Best Spice Rubbed Turkey Recipes

SPICE-RUBBED ROAST TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse inside and outside of turkey; pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to a large roasting pan. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour. Tuck wings under turkey. Fill cavity loosely with stuffing, and tie legs together with kitchen twine. Squeeze 1 orange over turkey. Season outside of turkey generously with salt, and sprinkle with pepper. Gently rub seasonings into turkey.
• Heat juice of remaining orange, the butter, and wine in a small saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Roast turkey, basting every half hour with melted-butter mixture until thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. (Halfway through, rotate pan and cover with foil.)
• Remove stuffing, and transfer to a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. Bake until stuffing reaches 165 degrees, about 30 minutes more. Meanwhile, let turkey stand for 30 minutes. Transfer to a platter; reserve pan juices in roasting pan for Aleppo pepper gravy. Carve turkey. Garnish with persimmons and sage if desired.

SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small bowl combine the first five ingredients. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey; rub half the spice mixture under the skin., Brush turkey with oil. Rub remaining spice mixture over turkey. Place lemons inside the neck and body cavity. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Arrange onions in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Place turkey, breast side up, over onions., Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thigh reads 180°, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before carving., Remove lemons from cavity. When cool enough to handle, halve lemons and squeeze juice over turkey if desired. Discard onions.

BUTTERMILK-BRINED SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• Brine the turkey: Bring 2 cups water, the salt, brown sugar, 1 halved garlic head and 10 thyme sprigs to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from the heat and add 6 cups cold water; let cool to room temperature. Whisk the buttermilk, hot sauce, mustard and sliced onion in a large bowl, then whisk in the salt-sugar mixture. Place the turkey in a brining bag or extra-large pot. Pour the brine over the turkey, seal or cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Position a rack in the lowest part of the oven; remove the other racks and preheat to 350˚. Set a rack in a large roasting pan. Remove the turkey from the brine, letting the excess drip off as much as possible, and transfer, breast-side up, to the rack. Pat the turkey dry. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes.
• Combine the paprika, onion powder, granulated garlic, cayenne and 1 teaspoon black pepper in a small bowl. Stuff the turkey cavity with the remaining 1 halved garlic head and 10 thyme sprigs and the quartered onion; tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Tuck the wings under the body. Season the turkey all over with salt and brush with the melted butter. Coat the turkey with the spice mixture.
• Roast the turkey 1 1/2 hours, then baste with the pan drippings. (Add 1/4 cup water to the roasting pan if it's too dry.) Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes, until the skin is crisp and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165˚, 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving.

SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY BREAST WITH SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl, mix rosemary, paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, lime juice, and 4 teaspoons oil; rub all over turkey. Leaving space between them, place both halves in the center of a large rimmed baking sheet.
• Brush cut sides of sweet potatoes with remaining 2 teaspoons oil; place, cut side down, on sheet with turkey. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of each breast half registers 160 degrees, about 50 minutes (potatoes should be tender). Let stand 10 minutes, loosely tented with aluminum foil to keep warm (temperature will rise by 5 degrees).
• Cut one breast half into thick slices (reserve remaining turkey; see step 4). Cut potato halves into wedges. Transfer turkey slices and potatoes to a serving platter, drizzling turkey with any juices from baking sheet. (Optional: Serve with Sauteed Escarole.)
• Cool remaining turkey completely. Divide leftovers evenly between 2 airtight containers, or wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.

SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY WITH COGNAC GRAVY

Steps:

• For turkey:
• Toast coriander, cumin, peppercorns, and cinnamon in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Transfer to bowl; cool. Grind spices to powder in spice grinder. Transfer spice powder to small bowl; mix in salt and paprika. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan; tuck wings under. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon spice mixture in main cavity of turkey and remaining spice mixture all over turkey skin; tie legs together to hold shape. Refrigerate uncovered overnight.
• Let turkey stand 1 hour at room temperature.
• Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 450°F. Pour 1 1/2 cups turkey broth into pan with turkey. Reduce heat to 350°F; roast turkey 2 hours. Add 2 cups broth to pan. Roast 1 hour; pour 2 cups broth over turkey. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Continue roasting until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, about 1 hour longer.
• Meanwhile, prepare giblet broth:
• Place reserved turkey neck, heart, and gizzard in medium saucepan; add 3 cups turkey broth. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Strain broth into 4-cup measuring cup; reserve neck, heart, and gizzard. Skim any fat from surface of giblet broth. Add enough turkey broth to giblet broth to measure 4 cups total. Remove meat from neck. Finely chop neck, heart, and gizzard.
• Transfer turkey to platter, tent loosely with foil and kitchen towel, and let stand 30 minutes (internal temperature of turkey will rise 5 to 10 degrees).
• For giblet gravy:
• Pour pan juices from roasting pan into large measuring cup. Spoon fat from surface. Transfer 4 tablespoons fat to medium saucepan (if needed, use some of reserved fat from turkey broth to measure 4 tablespoons total). Discard any excess fat.
• Place roasting pan over 2 burners set at medium-high heat. Add vermouth and Cognac to pan and bring to boil, scraping up browned bits. Add degreased pan juices and 1 cup giblet broth; bring to boil, scraping up browned bits.
• Heat reserved 4 tablespoons fat in saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour, whisking until smooth. Whisk constantly until starting to brown, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in pan-juice mixture and 3 cups giblet broth. Simmer until gravy is thick enough to coat spoon, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Mix in chopped neck, heart, and gizzard. Season with salt and pepper. Carve turkey and serve with gravy.

SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY BREAST WITH ROASTED CARROTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 475 degrees. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots, garlic, and 1 tablespoon oil; push to sides. Place turkey in center; rub with 1 tablespoon oil, and sprinkle with cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon cumin. Season with salt and pepper.
• Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of turkey registers 165 degrees, 30 to 35 minutes, tossing carrots halfway through. Let turkey rest 10 minutes; thinly slice crosswise.
• In a small bowl, mix yogurt, lime juice, and teaspoon cumin; season with salt and pepper. Serve turkey and carrots with sauce.

SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• Using a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the coriander seeds and cumin seeds until fragrant, about 2 minutes. In a spice grinder, grind the oregano, coriander seeds, cumin seeds, Anaheim chiles, red chiles, paprika, salt, and peppercorns into a powder. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside.
• Rinse turkey with cold water, making sure to clean neck and main cavity thoroughly. Pat inside and outside of bird dry with paper towels. The outside of bird must be dry for spice rub to adhere to skin.
• Wearing rubber gloves, rub spice mixture thoroughly over entire bird. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Spices may be applied up to 1 day ahead. Allow bird to come to room temperature before stuffing.
• Place rack in lower third of oven, and heat oven to 450 degrees. Stuff neck cavity with 3 to 4 cups of Spicy Cornbread Stuffing. Fold neck flap down, and secure to underside of turkey using stainless-steel trussing pins or wooden skewers. Stuff larger cavity with remaining stuffing.
• Cut a piece of kitchen twine to twice the length of the turkey. Fold twine in two, and, starting at neck, bring twine forward around body of turkey ending at legs. Tie twine to secure wings and legs to body of bird. Cross turkey's legs, and tie together. Place trussed bird in a V-rack in a large roasting pan.
• Transfer turkey to oven. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. After the first hour, rotate pan every 30 minutes until a meat thermometer reads 160 degrees when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove from oven, and set aside for 30 minutes before carving.

ORANGE-SPICE RUBBED ROASTED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• Spray a roasting pan and baking rack with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
• In a small bowl, stir together the spices.
• Using your fingertips, loosen the skin from the turkey breast and rub the spice mixture evenly over the breast.
• Cover it with the skin, place the turkey on the rack in the roasting pan, and insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part making sure it doesn't touch the bone.
• Roast, uncovered, for meat thermometer 170 degrees, approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.
• Let the turkey stand for 15 minutes; remove the skin and any visible fat.
• Slice the turkey and enjoy.

HERB AND SPICE RUBBED TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. TURKEY THAWING TIMES-Approximately 8 to 12 pounds......1 to 2 days in refrigerator 10 to 16 pounds.....2 to 3 days in refrigerator 16 to 20 pounds.....3 to 4 days in refrigerator 20 to 24 pounds.....4 to 5 days in refrigerator
• 2. Cut carrots and celery in 4 or 5 pcs. each. Cut onion into quarters. I don't bother to peel carrots or take skin off of onion or garlic. Mix together olive oil and all spices in small bowl.
• 3. Remove gizzards from inside bird as well as neck from inside the neck cavity. Rinse bird off with water, make sure to drain water out of cavity. Pat dry with paper towels. Using 1/3 of the rub mix, pour into cavity and rub well. Place most of the carrots, celery, onions and the garlic into cavity until filled up. Place the remainder in the neck cavity. (You can boil the neck and gizzards to make broth if desired, discard liver, it will cause your broth to be bitter).
• 4. Using your fingers, gently go between skin and meat on both sides of turkey breast and seperate the skin from the meat, being careful not to rip the skin. If you have a really large bird, you might need to make a small incision in the neck flap skin and to seperate the skin from meat on the other end of the breast. Now using part of your rub, place some under the skin on both sides of the turkey breast rubbing into the meat. Once you've done that, make sure your bird is good and dry (using paper towels) and rub remainder of oil and spices on the skin of the bird.
• 5. Place on lowest rack in oven if using roasting pan with rack inside. If baking flat on the bottom of a pan, place on the next higher rack. Make a "tent" out of foil to place loosely on top of bird, this will keep turkey from browning too much on top. Place about 2c of water in bottom of roaster, you will need to add water every so often.
• 6. Bake on 400° for 30 min., then reduce heat to 325°, here is a chart for approximate baking times: TURKEY ROASTING TIMES 6 to 8 pounds......2-1/2 to 3 hours 8 to 12 pounds.....3 to 4 hours 12 to 16 pounds....4 to 5 hours 16 to 20 pounds....5 to 5-1/2 hours 20 to 24 pounds....5-1/2 to 6 hours Always use a meat thermometer to gauge doneness. For an unstuffed turkey, place the meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, taking care that it does not touch any bone. Roast the turkey until the meat thermometer reaches 180 degrees F.

SPICE-RUBBED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove and discard giblets and neck from turkey. Trim excess fat, then rinse turkey with cold water and pat dry. Loosen skin from breast and drumsticks by inserting fingers, gently pushing between skin and meat. Lift wing tips up and over back, and tuck under turkey. Place turkey on a jelly-roll pan. Combine the brown sugar and the next 7 ingredients (brown sugar through coriander). Rub seasoning mixture over and under skin. Cover turkey with plastic wrap; refrigerate 8 hours.
• Soak wood chunks in water 1 hour, and drain well. Place a large, disposable aluminum-foil pan in center of bottom grill rack. Place 25 charcoal briquettes on each side of the pan; ignite briquettes. Place wood chunks over hot coals. Coat top grill rack with cooking spray; place over foil pan and hot coals. Uncover the turkey; remove from jelly-roll pan. Place on top rack over aluminum-foil pan. Insert a meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Cover and smoke turkey 2 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer registers 180°, adding 8 additional briquettes to each side of drip pan every hour.
• (Cover the turkey loosely with foil if it becomes too brown. Turkey should be a deep mahogany brown when done. Closely monitor the grill to make sure the coals burn steadily, with continuous smoke, although don't check too often as lifting the grill lid decreases the inside temperature significantly).
• Serve with Roasted-Pear Stuffing (Recipe #194583) and Cranberry Syrup (Recipe #194648).

SPICE-RUBBED GRILLED TURKEY WITH PLUM CHUTNEY

Steps:

• Make the turkey: Combine the brown sugar, thyme, coriander, ground ginger, paprika, allspice, cayenne, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt in a small bowl. Pat the turkey dry. Rub the vegetable oil all over the turkey, then rub with the spice mixture. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
• Preheat a grill to medium high and prepare for indirect grilling: On a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side; on a gas grill, turn off half the burners. Brush the grill grates with vegetable oil. Lay the turkey on the grates skin-side up with the legs closest to the direct-heat side (the dark meat needs more heat). Cover the grill and cook until the turkey is deep golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, make the chutney: Combine the plums, shallot, dried apricots, brown sugar, vinegar, fresh ginger, thyme, mustard seeds, allspice, coriander, cayenne and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook until the plums are tender and the juices thicken, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool. Serve the turkey with the chutney.
• If you're making the turkey on a charcoal grill, you'll need 4 to 5 pounds of charcoal. Add several new briquettes to the coals every 30 minutes to maintain the heat.

SPICE-RUBBED TURKEY BREAST WITH SWEET POTATOES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. In a small bowl, mix together rosemary, paprika, 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, the lime juice, and 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oil; rub mixture all over turkey. Place in center of a rimmed baking sheet.
• Brush cut sides of sweet potatoes with remaining 2 teaspoons oil; arrange, cut side down, on sheet around turkey. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted in center of breast registers 160°F, about 50 minutes (sweet potatoes should be tender). Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes, tented with foil to keep warm (temperature will rise by 5 degrees).
• Cut turkey into thick slices. Cut sweet potato halves into wedges. Transfer turkey and sweet potatoes to a serving platter, and drizzle turkey with juices from baking sheet.
• Per Serving (without Escarole)
• Calories: 278
• Fat: 3.2g (0.6g Saturated Fat)
• Protein: 37.4g
• Carbohydrates: 23.2g
• Fiber: 3.5g