Butterflied Cuban Turkey

 Done! I preheated the oven to 350F and placed the turkey in the center rack covered with aluminum foil. It was done in about 3 hours at which time I removed the foil and let it brown for about 30 minutes. Below is post from Monday.


So I've defrosted my turkey. Last year I made two turkeys: one butterflied with herbs, and one whole with Cuban mojo (marinade). Turns out everyone liked the butterflied one but the mojo of the Cuban one. So this year I'm making a butterflied Cuban turkey.

To butterfly a turkey you need to remove the back. This I achieved with great care and a bit of frustration. You need to cut along either side of the thick bony back where the thinner ribs connect. I will post a picture. Don't freak out.... LOL

Then you turn your turkey breast side up and press down with the heal of your hand to break the breast bone. This was not easy. Although I used my "man-hand," I didn't get it as flat as I had wished.

My advice, if you want a butterflied turkey, buy a fresh one and have your butcher do it for you.

Save the backbone along with the neck and gizzards for stock.

Now, for the mojo.  This is a 12 lb turkey. I used:

2 heads of garlic, pressed
1 tbsp salt
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 cup orange juice
1 cup lime juice

Pretty simple.  (Note: you don't need to do this so far in advance, 24 hours is sufficient.)

I'll be roasting this on Thanksgiving. I will preheat the oven to 350. I will cover the turkey with aluminum foil and cook for several hours. The butterflied turkey requires a bit less time

Click here for useful information on oven baking times for roasting a turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

I hope you have a wonderful day, and remember we can all find many things to be thankful for.

I will be posting pictures of my turkeys as they roast, in the meantime, my cousin down South has her Thanksgiving turkey ready for the oven ....

Basket weaved with 2 pounds of bacon, seasoned with 3 sticks of butter, lots of garlic and salt. She'll add some wine when she puts it in the oven.

The Butterflied Herb Glazed Turkey is done. Click here.

The Cuban style turkey is done. Click here.

Turkey #2: Butterflied Turkey With Herb Glaze

I've never prepared a turkey like this, so I cannot say if it will taste good until Thursday, but from what I read it seemed worthy of the effort.

I followed this recipe directly from this November's House Beautiful pg.88. It calls for a butterflied turkey. Now I've never butterflied a turkey and I had some trepidation about doing this, but I managed although I recommend having your butcher do it for you.

12 lb whole turkey
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup shallots, minced
1/3 cup fred flat-leat parsley, minced
3 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
3 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

3 tbsp melted butter

To butterfly the turkey: Position the bird, breast side down on a cutting board. Using kitchen shears or a large knife, cut along one side of the backbone until the bird is split open. Pull open the halves of the bird and cut down the other side of the backbone to free it. Cut between the rib plates and remove any small pieces of bone. Turn the bird breast-side up, opening as flat as possible. Press it firmly with your hands to break the breastbone and flatten the bird. (I was unable to break the breastbone). Season the turkey with salt and pepper.

In a bowl, mix together the garlic, shallots, parsley, oregano, rosemary, lemon juice and olive oil. Use your fingers to push some of the herb mixture under the skin of the breat and legs. Rub the remaining herb mixture over the surface of the turkey. Place on a roasting pan and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 6 to 24 hours.

 

Remove turkey from the refrigerator one hour before roasting. Preheat oven to 375F. (This recipe calls for you to place a rack in the roasting pan under the turkey.) Brush the turkey with the melted butter (breast side up). Roast until the skin is deep brown and an instant thermometer (I don't have one of those) inserted into the thickest part of the thigh away from the bone registers 175 degrees. (about 3 hours)

Turkey #1: Turkey with Cuban Marinade (Mojo)

Now its done!

I bought two small turkeys this year. The first one I'm preparing Cuban style.

For this 12 lb turkey I prepared a mojo (marinade)

10-12 cloves garlic
1 cup orange juice
1/2 cup lime juice
1 tbsp dry oregano
2 tbsp salt
1/2 tbsp pepper

A store bought turkey usually brings a bag in the body cavity with the neck and giblets (check the opening on the neck, sometimes there's a bag in there as well). Remove those and rinse your turkey well with cold water.

Prepare your marinade in a bowl by mixing the above ingredients. Pour your marinade over the turkey and into the turkey, use your hand to rub the garlic on the skin. Sprinkle again with salt and paprika (if desired).

Now here's what I do. I put the turkey in a large bowl, breast side down, so that it fits slanted, and I make sure most of the marinade is inside the breast cavity. (If you lay it breast up, the mojo is just going to sit at the bottom of the pan and flavor the back)  Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate 'til Thursday.

Thursday, pre-heat your oven to 325 F. Place your turkey breast side up in a roasting pan. Bake for  approximately 4 hours (for 12 lbs).

The above turkey looks done, but it actually needs about one more hour to become tender. The skin is brown already so I covered the bird loosely with aluminum foil to finish cooking. I don't use thermometers, and although I usually stab the thickest part of the leg with a knife to make sure the liquid come out clear, that does not guarantee that the turkey is done. You have to taste it! I know you don't want to ruin the look of it, so steal a little slice from an inconspicuous place. If it's chewy, baste it with its drippings and put it back in the oven.

Click here for useful information on oven baking times for roasting a turkey