Best 7 Cranberry Orange Brined Smoked Turkey Recipes

SALTY AND SWEET CRANBERRY CITRUS BRINE

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, mix together the kosher salt, orange juice concentrate, cranberry juice concentrate, water, brown sugar, cinnamon stick, lemon wedges, orange wedges, onion wedges, garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme, and black pepper; stir until the salt and brown sugar have dissolved. To use, place a whole turkey into the brine, cover, and refrigerate 14 to 16 hours before roasting. Discard used brine.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Rinse the turkey pieces and pat very dry with paper towels. Brush the turkey all over with oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Arrange the turkey, skin-side up, on a baking sheet with the thick end of the breasts and thighs at the corners, the drumsticks in the center. Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and brush with the Cranberry Orange Glaze. Pour the broth onto the baking sheet to prevent drippings from burning and roast the turkey, covering loosely with foil if browning too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F to 170 degrees F in thickest part of the thigh (do not let the thermometer touch bone), 20 minutes.
• Transfer the turkey to a platter. Brush generously with more glaze and let rest 25 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scrape all the pan juices and browned bits from the baking sheet into a large measuring cup. Spoon off and discard the fat that rises to the surface. Heat the pan juices in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk 2 to 3 tablespoons of the glaze into the pan juices (or more if desired) to make the gravy and bring to a simmer for the flavors to blend.
• Slice the turkey and arrange on the platter. Garnish with herb sprigs, oranges wedges and cranberries, and serve with gravy.
• In a small saucepan, bring the cranberry juice, orange juice, marmalade and rosemary to a boil over medium-high heat. Boil until the glaze thickens enough to coat a spoon, whisking often, 15 minutes. Remove from the heat. Whisk in the butter, then season the glaze with salt and pepper.

ROAST TURKEY WITH CRANBERRY-ORANGE GLAZE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Pat the turkey dry and tuck in the wings. Rub the turkey inside and out with 2 tablespoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Stuff the cavity with 5 sprigs each of the rosemary and thyme. Tie the legs together and place the turkey breast-up in a roasting pan with a rack. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
• Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add 4 tablespoons of the butter. Stir in the onion, garlic and the remaining 3 sprigs each rosemary and thyme. Cook until the onions are softened, 6 minutes. Add the cranberries, sugar, vinegar, chipotles, orange zest and juice and 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer until the cranberries start to burst, 8 minutes. Strain. Reserve half for serving.
• Heat the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave in 30-second increments until melted. Brush the melted butter all over the turkey. Pour 1 cup of the broth into the roasting pan. Roast for 2 hours, basting with the drippings every 30 minutes after the first hour. Add more broth if the pan looks dry.
• After 2 hours of roasting, brush the turkey with the cranberry-orange glaze every 20 minutes until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165 degrees F, about 1 hour more, tenting with foil when the turkey reaches the desired darkness.
• Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let rest 30 minutes before carving. Serve with the reserved glaze.

TURKEY WITH CRANBERRY BRINE

Steps:

• 24 hours in advance, wash the turkey and remove the neck and giblets from the cavity and neck; reserve for broth.
• Mix together in a large pot 1 of the onions, 2 stalks celery, 2 carrots, 6 garlic cloves, peppercorns, 3 sprigs each of the rosemary, thyme and sage, 6 sprigs of the parsley, kosher salt and the cranberry juice; heat and stir until the salt dissolves and mixture begins to simmer; remove and let cool to room temperature.
• Place turkey in a very large pot or turkey bucket and pour brine over to submerge, adding cold water if needed; refrigerate 24 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine and rinse well; dry with paper towels. (It will be a lovely shade of pink but don't worry, it roasts a beautiful mahogany color).
• Season turkey cavity with salt and pepper.
• Place 2 stalks chopped celery, 2 chopped carrots, apple, orange, cranberries, and 4 garlic cloves inside cavity.
• Make a nest of 1 med chopped onion, 1 chopped celery stalk, 1 chopped carrot, 4 crushed garlic cloves, 3 sprigs each rosemary, thyme and sage, 6 sprigs parsley and 3 bay leaves in a large roasting pan.
• Place turkey on top of the vegetables and herbs.
• Put butter pats on the turkey or between the skin and breast meat.
• Roast in a 350°F (175°C) oven for 45 minutes.
• While turkey roasts the first 45 minutes, prepare a broth by placing the giblets in 5 cups of water; simmer to create turkey stock adding more water as needed; remove giblets. (You can chop the giblets and remove the meat from the neck and add it to your stuffing or discard it if you don't wish to use it. You can skip the turkey stock step and use canned chicken stock if desired. You will need 5 cups).
• After the first 45 minutes of roast time, pour half of the stock over the turkey; roast another 45 minutes and pour the remaining stock over the turkey.
• Continue to roast your turkey; basting with the juices from the bottom of the pan until the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 165 to 175°F (74 to 80°C).
• Remove from the oven and tent with foil; allow to rest for 10 or 15 minutes before carving.
• Strain and use the liquid in the bottom of your roasting pan to make gravy and to moisten your stuffing if desired.
• Simple gravy:.
• Discard herbs from the bottom of the roasting pan and measure out 1 cup of the vegetables and 3 cups of the juices; puree in a blender. To thicken, add more vegetables, to thin, add more pan juice. Pour through a mesh strainer to make a smooth gravy.

ORANGE TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine the orange juice concentrate, orange slices, lemon slices, lime slices, thyme, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and water in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator. Allow turkey to marinate 1 to 2 days before cooking. Remove the turkey carefully. Drain and discard the excess brine and pat dry.
• Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Combine garlic powder, salt and pepper. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; spread half of the seasoning mixture under the skin. Sprinkle skin with remaining mixture. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Juice the orange, reserving the rind. In a large bowl, mix cranberry sauce, teriyaki sauce, honey, marmalade, soy sauce and orange juice. Remove 3-1/2 cups mixture for sauce; refrigerate, covered, until serving., Rub remaining cranberry mixture under turkey skin. Secure skin to underside of breast with toothpicks. Place herb sprigs and reserved orange rind in turkey cavity., Arrange onions in a shallow roasting pan coated with cooking spray. Place turkey over onions. Roast 3 to 3-1/2 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), Remove turkey from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. Discard herb sprigs and orange rind. Place reserved sauce in a small saucepan; heat through. Serve with turkey.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• TO MAKE THE BRINE: In a large saucepan or stockpot, combine the brine ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 1 minute, then remove from the heat. Add about 4 cups ice cubes and allow the brine to cool to room temperature, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove the pop-up timer, as well as the neck, giblets, and any excess fat from the turkey and discard. Rinse the turkey, inside and out, under cold water, drain, and place in a 5-gallon bucket or other container large enough to hold it easily (see REFERANCE & APPENDIX, _Turkey On The Grill: Have You Tried It Yet?). Pour the cooled brine over the turkey. If necessary, place a heavy weight on the turkey to keep it completely submerged. Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 24 hours. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. Truss the turkey with cotton string (see REFERANCE & APPENDIX, _Trussing: All Tied Up). Pin the neck skin flap to the body with two or three small trussing needles. Place the turkey on a roast holder set inside a heavy-gauge aluminum foil pan and lightly brush or spray with canola oil. Follow the grill's instructions for using wood chunks. Grill the turkey over Indirect Medium heat until the internal temperature reaches 170°F in the breast and 180°F in the thickest part of the thigh, 2 1/4 to 3 hours. After about 45 minutes, when the wings and drumsticks are golden brown, wrap them with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. When the breast is golden brown, loosely cover it with foil. When fully cooked, transfer the turkey to a cutting board or platter, loosely cover the whole bird with foil, and allow to rest for about 20 minutes before carving.From Weber's Big Book of Grilling. Copyright © 2001 Weber-Stephen Products Co. All rights reserved. First published by Chronicle Books LLC, San Francisco, California.