Turkey Mercedes

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

This is by far the best Turkey Recipe, not the same ol thanksgiving bird recipe, way to put the zip in the holiday again.

This was horrible. Not a single person in the family could even eat it. We love turkey and we love cuban food, but this is just gross. If you feel a need to try this recipe, scale it down to a tiny turkey so you don't waste a huge bird on this.

I have made this several times, with the following changes: I use 1 cup each lemon juice, fresh orange juice, and white wine, and then just put it all in a huge ziplock bag and let it marinate in the fridge overnight. DELICIOUS! I boil the marinade and add it to the pan to roast the turkey. I then rub the turkey with some olive oil. Turns out very moist and flavorful.

This is the best thing since sliced bread! Best ever!

I was nervous about this recipe because this was the first time I have EVER cooked a turkey, and I must say this recipe turned out awesome! I am so proud of myself! Everyone raved about the flavor and the moistness. I would definitely recommend this recipe to anyone, both novice and expert cooks. Thank you for giving me the confidence to do this again next year! If I could give 6 stars, I would!!! Thanks!!! :)

This was my 26 thanksgiving turkey, so I thought a new recipe might be nice for a change. I must admit this recipe requires more work than I usually put in to the bird(s). I was faithful to the recipe, though I questioned the 3 heads of garlic (Too much, and my wife and family are Italian!). The result was okay, not a bird to shout about. Most guests commented that it was an average bird, not up to my usual work of years past.

OMYGOSH!!!! This was fantastic!!! My sister made this for Thanksgiving. The aroma was great. After removing the bird from the oven, waiting for the boys to carve the thing we stood around pickin and eating the garlic out of it, it was funny. The meat was great, even the kids ate it, and liked it. A keeper for sure.Very Very good!!!!

Great way to add some summer taste to my turkey! Citrus & Garlic - yummm! Such a nice change from the more bland comfort foods we crave in the cold weather. Leftovers are awesome in a wrap with avacados, bacon & baby spinach leaves.

This is by far the best turkey I've ever had. In my traditional Puerto-Rican family, we usually stick to the basics (adobo, sazon, pepper, garlic, etc). It was nice to try something new that was equally as delicious as our traditional turkey. I've waited a year to have it again and am more than anxious to finally get my fill tomorrow!

I have made this recipe for the past two years. I made one adjustment this year since my guest are not dry white wine drinkers. I used a bottle of Honey Mead instead. The Mead was an orange blossom honey base which went so much better with the orange juice. Last year the turkey was great, this year with the adjusted wine, it was wonderful!!!! Another suggestion is to marinate it for 2 days in the frig. I put everything into a kitchen garbage bag (non scented of course)and put it into the frig two days before the big day. The flavors soak into the bird and the meat is tender and juicy......and I do not like turkey!!!

This has to be the best turkey I have ever tasted!!! I marinated it overnight in it's cooking bag, then just poked holes in the bag and slid it into the oven. The smells were tantalizing, but the taste was out of this world!! This is definitely our family's new all-time favorite!

I made this for Thanksgiving this year. I marinated the bird for 4 days prior to dinner. Everyone was amazed at the flavor and juiciness, and they were typically the "dont mess with tradition" types. Got to try, this was so worth it!

I just didn't think it was that great. The lemon was WAY too strong, and the garlic and orange juice flavors didn't come through. It smelled great cooking but the actual taste was a big let down. I have some other turkey recipes that I like far better than this one. Sorry but I won't be making this again.

This is the best turkey recepie ! Now let me add a few things this is nothing traditional to boring paprika salt butter etc that doesn't give the turkey flavor. This recepie is intended to make a savory turkey and yes it may be a. It citric but make sure you get orange juice that natural vs the canned one it makes a difference to add a sweetness to it. All the ingredients come along very nice and your house will also smell delicious ! So I repeat if you like the traditional American bird taste then this is not for you! Other than that I've been making it for 4 years and everyone in the family always goes for a second Round!!!

I used a 7.5 lb. turket breast, marinated it overnight, and intended to roast it today. However, on short notice we had to go out of town, so I removed the skin and cooked it in the crockpot about 8 hours. It was very easy and very good.

I made this for my husband and mines first thanksgiving and everyone LOVED it! It was the juiciest and savory-est turkey anyone had ever had. Believe it or not, the white meat was juicier than the dark! Like I said, this was my first thanksgiving cooking, so I stayed true to the recipe. It found that it was simple to follow and simple to make. The only difficulty was figuring out what kind of stuffing to use. My suggestion - use a basic stuffing (boxed even), but put only half in the turkey. The amount in the turkey will have a strong lemon flavor. Mix it with the left over stuffing for a mild complementary side that will delight everyone!

Wow! What an interesting twist on an old classic. I can't wait to serve this one for the holidays!

Truly the best I have ever tasted. Found this recipe in 2006 in a weekend paper and have been using it since then. Any recipe that starts with 3 HEADS of garlic is my kind of recipe. It has become a Thanksgiving tradition in our house, the whole family loves it. I make a gravy with the drippings and we use it on everything. Also makes great turkey sandwiches the next day.

I've made this turkey almost every Thanksgiving since I heard about it a few years ago. The only thing I change is to use just two heads of garlic and only stuff one head in the holes. I tried it with three the first time, and although I enjoyed the roasted garlic flavor, some of my guests didn't. For those who don't care for the citrusy gravy it produces, you can do what I do and make a plain turkey gravy to serve on the side using the reserved neck and giblets.

I used this recipe on an 18 pound turkey for Thanksgiving, and every SINGLE ONE of my guests said it was the best turkey they'd ever tasted! I followed the receipe exactly, and I agree that it was the best turkey I'd made in 15 years! It was very beautiful in presentation, and smelled so GOOD, it made our mouths water! In the past, I've always stayed away from the dry white meat, but this recipe made the white meat SO MOIST, unbelievably delicious. I think I've found the winning recipe to use on every Thanksgiving holiday. Thank you so much for submitting this recipe for all of us to enjoy!

Very moist, tasty. When we make this again, because the directions on the garlic weren't very specific, we'll crush all of it, but put some aside to stuff in the holes. Did a cranberry salsa to use with the turkey because we didn't think the juice would make a good gravy.

Turned out delicious. I didn't give it 5 stars because I found the gravy WAY TOO CITRUSY-I had to whip up some package gravy to go with the turkey for thanksgiving dinner. I chose to cut down the garlic to 2 heads rather than three and it was still mighty garlicy. Definitely worth keeping this recipe. Thanks Anel!

Definatly a keeper. So yummy!!! I roasted my turkey on a rack and the liquid evoporated after the first 2 bastings. I just added about 2 cups of water to the pan and basted that in (it mixed with the flavors in the pan) and it still turned out great.

I have cooked my Thanksgiving & Xmas turkey using this recipe, for the past 2 years now, and it turns out lucious every time. Our whole family and friends raves about the turkey. Great recipe!

This was my fourth try at a turkey for Thanksgiving, and my most unfortunate one. I agree with the other reviews that there was too much lemon/citrus taste in the marinade and consequently the gravy and everything you usually pore it on. Unbelievable amount of garlic required - I kept checking the recipe to make sure it really called for 3 heads. I marinated it overnight with all the garlic, but then roasted it with about 1/2 head left on it. I also did not roast it with all of the marinade and added stock for basting it, but it was still extremely lemony. I usually make the best gravy, and everyone was very disappointed in it this year. Live and Learn.

My mother in law always makes the turkey every year and my husband won't eat any other turkey. I found this recipe a couple years ago in the newspaper and used it to make my first turkey when we moved away. He LOVED it! He asks for it every year and even says it's better than his mother's! It works great for a roast chicken too!

Loved it more when I did a test run on a chicken.

Made this with a 20 pound turkey. Followed the marinade for the recipe exactly. I used a baking bag instead of just roasting it out in the open. It was delicious! All 10 guests raved about it. This is a keeper!

OMG I love this!!! I'd give this 100 stars if I could. My sister sent me this receipe when it was featured in USA Today. I said "what the heck i'll try it", which was a bold move since I cook all holiday meals for a huge crowd of italian family members, and they are all critics. The die hard "have to have turkey cooked only 1 way" family members loved it. I've been making this turkey ever since. The gravy was a little strong for me but everyone else raved. Love it love it love it!!!!

best turkey ever! I make this every thanksgiving.

This is great and definately worth the time and effort. Everyone loved it - I will make it again but not for thanksgiving or christmas. Its very good but doesnt really go with the traditional holiday menu.

This turkey was fabulous. I made it with a 4 pound breast and had the servings adjusted using the tool on the website. My whole family went crazy for it. It is not overwhelmingly citrusy or garlicky. Just very juicy and flavorful. I am not a pro. chef, this is the first turkey I have ever tried to roast and it was soooo easy with wonderful returns. Most of the work is the marinade and you do that the night before!

Family loved it last year, and asked for it again this year!

What a pleasant flavor and nice change from the traditional turkey recipes. We like to roast a turkey several times a year, and this will become a regular.

Oh my gosh! This was THE best turkey in THE entire world! I made it for Thanksgiving, and my grandma, who DETESTS turkey asked for seconds! The Cuban flavor is delicious! Only problem? No leftovers for kids next day! So good! The ingredients sound strange, but give the turkey sooo much flavor! A CERTAIN KEEPER! I added a tad more wine, because the turkey seemed exeptionaly dry at first, along with a little more orange juice. Very good

Since it's not my turn to make the turkey this year, I decided to try this on a chicken instead. I made it exactly as stated but didn't find the flavors to be noticeable at all. Is it because I used chicken instead of turkey? I would guess them to be similar. Sorry.

I made this for both Thanksgiving and Christmas last year. It's definitely a keeper.

I have made this turkey every year for five years 4 or 5 years, and it is amazing. I am not allowed to make any other turkey for Thanksgiving. I follow the recipe exactly. We love the garlic and citrus flavor, and I cannot get enough of the gravy made from the drippings. If you are set in your traditional thanksgiving ways and do not typically like food that is not traditional american with the standard seasonings of salt and pepper, I would stay away from this recipe. Otherwise, enjoy! It is perfect!

By far the best turkey I have ever had. After some proding I even got my wife to admit that it was better than her grandmother's, although we won't be mentioning it at family gatherings. I served it up with a Cointreau based cranberry sauce which kept the citrus theme going. I was only able to marinate it for under 2 hours and it still turned out great. This one is definite keeper.

This is a mild marinade. With that said it was very yummy. I had a free range turkey and the marinade blended nicely. I have added it to my Thanksgiving menu... it'll be served again next year! The only thing I'll do differently is marinade the bird in a roasting bag.

This is the best Turkey recipe I have ever tried. (even better than Mom's!) Love it, love it, love it.

This recipe is wonderful...My turkey looked beautifl and tasted moist and yummy. I was afraid of all that garlic, but it wasn't garlicy at all. This recipe is a keeper!

I have made this turkey 2 thanksgiving in a row. Both times it has come out juicy and delicious.

I made this recipe last year for the very first time. It was absolutely outstanding! I've been cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 26 years and was bored with the same old bird. This was flavorful and very moist. I followed the recipe exactly and it is awesome. Looking forward to making it again this year{six more days, but whose counting?}Yummy.

I stumbled across this recipie and it has now became the #1 favorite for me!!! I was just curious to know what fixings you make along with this..Rice & beans or traditional items like mashed potatoes..etc? Would love to find out!!!

This was a Great Recipe. However instead of the orange juise I used lemonade. It was awesome. I took this to work for a lunheon and it was gone within an hour.

An outstanding recipe! I made this for Thankgiving dinner and it was a huge hit! I'm only disappointed that I bought a 21-lb turkey for 9 people and don't have enough left over for sandwiches! I used a jar of minced garlic and substituted fresh OJ (double the amount) for the OJ concentrate. After marinating overnight, I strained the marinade and used a flavor injector to add more. The meat was very tender with a mild lemon flavor, and the skin had a wonderful "flavor bite"!

I have made and followed this recipe for the last two (will be three thanksgiving day). My family loved it.

This was fantastic! Tender and juicy all the way through, even when you forget to marinate it overnight! *Grin*

My family and guests loved this and raved about it. It was so moist and flavorful and tender! I marinated and cooked it in the roasting bag as another reviewer did and I think that helped as well--not that it needed any help, it was yummy. My family is already asking for this recipe for the christmas turkey. Thanks for the great recipe!

Thanks for a great change to the turkey!

I made this recipe when it appeared in USA Today (congratulations)! Absolutely delicious, and so moist! I am so glad I found the recipe again!

I didn't make this recipe, but my mother in law did. It was delious!! I am not a white meat fan, but not once did I take any dark meat. Turkey just melted in your mouth. YUM!!

Love this turkey!

My first time ever to cook a turkey, and everyone loved it. we had another turkey and mine was gone.....i did remove the cumin out because when i tried it on a chicken it tasted like i was eating fish.

loved this recipe wont use any other ive used this recipe for the past 4 years every one loves it i make a turkey for thaksgiving and xmas

We used this marinade but smoked the turkey instead. We smoke our turkey every year and thought the marinade would make it even more flavorful, but it didn't. The turkey wasn't bad at all, it just tasted the same as it always does.

My first time making the turkey and everyone said it was good but I felt that none of the flavours came through in the meat. It sure smelled good while cooking though! I'm not much of a turkey fan anyway.

I was very excited to make this based on the reviews. There was one bad 1 star review. We made rhe turkey per the instructions. It cooked perfectly. Golden and crispy on the outside. The wings just fell off when pulled and the meat was tender and juicy. The turkey turned out to have too much of an acidic taste. No one liked this recipe. The amount of acidity from the wine and OJ concentrate, with the excess of garlic, made for a pungent and overly acidic taste. To give you an idea, the kids were daring each other by the end of the night Fear Factor style to see who was man enough to put down a spoonful of the gravy made from the drippings. No one ate more than a few peices, the few they did have was in an effort to like it. The left overs got tossed a week later as no one wanted them.

I did not care for the garlic/lemon taste of the turkey.

An easy, flavorful way to cook turkey! I didn't use a whole bird, just a Butterball turkey breast roast... taking it from 16 lbs down to about 1 1/2 lbs. I prepared it as close as possible to the original recipe. The marinade is simple. I did embellish just a little by adding Mexican oregano, cilantro and dried ancho pepper powder, to taste. I didn't adjust the marinade for the smaller turkey, which worked out fine, when I put it in a gallon freezer bag to sit overnight. I cut down the salt... because I don't like it... which was a mistake. The recipe says to baste the turkey but I didn't know with what, so I used butter and did it 3 times during the 1 1/2 hour cooking time. (180 degrees on the thermometer) It browned nicely and was very moist with a citrusy Latino flair!!

Best turkey recipe i ever made. My family loved it. The only problem was there were no leftovers!

This past year was the first time that I cooked a complete Thanksgiving meal, and I used this recipe for the bird. Everyone loved it. Thank you!

I made this for a get together with friends in March -- long after Thanksgiving and it was hailed as a great success! Moist, flavorful, and totally yummy. I will make it again as an easy dish to feed a good sized crew!

I tried this recipe on a dinner party and it was quite a hit. Wonderful, subtle flavors. Since it wasn't Thanksgiving, I opted to serve with traditional Cuban yellow rice as a side. I did make pan gravy which was so yummy!

This turkey was awesome, and I made a sauce out of the pan drippings by adding more OJ and water. Yum!

What a great recipe! My family and I just enjoyed Turkey Mercedes and it was wonderful. Very moist and flavorful. Thank you so much Anel for sharing this recipe. Turkey Mercedes, a new Thanksgiving tradition!!

This is the 2nd year I've used this for my turkey and it's fabulous. The only thing I've done is change the wine each year to a fruity wine instead of the dry white wine simply becuase it's my preference but there is no difference in how fabulous it is. Thanks so much for sharing with us.

I am going to try this (scaled down of course) on chicken. But for turkey, it didn't add much flavor considering all the work peeling garlic. It made the house smell GREAT, but the drippings had a citrus-y flavor, which crossed over into the gravy, and that wasn't so great. If you can get mojo criollo marinade where you live, just buy a bottle of that and use it.

I used this recipe last year for Thanksgiving and it was such a hit! I'm using it again this year at my sisters.

this is the best by far and I use it on boneless chicken also

This turned out pretty good, I did cut back on the OJ and scaled the rest of ing. down for a turkey breast. Thanks for the post.

love it ! tried it 2 years ago and was on a mission to find this recipe for this year because i have the in laws coming- with this i can not fail !!

We loved this turkey recipe! I always like to try new versions of the classic holiday foods, and this was a great experiment. We had a 21lb turkey, so I doubled a bit of the sauce ingredients (wine, OJ) and I always use a bit more of seasonings. Honestly I used a cheap white wine, Cheninm Blanc. The turkey went great with Sweet Corn Cake. We had a TON of leftovers as the turkey was just for two, but it tasted great and the gravy I made out of the drippings was flavorful and spicy.

Everyone loved this! I only did a turkey breast to try it out & also made a 12# traditonal tuKrey. This one was such a hit, next year I'll switch & do my whole turkey this way.

This recipe made a fabulous and out of this world turkey... and the most horrible gravy I have ever tasted. The spices and citrus were just too strong. No matter much we diluted it or tried to counter the flavor other ways, it just couldn't be salvaged. this recipe is great if you want just the turkey, but don't count on a good gravy. I'm so glad we didn't make this for Thanksgiving!

I roast my chicken this wsy but never thought of buying the garlic.. I do that in my oven roast!

This was by far the best Turkey I have ever had! The whole family loved it!

I made this recipe last year and it was absolutely wonderful, we had friends in and it received rave reviews. I think it is time to make it again and I'm sure the same people would love to be invited to dinner.

I thought this was WONDERFUL! I found the recipe last year and emailed it to my sister (who had the Turkey responsibility last year). It smelled incredible while cooking and the juices were delicious on rice. This was different from the usual turkey and quite a wonderful change, in fact *I* might cook it THIS year!

This was delicious, so moist and flavorful! We just finished it a few hours ago for Thanksgiving dinner and it really came out fantastic. We'll be making this again for Christmas dinner!

My guests loved this turkey!! It is quite a bit of work to stuff the garlic though.

I wanted a change this thanksgiving and I had seen this recipe in a local magazine and decided to try it out. The family loved it. It was so refreshing and different and also took out that gamy taste turkey has. Plus it came out so juicy and tender. it has become part of my permanent recipe collection

I've made this recipe for my pork and chicken too. be creative with the flavors to meet your desires. Just remember, this ain't your momma's old fashioned turkey. This is bold, in your face flavor that you'll love playing with in other dishes. We reduce the juices and use it all over everything else; black beans and rice, stuffing, etc. Cooking the turkey; use a roasting bag, pour it all in there over the bird, tie it and let it sit in the fridge for a day or more, turn it whenever you think about it. then toss it in a roasting pan and leave it alone. We may brown it a bit more in the oven.

I’m not usually a fan of turkey, but this recipe was really good. First time making a turkey and first time I really enjoyed the turkey itself without having to put tons of gravy on it. I’m thankful for this recipe this year.

I wouldn’t cook again. If you are thinking about a holiday turkey, think again. I agree with one of the other reviews, it kind of ruined Thanksgiving. I was expecting a holiday flavor and got lemonade instead.

Very flavorful. This is hands down the best turkey that I've ever cooked. I can't wait to make sandwiches with the leftovers.

I made this on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving since my brothers couldn't make the actual holiday or the Saturday Friendsgiving, so for most attendees it was their 3rd turkey, yet this recipe was voted the best! I used lemon pepper rather than black pepper, and I used the Cupcake Chardonnay but added 1/4 cup on top of the 1 cup the recipe prescribes and it came out fantastic! Definitely going to revisit this recipe (probably before next Thanksgiving, I don't think we can wait that long haha)

I made this for Thanksgiving 2 years ago and it was a delicious twist on the standard turkey. I'd highly recommend it.

This is a different and delicous way to cook turkey. Not sure if I'd serve it for Thanksgiving, but my entire family loved it and I will be making this again. Thanks for the great recipe!