Jerk Turkey - cooking recipe

Ingredients

15 lbs whole turkey
3/4 cup salt
3 limes, sliced in 2
3 gallons water (enough to cover the turkey)
13 ounces Caribbean jerk marinade
1/2 cup soya sauce
1/4 cup ground pimientos or 1/4 cup allspice
1/4 cup ground cumin (powder)
1/4 cup cayenne pepper (powder)
1/4 cup salt
1 cup butter or 1 cup margarine
5 sprigs fresh thyme, finely chopped with stalks removed
8 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 stalks rosemary, chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, diced roughly
1 orange, diced with peel left on
3 cups chicken broth or 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup orange juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch

Preparation

Brining - helps to keep the turkey moist during cooking.
- Pour water into a pan or bucket.
- Squeeze limes into water and leave the remains in the water.
- Add salt.
- Stir to dissolve salt.
- Place turkey, neck and livers in mixture for 8-12 hours.
Marinade.
- Combine the seasonings below overnight before rubbing on the turkey.
- Combine 3/4 jerk seasoning, soya sauce, pimento, cumin, garlic, cayenne pepper, salt and butter.
- Mix together into a paste.
- Set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture.
- Remove turkey from brine and dispose of brine.
- Rinse turkey lightly with fresh water.
- 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).
- Repeat this process for the thighs under the skin.
- Rub remaining mixture on the outside of the turkey on top of the skin, front and back.
- 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.
- 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.
- When you are ready to cook, take the remaining 2 tablespoons of marinade and add thyme, rosemary, onions, carrots and orange.
- Use this mixture to stuff the turkey (this helps to season the turkey during cooking).
Cooking.
- Pre-heat oven to 375 - 400 degrees (depending on your oven) - average 20 mins/1 lb of turkey.
- Place turkey in roasting pan.
- Pour 1 cup chicken broth around the edged of the pan - this helps to ensure there is enough juice to baste the turkey.
- Put turkey in oven, covered with tin foil ('tented') so not too tight so foil sticks to the skin.
- Baste turkey approximately every 30 minutes.
- Leave turkey tented while cooking until the final 30 minutes of cooking, then remove foil.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Gravy.
- Take 1 cup of the pan juices out of roasting pan and set aside.
- 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.
- In a blender, combine the vegetables and 1 cup chicken broth.
- Blend the vegetables into a puree.
- Optional - for extra flavour add the cooked turkey liver to the blender with the vegetables to puree.
- In a sauce pan combine the puree with 1 cup chicken broth and 1/2 cup orange juice and bring to a boil.
- Slowly add 1/2 cup of the pan drippings. Taste mixture to ensure it is not too salty or spicy.
- Add more pan drippings until it reaches a taste you prefer.
- In a separate cup mix the cornstarch and 1/2 cup water until cornstarch is fully melted and pours easily.
- 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.