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Brining - helps to keep the turkey moist during cooking.
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- Pour water into a pan or bucket.
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- Squeeze limes into water and leave the remains in the water.
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- Add salt.
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- Stir to dissolve salt.
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- Place turkey, neck and livers in mixture for 8-12 hours.
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Marinade.
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- Combine the seasonings below overnight before rubbing on the turkey.
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- Combine 3/4 jerk seasoning, soya sauce, pimento, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and butter.
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- Mix together into a paste.
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- Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture.
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- Remove turkey from brine and dispose of brine.
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- Rinse turkey lightly with fresh water.
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- Take 1/4 cup the butter marinade and rub directly on each turkey breast underneath the skin (this helps to keep the seasoning on the breast and ensures it is flavourful and moist).
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- Repeat this process for the thighs under the skin.
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- Rub remaining mixture on the outside of the turkey on top of the skin, front and back.
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- Put turkey, neck, and livers in a plastic bag tied tight to keep the marinade from leaking out. You may want to wrap it in a couple of bags and place in a bowl or foil tin to prevent leaks in the fridge.
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- Place turkey in fridge for 24-48 hours to marinate. Half way though your marinating time flip the turkey onto its breast so that the marinade isn't sitting just at the bottom of the bag.
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- When you are ready to cook, take the remaining 2 tablespoons of marinade and add thyme, rosemary, onions, carrots and orange.
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- Use this mixture to stuff the turkey (this helps to season the turkey during cooking).
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Cooking.
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- Pre-heat oven to 375 - 400 degrees (depending on your oven) - average 20 mins/1 lb of turkey.
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- Place turkey in roasting pan.
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- Pour 1 cup chicken broth around the edged of the pan - this helps to ensure there is enough juice to baste the turkey.
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- Put turkey in oven, covered with tin foil ('tented') so not too tight so foil sticks to the skin.
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- Baste turkey approximately every 30 minutes.
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- Leave turkey tented while cooking until the final 30 minutes of cooking, then remove foil.
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- Internal temperature of the breast should be 175 degrees when cooked - I highly recommend you use an oven safe one, that can stay in the turkey while you cook.
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- If you don't have a thermometer, when the cooking time has elapsed, make a cut between the thigh and the breast and look at the juice that's released - It will be clear when cooked. If the juice is at all pink or red, put the turkey back in the oven.
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- TIP: Another good test is to check the turkey neck that was cooking in the pan. If the meat on the neck is falling off the bone with ease, that's a good sign.
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Gravy.
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- Take 1 cup of the pan juices out of roasting pan and set aside.
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- Take 3 tablespoons of the vegetable stuffing out of roasting pan - (onions, carrots, thyme - TIP: Do not include orange as peel will make gravy bitter.
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- In a blender, combine the vegetables and 1 cup chicken broth.
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- Blend the vegetables into a puree.
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- Optional - for extra flavour add the cooked turkey liver to the blender with the vegetables to puree.
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- In a sauce pan combine the puree with 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup orange juice and bring to a boil.
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- Slowly add 1/2 cup of the pan drippings. Taste mixture to ensure it is not too salty or spicy.
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- Add more pan drippings until it reaches a taste you prefer.
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- In a separate cup mix the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water until cornstarch is fully melted and pours easily.
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- Pour cornstarch mixture into the gravy, slowly and continue stirring until thickened. If the gravy is too salty or thick add more water as needed.
