Holiday Turkey Recipe...!

This is a recipe that I got from my friend Jody and it's really yummy, so I thought I'd share as I was making it...!

Holiday Turkey Recipe:

1-25lb. Turkey thawed, washed

1c. lemon juice

1 gallon water

3/4 c. fresh orange juice

1c. kosher salt

1 c. packed brown sugar

1c. chopped yellow onion

2 oranges cut in half

3 cinnamon sticks

2 T. whole cloves or ground nutmeg

2 T. allspice berries

1c. apple juice

2 sticks blue bonnet butter

1 T. emerald essence (recipe following)

Emerald Essence Mixture:

5T. sweet paprika

1/4 c. salt

1/4 c. garlic powder

2 T. black pepper

2 T. onion powder

2 T. kayenne

2 T. dried oregano

2 T. thyme

To make the brine combine all ingredients except emerald essence and butter into a plastic sturdy garbage bag. Put the turkey into bag..I do this in my turkey pan in the sink like the following picture, then pour brine on top of turkey. Close top of bag into a good knot and set aside on top of stove or wherever for 12-24 hrs. Turn every couple of hours, you are marinating that turkey! (I put mine together when I get up around 5:30am and let sit all day until I put the turkey in the oven around midnight at 175 degrees and let cook until Thanksgiving day around 2 or 3 when we eat....Yummy!)
Ok so when you are ready to cook the turkey, remove from the brine and pat dry. Get 2 sticks of Blue Bonnet butter and rub that turkey all over. Sprinkle the Emerald Essence on top . Stuff the turkey with my own yummy stuffing...recipe as follows:

Homemade Turkey Stuffing:

4 Boxes Marie Cullumbers Stuffing (2 each of Herb and Cubed)

2 sticks of blue bonnet butter

a bundle of green onions

a bundle of fresh cilantro

2 cans of olives sliced

2 packages of gizzards cooked

2 tubs of livers cooked

2 cloves minced garlic

a couple of sprigs of fresh basil and parsley chopped

1/2 c. of purple onion chopped

a bundle of celery chopped

1 granny smith apple chopped

salt,pepper and garlic powder to taste

Combine all ingredients in a huge bowl. This stuffing will be somewhat dry but not TOO dry, just crumbly and moist. Rub 2 sticks of butter all over the turkey. Stuff your turkey inside and out, cover with oven bag and put into pan at 175 degrees, cook for at least 10 hours. A couple of hours before serving reset stove to 350 degrees and watch carefully so the stuffing doesn't burn, you wil notice it start to darken after about an hour. Notice that pop up thing stickin out means the turkey is cooked all the way through! At this time put the rest of the stuffing into a large pan and cut the 3 rd. stick into slices on top of stuffing and cook covered with foil for about 45 min. along with the turkey at 350 degrees. Voila! you are done....ENJOY!! (Don't forget to do the gravy with the turkey drippings, add flour and whisk, bring to slight boil, season with salt and pepper..yum! If you don't want to use all the drippins add a can of chicken broth!)


This is where I am at with my Turkey, I will post pics when I cook it...I am so excited I love the Holidays!! OOHHH and I love the aroma too..mmmm!!