Not to sound mean but - this recipe was followed exactly (with reservations) using a 22-pound Butterball because I wanted to try something new for the holiday & the reviews were generally very good. It basically ruined Thanksgiving. All you could taste was citrus & garlic. The drippings made a horrible gravy when used even sparingly (were you even supposed to use these drippings?). Very difficult to believe this recipe WON a contest. Maybe if you grew up eating something like this & are used to it - I can possibly see stomaching that. Tried to salvage the gravy by dilluting it with canned gravy and thought it was OK - to no avail. Some people put the gravy on the turkey stuffing mashed potatoes etc. which essentially made it inedible. Ended up throwing a lot of food out. The overall turkey itself was OK once you got past all the garlic & citrus outer coating. For the holidays tradition will always be followed from now on - NO lemons/orange concentrate/massive garlic. Just roast & baste the thing. I also found it difficult understanding the glowing reviews this recipe received??? Unfortunately I had to learn that tradition should rule the hard way.
I followed the recipe exactly, and it was absolutely delicious. Incredibly moist, flavorful, with a heavenly aroma--best smelling/tasting turkey I've made in 15 years. I left the marinade in the bottom of my roasting pan and used it to baste the turkey every 30-45 minutes. After the turkey was cooked, I made a pan gravy with the drippings/marinade mixture by whisking in about a 1/4 cup of white all-purpose flour. Let that darken, whisked constantly to prevent lumps, then added about 2 cups reduced sodium/fat chicken broth, and some whipping cream (maybe 2-3 Tbsp., and one grated carrot (optional-lemon zest would be nice, too). Whisked misture constantly, letting it get to the desired color and thickness. Served the gravy with the turkey and the combination was out of this world!
I have made this turkey many times, it is one of my favorite recipes from this site.
Since there are only 2 of us, I always cut the marinade in half and use only a turkey breast. I roast it at 325 for 20 minutes per pound.
I've also prepared this using chicken, and besides roasting it, cooked it in the crockpot. It's always turned out great! I always stuff it with garlic first, and then pour the marinade over. Good stuff!
AMAZING! This was my first turkey roating experience and what an experience. I had 22lbs turkey for 23 people and there was nothing left at the end. I followed the recipe except adding quatered lemons and oranges into the turkey cavity to keep the citrus aroma and basting it about every one hour with mixture of olive oil cumin ground pepper and salt. I was impressed with the color of the finished bird and how juicy it was when we started carving it. And as soon as you put it in your mouth it melts. People who hate white meat went for a second serving! This is a keeper.
Since I was making a turkey breast rather than a whole turkey I used the servings calculator to cut the recipe by a quarter. We enjoyed the turkey but I left off a star because I thought it was too lemony. Perhaps that was a result of tampering with the amounts. If I was to make it again I would cut the lemon by half.
I usually cook my turkeys in a Reynolds bag so I used the bag to hold the turkey while marinating. I think it made it much easier (but I didn't try it without the bag). This way I could turn to turkey in the bag as it marinated. Update: It was good but I wouldn't make it again for Thanksgiving. (I'll go back to a simple brined turkey.) As a change of pace the flavor was too mild for the extra trouble.
I have made this myself and shared it with my office staff during our Holiday Pot Luck...It was a HUGE HIT!! Everyone was asking for the recipe! I now have been able to share it with them all and they truly have enjoyed it and have not made a turkey the "old fashioned" way since. This recipe is a "KEEPER"! Thanks Anel!!
It was delicious and the citrus marinade was so fresh tasting. I marinated the turkey in a sturdy plastic bag in lieu of the pan and aluminum foil. I definitely will make this again and again.
Good on the Cuban twist but remember this if you keep basting the turkey every 30-40 min you won't have a really crispy skin...I know I know the cardiologist says NO SKIN but ya know what they eat it they just don't tell us about it...one more thing make sure you marinate the turkey in a non-reactive vessel... that means glass or stainless steel as aluminum and citrus is toxic
