Adobo-Brined Turkey with Caramelized Onion Gravy
Puerto Rican recipes
Meat and poultry
Launch
Hard
420'
Make your family feast day more than special! This delicious marinated and caramelized turkey is the tastiest, juiciest and most succulent turkey you can imagine. Our secret: Caramelized Turkey with Onions and Spices owes its flavor to the extraordinary GOYA® Adobo with Pepper, which intensifies the flavor from the inside out. The Adobo is simply mixed with brown sugar, bay leaves, and sour orange; a marinara that coats the turkey overnight, adding just the right amount of moisture and flavor. The next day it will be ready to bake until crispy and cooked through. Serve with the delicious caramelized onion gravy, the tastiest turkey you've ever made!
Ingredients
Necesary
- 20 cups very cold wáter, divided
- 1 jar of Adobo with GOYA pepper
- 1 cup of Brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 cups of bitter Orange marinade
- 1 orange quartered
- 1 onion quartered
- 1 turkey (6 kilograms aprox.) thawed and patted dry (giblets removed and reserved for another use, if desired)
- 6 oregano sprigs
- 2 tbsp. of Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 2 cups of chicken flavored bouillon, mixed with 4 cups of water
For the gravy
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp. of Goya Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 0.25 cup of flour
- 2 tbsp. Of balsamic vinegar
Preparation
TO MARINATE THE TURKEY
STEP 1
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add: 4 cups water, Adobo, brown sugar and bay leaves. Cook, stirring constantly until Adobo and sugar dissolve. Transfer Adobo mixture to a bowl large enough to hold turkey and all liquid. Stir in Sour Orange and remaining 16 cups cold water, then submerge turkey in prepared marinade and place breasts side down; cover and refrigerate about 8 hours or up to 16 hours. Remove turkey from marinade 2 hours before cooking, discarding liquids and rinsing turkey inside and out with cold water. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, and allow to come to room temperature.
TO BAKE THE TURKEY
STEP 2
Heat the oven to 450°F. On a baking sheet with rack, place the turkey and dry it once more with paper towels. Place the orange quarters, onion quarters and oregano sprigs in the cavity of the turkey. With kitchen string tie the legs together, place the wings behind the back, and tuck the excess neck skin into the top of the cavity. Using a pastry brush, coat the turkey skin with olive oil and pour 2 cups of the chicken stock mixture into the bottom of the pan. Bake the turkey for 30 min. basting the turkey continuously with the liquid in the pan and turning it sporadically. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, and continue baking the turkey, basting with the liquid in the pan every 30 min. and turning the pan as often as necessary for even cooking. At the end the turkey skin should be dark brown, golden brown and crisp, and the turkey will be cooked through (internal temperature should register 165° F when inserted by inserting thermometer into the thigh without touching the bone), about 3 to 3 ½ hrs. adding the rest of the chicken stock mixture, in 1-cup measures if the liquid in the pan dries out and covering with foil if the turkey browns too quickly. Carefully remove turkey from pan and cover with foil to keep warm before carving (about 30 min. and up to 1 hr.). Pour pan juices into a large measuring cup, remove and skim off fat. Reserve 4 cups of the remaining pan juices and the rest of the chicken stock mixture for the sauce.
FOR THE SAUCE
- While turkey is baking, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until coated in oil. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and fully caramelized, about 30-45 min. Stir in flour and set aside in skillet until turkey is done.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat the onion mixture once again and cook until the flour begins to brown, about 2 min. Add the balsamic vinegar and mix well, gradually add the reserved juice mixture to the baking pan and stir constantly to avoid lumps. Bring onion mixture to a boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, about 5-7 minutes. Transfer the sauce to a serving bowl. If a smoother sauce is desired, blend until smooth and then transfer to serving bowl.
- Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy.
