Clementine and cranberry turkey
- Preparation 1 h 30 min
- Refrigeration 12 h
- Cooking 2 h 30 min
- Servings 6 to 8
- Freezing Absolutely
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🍊 The lightest of my turkeys, for a change
It’s a lighter version, but just as good. If you’ve tried all my other turkeys, like my perfectly juicy Christmas turkey or my turkey with whisky brine, and you want to do something different, give this one a try. They’re all very, very good. The clementines and cranberries in the cavity are there to perfume the meat, they’re not a stuffing you eat. You can leave them in at serving time, it’s no big deal.
🍺 The white beer and orange juice brine
Soaking the bird overnight in a brine of white beer and orange juice, with red onion, garlic, thyme and black peppercorns, makes ALL the difference. One night, 12 hours, no more: if it sits in the brine too long, it’ll turn out too salty and you won’t like it. The rest is easy, it just takes a bit of time.
🦃 A turkey that doesn’t wait for Christmas
Personally, I only eat turkey at Christmas. Hardly anyone buys a turkey on a Tuesday night in July. Even though we should do it more often, because you end up with a ton of leftovers, and it’s really good meat.
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🧂 One night in the brine, no more.
One night, 12 hours. If it sits in the brine too long, it’s going to be too salty, no question, and you won’t like it. The best way is to put it in at night, right before bed.
🚿 Drain it, don’t rinse it.
I only drain it. I don’t rinse it.
🧊 No giant pot or brining bag? Use a cooler.
A big clean garbage bag in the bottom of a clean cooler, the turkey and the brine inside, then a few bags of ice packed all around. Done, and it saves you the fridge space too.
🧈 The butter goes under the skin.
Loosen the skin over the breasts and slide about half of the clementine butter in there. Use 3 tablespoons (45 ml) to make a little mound on top of the breasts, and spread the rest over the wings and thighs, pressing so it sticks. A bit in the cavities too. The clementines, cranberries and onion you push into the big cavity are there to perfume the meat, they aren’t a stuffing you eat.
🌡️ Thermometer at 180°F (82°C) in the thigh.
Two hours to two hours thirty is a range: the temperature of the thighs decides. If the skin on top browns too fast, cover it with aluminum foil. You’ll find more temperatures in my guide to meat and fish cooking temperatures.
📅 Make ahead.
The brine is your make-ahead step: make it the day before, let it cool, put the thawed turkey in overnight in the fridge, and the next day all that’s left is the butter and the oven.
✅ What to serve with my clementine and cranberry turkey?
My homemade demi-glace sauce first, and roasted garlic and thyme baby potatoes for the roasted potatoes. A white balsamic arugula salad balances things out. And if you want to compare with another turkey, there’s my perfectly juicy Christmas turkey.
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Ingredients for the brine
- 24 cups (6 L) water
- 3/4 cup (180 ml) coarse sea salt (never fine salt, it salts almost twice as hard by volume)
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) brown sugar
- 750 ml white beer
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) orange juice
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 red onion, peeled and cut into large chunks
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) black peppercorns
- A 5 kg (11 lb) turkey, thawed, giblets removed
Ingredients for the butter
- 1/4 cup (60 ml) fresh cranberries
- 4 clementine quarters
- 1 cup (250 ml) softened salted butter
- The zest of 3 clementines
Ingredients for the rest
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) whole fresh cranberries
- 5 clementines, halved (you can use the 3 whose zest you removed)
- 1 small red onion, cut into large chunks
- About 1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried thyme
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Preparation
- Start with the brine. Bring 4 cups (1 L) of water to a boil in a saucepan, then remove from the heat. Add the salt and brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Let cool for 20 minutes.
- Pour everything except the turkey into a very large pot and stir well. Add the turkey and push it down so it’s fully submerged. Cover and refrigerate overnight. It’s best to put the turkey in at night, right before bed, so it doesn’t brine too long. No giant pot or brining bag? Line the bottom of a clean cooler with a large garbage bag, put the turkey in with the brine, and pack a few bags of ice around it. That’s it!
- Take the turkey out of the brine and drain it well. Set it in a roasting pan, breast side up, and tuck the wing tips underneath.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).
- Make the butter. In a food processor, purée the cranberries and clementine quarters. Pour into a bowl, add the butter and clementine zest, season with salt and pepper, and mix. Set aside.
- Loosen the skin over the turkey breasts and slide about half of the butter mixture between the skin and the meat. Take about 3 tablespoons (45 ml) of the butter and press it on top of the breasts to make a little mound. Spread the rest all over, on the wings and thighs, pressing so it sticks to the skin. Put some in the cavities too!
- Pack the cranberries, clementines and onions into the large cavity, pushing to fit as many as you can. As you can see in the photo, I kept a few pieces to set right on top. Season the turkey with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme to taste.
- Roast for 2 hours to 2 hours 30 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 180°F (82°C). Cover with aluminum foil if the skin on top browns too fast.
- Take out of the oven and cover with aluminum foil. Let rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving!
In a mix of water, coarse sea salt, brown sugar, white beer and orange juice, with red onion, garlic, thyme, bay leaves and black peppercorns. Dissolve the salt and sugar in hot water first, let it cool, then stir in the rest and submerge the turkey. The whole thing spends the night in the fridge.
One night, 12 hours. The best way is to put it in at night, right before bed. Too long and it’ll be too salty, and you won’t like it.
No. I only drain it, I don’t rinse it.
Yes, absolutely, it freezes well: count on 3 months in the freezer. In the fridge, it keeps 4 to 5 days. And you’ll have leftovers, which is one of the good reasons to cook a turkey.
Try a homemade demi-glace sauce, roasted garlic and thyme baby potatoes and a white balsamic arugula salad. For another take, there’s my perfectly juicy Christmas turkey.
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