Cranberry Jalapeno Honey Baked Turkey Recipe - The most amazing turkey brine and glaze recipe, that produces a golden glistening juicy turkey with a crispy crust!
Prep Time30 minutesmins
Cook Time4 hourshrs
Total Time4 hourshrs30 minutesmins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10
Calories: 697kcal
Author: Sommer Collier
Ingredients
For the Cranberry Jalapeno Honey Baked Turkey:
12-20poundfresh whole turkey,frozen and thawed, if fresh is not an option
Place brining bag in a cooler. Pour warm water and all seasonings into the bag. Stir until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Add turkey and more water until turkey is submerged. Seal the bag. Add ice and close the lid. Add ice as needed to keep cool. (If you don’t have a cooler you may brine in a large food safe bucket or pot. Cover and refrigerate.) Brine for 2-3 days.
Cooking the Turkey:
Preheat oven to 325 F. Remove turkey from brine, drain liquid, place on rack in a large roasting pan. Allow the skin to dry thoroughly, patting with paper towels if needed.
Brush the turkey with oil. Then salt and pepper generously.
Bake uncovered for 2 hours, then tent with foil to prevent the breast meat from overcooking. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer while roasting. Take the turkey out of the oven when the thickest part of the breast meat reaches 165 degrees F. Calculate your average total cooking time by multiplying 15 minutes by the weight of the turkey. (Example: 12 pound turkey X 15 minutes = 180 minutes, or 3 hours.)
While baking mix the glaze ingredients together until combined. Approximately 30 minutes before the turkey is done (around 130 degrees F) remove the foil and brush the turkey skin with glaze. Bake another 15 minutes and brush with the remaining glaze. Then bake until done. Let the turkey rest for 10 minutes before carving.