This is a completely original recipe I created on my own, using knowledge and my own sense of taste. It turned out wonderfully for me the first year I tried it, so I did it again this year. It was like turkey heaven.
Ingredients:
Turkey - whole or whole breast (I've done both)
Orange Juice - 1 - 2 gallons depending on the size of your bird
Honey
Butter
Herbs that suit your taste (Rosemary, thyme, basil, etc)
1 Apple
1 Orange
1 Onion
Garlic cloves
Butter marinade - Store bought or homemade
Bacon
Potatoes (Optional)
Soak your turkey or turkey breast in orange juice, fully submerged if possible, for at LEAST 24 hours before cooking. The citric acid in orange juice saturates the meat, helping break down fibrous and tough tissue, and adds a pleasant subtle flavor.
Prep for cooking: Pull the skin up and pipe in a mixture of butter, honey, herbs under the skin and smush all around over the meat. Inject meat with butter marinade of your choice. Put a sliced apple, orange (rind left on), garlic cloves, and onion (remove outer peel) in the cavity. Rub honey, butter, herbs over the bird and place in the cooking pan. Put potatoes around the bird to soak in delicious cooking juices. Place fatty bacon over the breast, cover.
Cook until nearly done, NEVER overcook your bird. Check online for best times/temps for your bird's weight. (Here is an excellent page with a chart and information on cooking your turkey: Turkey Roasting Times Chart.)
At the end, uncover, pour over a melted butter and honey mixture, brown slightly. REST BEFORE CARVING. This is so important. Never just hack into your bird. The meat, right out of the oven, is very taunt from being cooked. If you slice into it, all of the juices will run out, leaving you with a dry bird. If you let it rest, the meat relaxes and retains all that wonderful moisture when sliced.
Eat the most delicious turkey you've ever eaten.
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