Every year come Thanksgiving or Christmas, I plan on making a bird with a different flavor twist – I’ve done Spiced, Tandoori & Middle Eastern and this year I decided to give into one of my favorite things … good ol’ Mustard. Whether I use fresh or frozen Turkey, I have always brined my bird in 4 liters of a simple brining liquid and the result is a delicious and moist bird.
If you’ve never brined a bird, I highly recommend you try it. Without trying to get too scientific, the flavored brine a combination of salt, sugar and spices penetrates through the otherwise bland flesh through the process of Osmosis.
This year I decided to soak my 16 lb bird in a lighly spiced Buttermilk. Bay leaves, powdered Mustard & Paprika will spice the delicate Buttermilk and marinate the bird for 24 hours. The next day I slather it with Mustard and bake it in my hot oven.
If you’re confused about the cooking and defrosting times, canadianturkey.ca has an incredible selection of tools for you – https://www.canadianturkey.ca/whole-bird-turkey-calculator/
#Shoutout
As most YouTube creators and Bloggers do, I had to tape and photograph this Turkey way before Thanksgiving. I couldn’t get a frozen bird as there wasn’t enough time to defrost it before I had to shoot. After calling several stores including all the major players Garden Basket in Markham were the only store that was able to rustle up a Turkey for me. Special thanks to Daniel from the meat department for making this happen.
http://www.thegardenbasket.ca/
Ingredients
- 16 lb – 7.2 kgs Turkey fresh or defrosted
- Brine
- 4 tbsps Dijon Mustard
- 2 tsps Paprika
- 3 liters Buttermilk
- 1 litre water
- 6 Bay leaves
- 4 tsps Salt
- Marinade
- 4 tbsps Dijon Mustard
- 2 tbsps whole grain Mustard
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 2 tbsps Olive Oil
- ½ tsp dried Parsley
- 1 Onion cut in quarters
- 1 Bell pepper cut in a large dice
- 2 cups assorted Mushrooms
- 1 lime cut in halves
- 3 – 4 cloves of Garlic
Instructions
- Prepare the Turkey by removing all of the Offal and the neck from the cavity
- Prepare the brine by mixing everything together and pour over the Turkey
- Marinate this for 24 hours
- After 24 hrs, drain the brine and pat the Turkey dry
- Prepare the Marinade and rub all over the Turkey
- Add the lime halves and the garlic and place the Turkey in a roasting pan
- Add the Onions, Green Peppers and Mushrooms
- Add the Turkey Neck and Offal
- Cover and cook for 1-2 hours and then open and allow to brown
- Cover dark spots with tin foil
That looks like one tasty bird!
Thanks Alex!
Brilliant! This flavor combination sounds fantastic and the turkey looks roasted to perfection. I especially appreciated the step by step video.
Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks so much!
Just in time for Thanksgiving!! I am thinking of making a turkey and this looks like the perfect recipe. We love a lot of flavour around here. Thanks so Much!
Awesome! If you do try it, let me know how it turns out!