Merry Christmas from The Hubby Chef!
As most people do when trying to cook light, I found myself Googling the words “turkey bacon”. I never thought that would have taken me down THIS road. This is maple, bacon turkey and while it may not be Weight Watchers worthy, man oh man was it good and, hey, it’s Christmas!
First, you need to start the night before with the brining (ALWAYS brine your turkey).
- 12-14 lb fresh young turkey
- 4 quarts of water
- 3/4 cup sea salt
- 1 cup sour mash whiskey (Jack Daniels or the like)
- 1 cup real maple syrup
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 2 cup dark brown sugar
- 6 bay leaves
- 6 whole garlic cloves
- 20 or so whole black peppercorns
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
Mix 2 quarts of water with the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Stir well to mix, remove from heat and add the last two quarts of water. Allow to cool (I just put it on the porch in the pot in the winter). Submerge the turkey in the pot overnight, breast side down (add more water if needed to the brine). Remove the turkey from the brine 1 hour before preparing for the oven to let the turkey meat reach room temperature.
- 1 stick butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup fresh sage, chopped
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup real maple syrup
- 6 striped of thick cut, quality smoked bacon
Preheat the oven to 350. Count on 15 minutes per pound of turkey. Blend the butter and sage with salt and pepper and smother. Smother that mother!
Drizzle with a few tablespoons of syrup every 30 minutes. If the drumsticks or other part of the turkey are getting too crisp, cover with a tent of aluminum foil.
Remove from oven when the turkey breast reaches 165 F or even a few degrees lower for really moist turkey. Allow to rest for 20 minutes while covered in foil.
Enjoy and MERRY CHRISTMAS 2016!
The Hubby Chef 