Cajun turkey marinade with turkey and cranberry sauce

CAJUN TURKEY MARINADE INJECTION WITH TURKEY

Approximately 5 Cups for 12-15 lb. Turkey

MARINADE INGREDIENTS

1c                    lemon juice

½ c                  liquid crab boil

½ c                  olive oil

¾ c                  melted butter

3 Tbsp            Cajun seasoning

1 Tbsp            powdered seafood boil

2 Tbsp            lemon pepper

1 Tbsp            garlic powder

1 tsp                Louisiana hot sauce

1 tsp                cayenne pepper

METHOD

In a medium sized bowl, combine all ingredients and whisk until completely combined. Using a meat injector, inject the marinade into several areas of the turkey. 

*It is ok if small amounts of the marinade come out of the turkey as it’s being injected. If large amounts begin to spill out during the injection process, the turkey injection process is complete.

*Discard any unused marinade to avoid cross contamination.

TURKEY INGREDIENTS

12-15lb           turkey, completely, thawed

1 stick             unsalted butter, softened plus 1 cup of melted butter

1 c                   vegetable oil

½ c                  A Dab A Do Ya! or seasoned salt

3 c                   chicken stock

1 Tbsp            powdered seafood boil

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place turkey on the rack of a roasting pan and fill the bottom of the pan with chicken stock.
3. Gently lift and detach the skin from the breast, add softened butter and 1 tablespoon of A Dab A Do Ya! Be careful not to rip the skin.
4. Drizzle vegetable oil over the entire outside of the turkey and season with the remaining A Dab A Do Ya! and powdered seafood boil.
5. Spray alumimun foil with nonstick spray on the side that will touch the turkey.  Loosely cover the turkey and roasting pan.  Roast on 350 degrees for 3 ½ to 4 hours.  About every 45 minutes check the level of chicken stock and add more to the bottom of the pan if needed.  Rotate the turkey at least twice during the roasting process.
6. During the last 15 mins. remove the aluminim foil and pour the melted butter over the entire turkey.  Place the turkey back into the oven without the foil to crisp and brown!
7. Let the turkey rest for 15-20 minutes before carving.  Serve with gravy and enjoy!

CRANBERRY SAUCE

Approximately 12 Servings

INGREDIENTS

1c                    orange juice

1c                    sugar

12oz                fresh cranberries

1 tbsp              fresh orange zest, optional

METHOD

Bring orange juice to a boil in a saucepan; add sugar and cook until sugar is dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Mix cranberries into the sugar and orange juice; bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and when cranberries began to burst, reduce to a simmer until a desired consistency is achieved.