 8 tablespoons of the butter with 1 cup of the brown sugar, ground cinnamon, freshly ground nutmeg, dark rum and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then lower and simmer for 10 minutes until slightly thickened and syrup-like, stirring often.
• Transfer the turkey to a carving board to rest and loosely tent with foil and allow to cool. Brush the outside of the turkey with syrup mixture to get a glazed look.

ROASTED MAPLE RUM TURKEY BREAST WITH SWEET POTATO STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. On ungreased large cookie sheet with sides, place bread cubes. Bake 15 minutes, stirring once, until light golden brown.
• Meanwhile, in 12-inch nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Cook onion and celery in oil 4 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until crisp-tender. In large bowl, toss onion mixture, toasted bread cubes and remaining stuffing ingredients until well mixed. Spoon into baking dish.
• Place turkey breast, skin side up, on top of stuffing in center of baking dish. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of breast and does not touch bone. Cover stuffing with 2 pieces of foil, leaving turkey uncovered. Roast 1 hour.
• In 1-quart saucepan, heat syrup, rum and 1/4 teaspoon salt to boiling; do not stir. Boil uncovered 3 to 4 minutes or until mixture coats and runs off spoon.
• Brush turkey with half of the glaze. Roast 30 minutes. Brush with remaining glaze. Roast 15 to 45 minutes longer or until thermometer reads at least 165°F. Transfer turkey to serving platter; tent with foil. Let stand 15 minutes for easier carving. Meanwhile, stir stuffing; bake uncovered 15 to 20 minutes longer.

MAPLE ROAST TURKEY AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Boil apple cider and maple syrup in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). Remove from heat and mix in 1/2 of the thyme and marjoram and all of the lemon zest. Add the butter, and whisk until melted. Add salt and ground pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate until cold (syrup can be made up to 2 days ahead).
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Place oven rack in the lowest third of oven.
• Wash and dry turkey, and place in a large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of the breast to loosen. Rub 1/2 cup of the maple butter mix under the breast skin. If planning on stuffing turkey, do so now. Rub 1/4 cup of the maple butter mixture over the outside of the turkey. With kitchen string, tie legs of turkey together loosely.
• Arrange the chopped onion, chopped celery, and chopped carrot around the turkey in the roasting pan. If desired, the neck and giblets may be added to the vegetables. Sprinkle the remaining thyme and marjoram over the vegetables, and pour the chicken stock into the pan.
• Roast turkey 30 minutes in the preheated oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and cover turkey loosely with foil. Continue to roast, about 3 to 4 hours unstuffed or 4 to 5 hours stuffed, until the internal temperature of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) and stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (75 degrees C). Transfer turkey to a platter, and cover with foil. Reserve pan mixture for gravy. Allow turkey to sit about 25 minutes before removing stuffing and carving.
• To Make Gravy: Strain pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon fat from juices. Add enough chicken stock to make 3 cups. Transfer liquid to a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix reserved maple butter mixture with flour to form a paste, and whisk into the broth. Stir in thyme, bay leaf, and apple brandy. Boil until reduced and slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

BALSAMIC-GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position and remove the other racks; preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove any turkey parts from the neck and breast cavities and reserve for another use if desired. Dry the turkey well with paper towels inside and out. Sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper and stuff with the lemon zest, onion, 1 head of the garlic and half of the rosemary, sage and thyme. Set the turkey on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan breast-side up. Rub the outside of the turkey with olive oil, then sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Put the chicken broth, 1 stick of the butter, 1 cup water and the remaining rosemary, sage, thyme and head of garlic in the bottom of the pan. Tent the turkey with foil.
• Roast the turkey, basting thoroughly every 30 minutes, for 2 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, heat the balsamic vinegar, honey and remaining stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is simmering. Continue to simmer until thick, syrupy and reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• After roasting the turkey for 2 1/2 hours, remove the foil and increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Roast the turkey for another 15 minutes, then baste with about a third of the balsamic glaze using a pastry brush. Roast for another 10 minutes, then glaze again with half of the remaining glaze. Roast for another 10 minutes, then glaze a final time with the remaining glaze. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes more.
• Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.