Go Back
Baked Turkey

Cheesecloth Butter-Basted Baked Turkey

No ratings yet
Print Pin
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Baked Turker Recipe, Thanksgiving
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Resting Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 30 minutes
Author: athomewithrebecka

Ingredients

  • 1-16 pound fresh Turkey
  • 1 sticks of butter melted
  • 1 cup good white wine
  • juice from 1 orange
  • 2 packages cheese cloth

Stuffing:

  • 1 onion quartered
  • 4 celery stalks, cut in half
  • 1 large orange
  • 1 large bunch fresh parsley
  • 5 whole cloves garlic
  • salt & pepper

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce:

  • 1 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries
  • 1 orange, zested
  • juice from 1 orange
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • ½ pomegranate seeds
  • 1 ½ cups sugar

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  • In a large glass bowl melt butter and add wine and juice of 1 orange, fold cheese cloths into quarters, submerge cheese cloths in butter mixture, set aside
  • Remove turkey from packaging, remove giblets and neck from cavity and set aside for use in gravy, wash turkey with cold water and pat dry. Salt and pepper cavity and body of bird, place bird in a large roasting pan and stuff both the neck and body cavities with onion, celery, garlic, parsley, and orange peels, pull the excess skin from the neck cavity over the stuffing and tuck wing tips under the bird. Be sure to wash your hands and all surfaces after working with poultry.
  • Remove cheese cloth from bowl and squeeze excess liquid back into the bowl, place cheesecloth on the bird covering the entire body, total layers of cheese cloth should be 8 layers thick, using a turkey baster, baste turkey with about ½ cup liquid and place in a preheated oven, cook bird for 45 minutes then lower the heat to 350, baste turkey then set timer to baste turkey every 30-45 minutes, cook bird until meat thermometer reads 165-170 degrees, remove from oven, cover with aluminum foil and rest for 30 minutes before carving. Use the drippings to make a delicious gravy.

Cranberry Pomegranate Sauce

  • In a medium sauce pan, bring all the ingredients to a boil then lower heat to medium low, cook until mixture is thick, stirring frequently, refrigerate for 2 hours before serving or make a day ahead.