Recipe(tried): Roasted Garlic Turkey (another recipe for PAVOCHON)

Roasted Garlic Turkey (PAVOCHON)

A: One 15 lb. turkey, thawed out.

B: 2 packs of Sas n Accent Original Seasoning and 2 packs of Sas n Accent with Cordander and Annatto seasoning.

C: 2 whole heads of fresh garlic.

D: 4 big table spoons of olive oil.

E: Adobo with black pepper. (You can use the Goya adobo or the Pavochon comercially made Adobo)

Tips: Preheat your oven at 350 degrees before roasting the turkey. Season the turkey the night before you are going to roast it and leave it at the bottom of your refrigerator over night so that the turkey absorbs the seasoning for a greater taste.

Preparing the Turkey:

1. Take 2 complete heads of fresh garlic and peel it all, place the garlic in a blender and blend to a pulp. While still blending, add 4 table spoons of olive oil, 1 pack of Sas n Accent Original Seasoning and 1 pack of Coriander and Annatto (Culantro y Achiote) Seasoning, then add 2 heaping table spoons of Adobo with black pepper. Make sure all the ingredients are well mixed.

2. After the garlic mixture is made, take the thawed out turkey and pull out the neck, the wire and the other stuff it has inside. Wash the turkey with clean water inside and out. Then wash your hands well and dry them.

3. Now here comes the secret that makes this turkey different from other other roasted turkeys. Where the opened stomach cave is, find the end of the skin of the chest, pulling softly up, introduce your fingers slowly, separating the skin from the meat. Slowly work your hand down the chest separating the skin from the meat with your fingers with out breaking the skin, leaving it in place on top of the breast, leave the last part of the chest skin around the neck of the turkey connected. Keep on working your fingers to separate the skin until you get to the thighs and the legs, separate the skin from the thighs and the legs also, but not at the end of the skin of the legs only the meaty part, leave the last part of skin on the legs connected . Now all the skin should be separated, but it should still be in place on the turkey and the chest's neck skin and the end of the leg's skin should be still connected to the meat.

4. Now take 3/4 of the garlic mixture you made and carefully spread it inside of the turkey between the skin and the meat, make sure you get all the meat, even the thighs and the legs. Then take the last 1/4 of the garlic mixture and spread it all over the outside of the turkey. Then on top sprinkle Adobo with pepper all over the outside and inside the chest's cave of the turkey. Also sprinkle 1 pack of Sas n Accent Original and 1 pack of Sas n Accent with Coriander and Annato seasoning all over the outside of the turkey. Rub the ingredients all over the outside of the turkey.

Baking the Turkey:

After leaving the turkey over night marinating, preheat the oven at 350 degrees. After the oven is ready, place the turkey in a turkey roasting tray, cook the turkey for 1 hour uncovered. Bask it with the juices at the bottom of the roasting tray and cover the turkey. Baking time depends on how many times you bask the turkey. Me I bask the turkey every hour, so a 15 lb. turkey takes me a little over 5 hours to cook, but this varies, it could be anywhere from 4 to 6 hours. Once you think the turkey is cooked it is wise to insure the turkey is completely cooked by taking a knife and cutting into the joint of the thigh and the chest deeply; if you see blood, it needs more time. Bask it and leave for another hour and recheck again before serving.

The garlic mixture gives a great taste to all the meat and the skin, not just the outside skin and the olive oil makes the meat moist, not dry. The turkey tastes great all over.

Making the turkey's butter garlic gravy:

Take the left over juices that is in the pan after the turkey is cooked. Place it in a bowl, spoon off the excess grease and oil leaving the juices only. Put the juices into a small pot, add one teaspoon of corn starch, add half a bar of real butter (about 2 tablespoons), also add one tablespoon of powdered garlic and a dash of black pepper. Slowly cook over a low hot flame for 15 minutes. Serve 1 tablespoon of this gravy on top of the slices of turkey. Tastes great.