Butter Infused Pomegranate Glazed Turkey

Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday and this year we were blessed to have my son and daughter-in-law here for this special time of year. He is an amateur chef, a home foodie really, and considers poultry to be one of his specialties. This year our bird was a unique blend between his tried and true Thanksgiving bird with my own Pomegranate-butter glaze.

This instructable will show you the three different methods we combined for this recipe; (butter infused, dry rub, and glazing). Follow through and I will show you just how easy it is to use these methods for roasting a beautiful mahogany turkey.

Recipe ingredients:

Pomegranate-Butter Glaze

We juiced our own but you can purchase these:

2/3 cup fresh pomegranates

1/4 cup fresh cranberries.

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/3 stick of butter

1 Tablespoon minced garlic cloves

1-1/2 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary minced

Turkey rub recipe:

4 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary minced

3 Tablespoons fresh Oregano minced

1/2 teaspoon Rubbed Sage

1 teaspoon Thyme

Infused butter and basting:

1 stick of butter ( cut about 20 slivers from the stick for the infusing and use the rest of the stick whole for the basting. Freeze until needed for recipe.

You will also need a container of chicken broth or make your own, 1 onion, 3-4 celery stalks, 3-4 Carrots

Utensils:

Roasting pan, juicer (optional), tongs, long fork, slicing/paring knife, carving knife, chef knife, cutting board, bowls, saucepans, measuring cups and spoons, turkey baster or ladle and a basting brush.

Wash and Prep:

For even cooking of the bird set the turkey out and allow it to reach room temperature. Cut the butter into small slivers (approximately twenty 1/2 cm slivers and leave the remaining butter stick whole for basting and place them in the freezer until hard; this will make the cubes easier to insert into the bird and for easier basting later).

Wash the berries, vegetables and herbs.

Quarter the onion

Cube the carrots and celery

Mince 1 Tablespoon garlic

Method for dry rub:

Mince 3 Tablespoons fresh Rosemary and 4 Tablespoons fresh Oregano.

Method:

Measure the dry herbs and mix thoroughly:
1/2 teaspoon rubbed Sage

1 teaspoon Thyme

Add Sage and Thyme, to the minced Oregano and Rosemary.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Method:

Remove the neck and giblets. You can use these for the dressing or soups later.

Cut slits in the turkey breast as shown using a slicing or paring knife: about 20 incisions.

Insert the frozen slivered butter into the cut turkey flesh.

Repeat this method across the turkey breast.

Rub some butter in the turkey cavity.

Method:

Insert and rub a small handful of the herb mixture into the cavity of the turkey.

Using your hands rub the herb mixture all over the turkey as shown.

Tucking the wings helps prevent the wing tips from burning. This method works most of the time.

Position the bird breast side up as shown.

Lay the wing against the breast of the bird to its natural position.

Taking note of where the wing tip is make a small incision about an inch and a half lower than the wing's tip taking care to only separate the skin from the flesh creating a small pocket for the wing tip to rest in.

Tuck the wing into this pocket.

Make the stuffing according to the box instructions.

Stuff the cavity of the turkey.

Note: you can skip this step for a faster cooking turkey.

Method:

Pre-heat oven to 350 F (for a faster cooking time; use 325 if you're willing to wait about an hour longer)

Pour the turkey broth into the roasting pan and add the carrots, celery, and onion.

Place the turkey breast side down into the roasting pan. This method will increase the moisture in the white meat as the fat from the dark meat renders and drains down.

Midway through the baking process (approximately 1.5 to 2 hours for a 15 lbs bird) you will flip the bird breast side up. The full cooking time will depend on your birds size. Our 15 lbs / fully stuffed bird took about 3.75 hrs to fully cook.

Baste the the turkey every twenty to thirty minutes for duration of cooking. We will glaze the turkey during the last 15 minutes of baking time.

Pomegranate Butter Glaze Recipe and method:

We juiced our own but you can purchase these:

2/3 cup fresh pomegranate

1/4 cup Fresh cranberries

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

1 Tablespoon minced garlic cloves

1-1/2 teaspoon Fresh Rosemary

1/3 stick of butter

Add ingredients to a saucepan starting with the herbs, seasonings, and butter. For a bit more rosemary flare add an additional 1 sprig of rosemary. Pour in the juice and bring to a simmer on a medium heat while stirring. About 2-4 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and honey to make a syrup.

Note: the syrup will tend to boil over the pans rim so do pay attention and stir continuously.

Remove saucepan from the heat.

Using a turkey baster or ladle; baste the turkey using the pan drippings and then apply the frozen butter stick throughout the basting process every 20 to 30 minutes until midway through the baking time. Cover the butter bowl and freeze in-be-tween each basting process.

Remove the turkey from the oven midway through the baking time.

Baste the turkey with the pan drippings and butter as shown.

Follow the instructions in the next step before placing the turkey back into the oven to continue cooking.

Flip the Turkey using the tongs and a large fork.

Baste the breast with the pan drippings and finish off with the butter.

Return the turkey to the oven and finish baking time making sure to baste using the pan drippings and the butter stick every 20 to 30 minutes until the last fifteen minutes of baking time; at this point you will glaze the turkey with the pomegranate glaze.

Using a basting brush glaze the turkey with the pomegranate glaze as shown.

Continue baking the turkey until done (approximately 15 more minutes)

Glaze the turkey again after you remove it from the oven.

Allow the turkey to rest for twenty minutes before carving.

As with all turkey recipes your guests' palate will be enticed by the savory aroma of the roast; tempting them from the kitchen. However, once the pomegranate-butter glaze hits the skin of the hot bird from the oven; the entire experience changes to a wonderful sweet and savory captivation of the imagination. The visual appeal of the deep mahogany feast yet to begin will certainly be a welcome table piece for your holiday.

This will be a Thanksgiving experience my son and I will cherish because we enjoyed creating a culinary masterpiece from both of our recipes. One year we made a complete Thanksgiving meal using a toaster oven, grill, and a fire pit because we were camped out at my son's property with no working kitchen. My son made the turkey using a power drill to turn the pole!

I wish to thank contributors for making Instructables such a delightful place to share! Have a very safe and happy holiday. Thanks for stopping by and I almost forgot to mention . . . this is an entry for the butter contest November 2014 and if you like this instructable your vote will be much appreciated! Thanks again.

sunshiine~