Latin style roasted turkey {Pavo a lo criollo} for Christmas or Thanksgiving

Name: Latin style roasted turkey {Pavo a lo criollo} for Christmas or Thanksgiving
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 3 h 30 min
Total time: 4 h
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients: 15-18 lb turkey; 40 garlic cloves; 3 tbs ground cumin; 3 tbs salt; 1 tbs ground achiote; 2 liters of chicha; 1 lb of butter; 4 tbs ground achiote; 1 tsp salt; Relleno navideño or turkey stuffing; Salsa de ciruelas or prune sauce

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4.8

399 reviews

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Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs 30 mins
Additional Time
12 hrs
Total Time
4 hrs
Servings
12 servings
Course
Main Course
Cuisine
South American, Ecuadorian

Latin style roasted turkey {Pavo a lo criollo} for Christmas or Thanksgiving

Iris Warren

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Recipe for a Latin style roasted turkey recipe or pavo a lo criollo for Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve dinner, marinated in garlic, cumin, achiote and chicha or beer.

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Ingredients

Servings

15-18 lb turkey

Marinade

40 garlic cloves crushed, about ½ cup when crushed
3 tbs ground cumin
3 tbs salt
1 tbs ground achiote
2 liters of chicha use beer if you can’t find chicha

Achiote butter

1 lb of butter 4 sticks of butter – room temperature
4 tbs ground achiote
1 tsp salt if using unsalted butter

Side dishes

Relleno navideño or turkey stuffing use to stuff turkey if desired
Salsa de ciruelas or prune sauce

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Instructions

Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry.
Tuck the wings underneath the turkey and tie the drumsticks together using cooking twine.
To prepare the marinade, mix the crushed garlic, cumin, achiote and salt.
Rub the turkey with the marinade, both inside and out.
Pour the chicha or beer over the turkey, some of the garlic marinade will fall off the skin, so rub it back on the skin.
Let the turkey marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
Put the turkey in a large baking pan on a roasting rack.
Mix the butter, achiote and salt until you have a smooth mix.
Rub the achiote butter inside turkey cavities and use your hand to gently lift the skin of the turkey, and then stuff it with the butter. Also rub some butter on the exterior skin of the turkey.
Fill the inside of the turkey with the stuffing, if desired. Stuffing can also be baked separately.
Bake the turkey at 425F for 30 minutes; use a ladle to spoon the liquid over the turkey.
Lower the temperature to 375F and bake for another 1 ½ hours, to help keep the turkey moist pour a ladleful of the pan sauces over the turkey about every 30 minutes.
Lower the temperature to 350F, cover the turkey with foil and bake for another 1 - 1 ½ hrs or until the internal temperature of the turkey, in the thigh, is 165F. If baking stuffing inside the turkey the temperature of the stuffing should also be 165F. If the turkey is stuffed it will take longer to be done than if the turkey is unstuffed.
Serve the turkey with the holiday stuffing, salsa de ciruelas or prune sauce, and your choice of side dishes.