SPLIT TURKEY

You really don’t have to wait until Thanksgiving to enjoy roast turkey. I love to make it a few times of year. Of course, I don’t always have the usual crowd coming, but I also don’t have to commit to a huge bird with all the fixings. If you look in your poultry section next to all the chickens, you might find a split turkey from time to time. It’s half the size and cooks half as fast as a full bird. You do have to plan a bit ahead if you’re going to brine it, but it’s worth it.

INGREDIENTS

BRINE

1 cup light brown sugar

1 cup kosher salt

1 quart water

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 chipotle peppers + tablespoon adobo sauce

1 lemon, quartered

TURKEY

½ turkey (split turkey)

French Onion Seasoning (Gustus Vitae)

½ stick butter

2 cups orange juice

2 cups chicken broth

PREPARATION

Place all the brine ingredients into a big pot. Bring up to a boil, and then down to a simmer for 15 minutes. Allow to completely cool. Combine with 3 additional quarts of cold water.

Divide into 4 quarts. Use two for the bird and place the other two in the freezer for future use.

Place turkey in an extra large Ziploc bag or a brining bag and pour in the 2 quarts of brine. Seal tightly and place in a roasting pan (just in case bag gets a hole or leaks). The bird can sit for up to three days in the brining liquid, but brine for at least 24 hours. Flip bird every 12 hours.

When you’re ready to roast the bird, remove from the fridge one hour before to allow it to come to room temperature. Remove bird from brine and lightly rinse. Pat dry. Place a low roasting rack inside a roasting pan. Place bird on top, breast side up.

Preheat over to 375 degrees. Season the bird with French onion seasoning. Cut up ½ stick of butter into thin slices and spread them out on top of the bird. Combine orange juice and chicken broth. Pour one cup on top of bird. Place in oven and roast for approximately two hours depending upon the size of the bird. (15 minutes per pound is a good rule of thumb). Baste bird with one cup of the remaining liquid every half hour. If the skin starts to brown, place aluminum foil on top of that part of the bird (not the whole bird). The bird is done when the dark meat is at 175 degrees and the white meat is at 165 degrees.

Allow to rest on cutting board for at least 15 minutes before slicing. Strain the pan juices into a gravy boat or use them to make gravy.