Cranberry Glazed Turkey

Finally I am posting the turkey recipe I had on Thanksgiving. The reason I'm 4 days late is I needed time to digest everything. Well not really I've been a little busy working on a project for the last 3 days. My plan was to work again today but my brain didn't kick in until mid to late afternoon. Since I already wasted most the the day I thought I might as well sit down and take care of this all important meal. Let's get rolling.

Just as a reminder in case you were to lazy or just didn't want to here is where we left off on turkey day.



Cranberry glazed turkey cooked on the grill. Just in case you get hungry for this turkey, which I doubt since everyone by now has had their fill of turkey until Xmas, there is a full blown recipe at the bottom of this post. I made a couple of minor changes and I will let you know where as we take photo trip through this meal.

First thing first and I think the best way to start a turkey anymore is to brine the turkey. The cast of characters is as follows:



The brine keeps the turkey nice and moist for when you get ready to eat. I know there is a lot of salt but remember the salt does not soak up into the turkey. I'm not sure what really happens but I think the salt seals the pores of the turkey to keep the moisture inside while cooking. If you really want to know the hows and whys watch Alton Brown because on one of his shows he explains the reasons. This brine is real simple, no cooking involved, just mix all the ingredients and stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Now just add the turkey breast side down and find a place in the ice box.



Since it is Wednesday night and the night before Thanksgiving and the turkey is brining away in the ice box we might as well make the cranberry glaze tonight before we sit down with a cold beer for the night. Again it's not really all the hard but before I show you how easy it is I need to introduce you to the characters involved.



This is one of the places I didn't do as the recipe below suggests. I didn't use any orange liqueur like in the recipe. I have a hard time buying all the different liqueurs and spirits some of these recipes call for. If I did I would have a better stocked liquor shelf than most of the bars and taverns here in Wisconsin. What I did is use more orange juice in place of the orange liqueur.

One again dump everything into the pot and cook. This is what it looks like in the beginning.



And here is what it looks like after its cooked.



From here strain it and stick it in the ice box too.

On Thanksgiving everything gets put together. What I liked about this meal since it is only a turkey breast we are cooking is it only takes 1-1/2 to 2 hours to cook.

The final cast of characters for this meal are as follows:



Notice that one ingredient to the right? Nope that's not dressing, although I've had some worse, it's hickory wood chips. This is the other difference from the recipe below I cooked mine on the grill. So for the final time this year let's "FIRE UP THE GRILL!!!!!!"



Yippe Kay Yay is there nothing better? Notice the snow and the snow shovel? I had to shovel off the deck earlier in the week so I could use it today. It was a struggle too with the cold and wind blowing, not ideal grilling weather.

While I'm waiting for the grill I sprinkle the bird with some Emeril's Essence.



When the turkey has about 20 minutes left to cook it's time to brush it with some of the cranberry glaze I made last night. That's right just like brushing on barbecue sauce. After the turkey is cooked let it rest and slice it up.



After cooking a turkey breast like this I'm not sure I would cook a whole turkey again. The white meat was so moist and favorable and remember it only takes 1-1/2 hours to cook. This is a 5 out of 5 forks recipe.

I have to give credit for this recipe to Emeril. I had another recipe all picked out when I was searching on the Food Network web site for some other recipes and came across this one. As soon as I saw it I knew I had to make it I mean after all whats better at Thanksgiving than turkey and cranberries.



Cranberry Glazed Breast of Turkey
(Emeril recipe from the Food Network Web Site.)

Brine:
3/4 gallon water
2 cups white wine
1 1/2 cups orange juice
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped ginger
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
4 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme

Turkey:
1 (6-pound) whole turkey breast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon Essence

Glaze:
1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries
1/3 cup chopped ginger
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange juice
1 1/4 cups water
1/4 cup orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Grand Marnier)

Combine all of the brining liquid ingredients in a large non-reactive container (a stockpot works well for this) and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Rinse the turkey well under cold running water. Place the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

While the bird is brining, make the cranberry glaze by combining the cranberries, ginger, orange zest, sugar, orange juice, and water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, and reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes, or until cranberries burst and sauce is very thick. Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a mixing bowl to cool. When cooled, add the liqueur and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to glaze the bird. (Make sure to return the glaze to room temperature before serving. If the glaze gets too thick, thin it with a bit of water.)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Place the turkey, breast side up, in an aluminum foil lined roasting pan. Pat dry with paper towels. Rub the turkey with the vegetable oil and sprinkle on all sides with Essence. Roast the turkey until it is golden brown and almost done, about 1 hour and 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and brush all over with about 1/3 cup of the cranberry glaze. Return the turkey to the oven and continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast registers 160 to 165 degrees F, about 10 minutes longer. (If the turkey begins to get too dark before it is cooked through, cover loosely with aluminum foil until it reaches the desired temperature. Transfer to a platter and let rest at least 15 minutes before carving. Carve into thin slices. Serve with the remaining glaze passed at the table.