Why Not A Jerk Turkey for Christmas?

Holiday recipes can get a bit boring as the years go by but there's always a way to spice things up, and that's exactly what we did with this Jerk Half Turkey. You can cook the entire bird or if you're like most families this year, and not having a bigger gathering, go ahead and make just your favorite portion like the breast.

The recipe below includes both our TQM shortcut version and from scratch versions.

Happy Holidays!

Ingredients:

TQM Shortcut-

1 6-8 lb Turkey (we used a half bird. You can ask your meat dept worker or butcher to cut your bird for you.)

1 cup TQM Tick Tock Jerk Marinade

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp salt

Alternate Marinade-

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground clove

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tbsp ground onion

1 tbsp ground garlic

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tbsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground mustard

2 tsp salt

1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1tsp vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 tbsp lemon juice

Combine and let sit for 30 minutes before using to allow spices to become friends.

Method:

Place bird on a baking tray and pour marinade. Rub seasoning over entire bird making sure to apply liberally to the under side. Place in a 2 gallon plastic storage bag or air tight container and store refrigerated for 12-24 hours.

Remove bird from refrigerator and let relax a bit countertop for about 15 minutes. Drain excess liquid and sprinkle salt, again making sure to saturate all sides. Using your fingers, make a pocket under the breast-side skin of the turkey and insert butter as far up as you can go.

Place in a roasting pan, drizzle oil over the top side and roast for 40 minutes at 375 then reduce heat to 335, cover and cook for an additional 1.5 hours or until juices run clear and breast and thigh internal temperature reads 165 degrees.

If you are making a smaller or larger turkey you can use the simple calculation of 16 minutes cooking time for every 1 pound of bird. Cooking temperature may range between 335-360 for calculation.

I'd also suggest brining for 12 hours before following steps for applying Jerk marinade if you are roasting a whole turkey. This will ensure your entire bird is properly seasoned and tender.