Crispy Beer Roast Turkey

Now that it’s Christmas time…its time to pull out all the turkey recipes — and change them. With a twist on the traditional, this Crispy Beer Roast Turkey recipe is brined in a garlic infused beer for the ultimate in juicy-tender-crisp turkey.

Beer is a flavour I cook with a lot. Beer burgers and Beer Chicken make regular appearances at our dinner table, and beer basted turkeys (whole turkey or thighs and drumsticks) are a family favourite at Christmas. With herbs like thyme, rosemary and parsley, the flavour is unbeatable.

I don’t know what it is about beer, but roasting with it almost always guarantees the crispiest skin and juiciest-tender meat without drying anything out.

If you have the time, and especially if you’re going to make this with a whole turkey or breast, allow the turkey to soak overnight in a drunken mix of beer with smashed garlic cloves and any herbs you like. Then pull it out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before roasting to take the chill out of it.

I roast my turkey covered with foil for a good hour and a half. Once its cooked through, take the cover off and allow it to grill (or broil) under your oven grill until it looks like this. Crispy. Golden. Did I mention crispy — not a question.

The good thing about this recipe is that the non-turkey-lovers love this. My husband being one of them. Usually he runs far and away from anything associated with turkey. But with this recipe, the beer and garlic compliment the turkey so well that the fussiest eaters enjoy it.

Of course, serving it with beer is completely acceptable. Just remember to buy extra bottles. One for the turkey. A slab for you…I mean…your guests.

My recipe for Crispy Beer Chicken has a Drunken Mushroom Gravy with it that we usually serve with our turkey too! Feel free to make it along with this recipe.

Thanksgiving 2016 would be the perfect excuse to make this! Especially with these Lemon Garlic Butter Hasselback Sweet Potatoes. I’ll be posting the recipe to these sweet potatoes tomorrow!

Crispy Beer Roast Turkey

Now that it's Christmas time, its time to pull out all the Turkey recipes and change them! With a twist on the traditional, this turkey recipe is brined in a garlic infused beer for the ultimate in juicy-tender-crisp turkey portions.

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Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 6 Turkey cutlets (drumsticks and thighs), washed and patted dry with paper towel
• 1 x 800ml bottle lager*
• 8 whole garlic cloves , crushed (Smash them with the flat side of a knife and the heel of your hand. DO NOT mince them.)
• 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder
• Salt to taste (about 1 tablespoon)
• 2 sprigs of thyme , finely chopped
• 1 sprig of rosemary , finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
• Extra herbs to garnish

Instructions

• Place the turkey into a large baking dish. Pierce 1-inch slits through the turkey skin into the meat (about ½-inch deep). Pour in the beer; add the crushed garlic, stock powder and salt; turn the turkey skin side down; cover with foil and refrigerate for 4-6 hours or overnight for a deeper flavour. (Rotate the turkey once while soaking in the brine to ensure an even flavour when baking.) You can use a large conatiner for proper brining if you wish, but I find this method works and fits in our refrigerator!
• When ready to roast; preheat oven to 200 °C | 390°F. Drain half of the beer marinade, leaving the remaining liquid in the pan. Cover with foil and make sure the sides of the pan are completely sealed. Place into the oven and roast for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Remove from oven, uncover and rotate each portion. Change oven setting to grill (or broil) on medium-high heat and continue to roast until the skin is golden and crisp. Rotate to crisp the underside. Allow to rest 10-15 minutes to redistribute the juices.
• Serve with this Mushroom Beer Gravy and these Hasselback Sweet Potatoes! Or this Garlic-Parmesan Mashed Potatoes side.

Notes

*Use a mild lager for the gravy, otherwise the flavour may be too strong. We like Corona, but you can choose a milder lager.