Best Annatto Spiced Grilled Turkey Recipes

SPICED & GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a stockpot, combine water, paprika, chili powder, crab boil in bag, brown sugar, half of the onions rosemary, thyme and half of the garlic. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Place one oven roasting bag inside the other. Place turkey inside both bags; pour in cooled brine. Seal bags, pressing out as much air as possible; turn to coat turkey. Place in a shallow roasting pan. Refrigerate 18-24 hours, turning occasionally., Remove turkey from brine, reserving brine in bag; rinse turkey and pat dry. Place remaining onion and garlic in turkey cavity. Drizzle oil over turkey. Mix rub ingredients; rub over skin., Prepare grill for indirect heat, placing a 13x9-in. disposable foil pan over coals. Carefully pour reserved brine into pan. Place turkey over pan on rack, breast side up. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat 1 hour. Tent turkey with foil; grill until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170-175°, 1-1/2 to 2 hours longer. Cover and let stand 20 minutes before carving.

THE GREATEST GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• Prepare an outdoor grill for indirect medium-high heat.
• Rinse turkey and pat dry. Turn wings back to hold neck skin in place. Return legs to tucked position. Brush turkey with oil. Season inside and out with Italian seasonings, salt, and pepper.
• Place turkey, breast side up, on a metal grate inside a large roasting pan. Arrange pan on the prepared grill. Grill 2 to 3 hours, to an internal thigh temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Remove turkey from grill and let stand 15 minutes before carving.

BUTTERFLIED TURKEY WITH YUCATAN RUB

Steps:

• For the turkey: The day before serving, heat 3 quarts of the water with salt and sugar in a large pan, stirring to dissolve salt and sugar. Remove from heat, add remaining 1 quart cold water, and stir. Set brine aside to cool to room temperature.
• Put turkey in a large container and cover with the brine. Cover and refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours. (If you want to brine the turkey overnight, use half the amount of salt and sugar.)
• For rub: Crumble annatto paste into a food processor and blend with the garlic, oregano, coriander, black pepper, salt, and allspice. Add the fruit juices and the olive oil and process to make a pasty sauce. Drain and pat the turkey very dry. Smear the rub all over the bird. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
• Prepare an outdoor grill with a large medium-heat fire for direct and indirect grilling. Position a drip pan under the grate on indirect side of the grill.
• Place turkey, breast side up, over the drip pan and grill, covered, until meat is cooked about halfway through, about 50 minutes. Turn and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 50 minutes more. Move turkey to direct heat and rotate to evenly brown the skin in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a carving board, cover, and let rest 10 minutes before carving.
• Shopsmart: Annatto paste is a Mexican flavoring composed of ground annatto, or achiote, seeds mixed with herbs-usually oregano-and spices. The rust-color paste is then pressed into a compact brick. Look for it in the Hispanic section of your grocery.

SPICED GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and reserve for gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and put breast-side up on a rack set in a large roasting pan.
• Combine 2 tablespoons salt, 1 tablespoon pepper and the coriander and allspice in a small bowl. Squeeze the orange halves all over the turkey and rub the juices into the skin, then stuff the squeezed oranges into the cavity along with the shallot and parsley. Brush the turkey all over with the melted butter, then sprinkle all over with the spice mixture. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine and tuck the wings under the body. Pour the broth into the roasting pan.
• Microwave the pineapple preserves in a small microwave-safe bowl until melted, about 1 minute; strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a small bowl. Stir in the vinegar. Set the glaze aside.
• Roast the turkey until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours, brushing with the pineapple glaze twice during the last 30 minutes of roasting; use about two-thirds of the glaze. (Tent the turkey with foil if the skin gets too dark.) Remove from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.
• Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator and let stand until the fat rises to the top. Discard the fat (or drizzle on your stuffing). Serve the turkey with the defatted drippings.

ANNATTO-SPICED GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• 1. Remove and discard the fat from just inside the body cavities of the turkey. Remove the package of giblets and set aside for another use. Rinse the turkey, inside and out, under cold running water, then drain and blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Season the turkey inside and out with salt and pepper cover and refrigerate while you prepare the marinade.2. Combine the cascabel chiles, annatto seeds, and water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, until the chiles have softened and all liquid has been absorbed, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles and annatto seeds to a blender and add the marjoram, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Process until smooth. Pour the mixture into a strainer set over a medium-size bowl and press it through with a wooden spoon. Taste for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary the mixture should be highly seasoned.3. If you wish to put some of the marinade between the skin and flesh of the turkey, follow the directions in the box on page 243 for loosening the skin.4. Spoon a few tablespoons of the marinade into the body cavity of the turkey and a tablespoon into the neck cavity. Brush the outside of the bird with additional marinade, liberally if you didn't put in under the skin, and a little oil. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let marinate, in the refrigerator, for 4 hours.5. Set up the grill for indirect grilling, placing a large drip pan in the center. If using a charcoal grill, preheat it to medium. If using a gas grill, place as many of the wood chips as possible in the smoker box and preheat the grill to high then, when smoke appears, lower the heat to medium. 6. When ready to cook, if using charcoal, toss 1 cup of the wood chips on the coals. Oil the grill grate. Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and place on the hot grate over the drip pan. Cover the grill and cook until the juices run clear when the tip of a skewer or sharp knife is inserted in the thickest part of a thigh and the legs wiggle freely in the joint (see Note), about 3 hours (figuring on 15 to 20 minutes per pound). If using charcoal, add 10 to 12 fresh coals and 1/2 cup wood chips per side every hour.7. Transfer the turkey to a cutting board or platter and let stand, loosely covered with aluminum foil, for 15 minutes before carving.Serves 10 to 12Note: An instant-read thermometer inserted in the inner muscle of a thigh, not touching the bone, should register 180°F.