Tired of turkey? While it’s important to keep up with tradition, there are no rules that say you can’t put a twist on things. Liven up your holiday dinner with a little heat. This roasted jalapeño turkey brings a tasteful fire that will spark a conversation. Feel free to use a mix of fiery red and milder green jalapeños, so you can play with the level of spice – and coordinate with your holiday décor.
Ingredients
10-12 lbs. organic turkey, sourced locally and pasture-raised
10 jalapeño peppers, seeds removed
Organic, grass-fed butter (optional)
Kosher salt
Directions
- The day before cooking, prepare the turkey injection recipe: While wearing gloves, remove jalapeno seeds, and then add to a food processor to puree. Pour puree into a cooking syringe.
- Using clean cloths or eco-friendly paper towels, rinse and pat dry the turkey.
- Inject turkey with puree. You will need to pierce multiple spots for even distribution.
- Season turkey with salt, cover with cling wrap and move to the refrigerator.
- About 30 minutes before you begin roasting the turkey, remove from fridge and discard the cling wrap. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place turkey, breast side down, on top of a cooking rack that is set on top of a flat baking sheet.
- Roast 20 minutes.
- Flip turkey, add butter and roast an additional 20 minutes.
- Once turkey begins to brown, cover with aluminum foil and reduce temperature to 300 degrees F.
- Bake another 15 minutes per pound of turkey.
- Once internal temperature reaches 155 degrees F, remove from oven and tent with foil. Let rest approximately 10 minutes. The temperature will continue to rise to at least 160 degrees F, a safe internal temperature for poultry.
- Slice and serve turkey with your favorite vegetable-centric, holiday recipes.