Maple Roast Turkey

My family loved this! I didn’t use the brandy. And it is important to make the maple butter and refrigerate a day before. Quite the hit!

One of the best turkeys i have made. the gravy was to die for!

I made this recipe, exactly as written (using dried herbs, couldn’t get fresh this time), and it turned out perfectly. The turkey was both beautiful and delicious, and the gravy was sublime. I finished the gravy with Calvados, and I wanted to eat a bowl of gravy, all by itself. Like some other reviewers mentioned, the compound butter takes quite a bit of time–I made it the night before, refrigerated it overnight, then let it come back to room temperature. I ended up having to heat it up a little bit to make it easier to get under the skin on the turkey breast. I made this as a Thanksgiving meal part deux, for friends that arrive over the holiday weekend, and it was much tastier than the actual Thanksgiving turkey I had with my family at a restaurant. I will absolutely make this again.

This was my first time making this. I used a 20lbs turkey (8 of my boys came home from Afghanistan unannounced) I doubled the recipe and it worked really well! I made the maple butter the night before and it seemed to work out better. I basted the turkey every 30 minutes and it was so juicy!!! The cook time seems short but it was perfect!! The only thing I found was that I did not need the entire amount of flour for the gravy.

I have made this turkey exactly as written for several years. Everyone loves it except my older sister, but she always finds something to complain about. The butter takes a long time to prepare so do it a couple days prior. The gravy will be sweet so make an traditional grave too for your picky older sisters who think they are better at everything. Also, Apple Brandy may not be as easy to find as you may think so shop for that early. Finally, use real maple syrup even if your sister insists that Mrs Butterworths is the same thing because it all tastes the same. No it doesn’t Barbara!!!

Very good but meat needs more flavor. If I do it again I would inject the maple butter prior to cooking.

This will be my only Thanksgiving turkey recipe from now on.

Nothing to write home about.

My rating is with caveats. First I brined my turkey with an apple and spices brine for 36 hours. This makes the turkey super juicy with amazing flavor throughout. Then , I replaced the bland apple cider vinegar with more robust, balsamic vinegar. Finally, we are gluten free, thus no stuffing, but stuffing is not what flavors the turkey anyway. The brine and glaze will flavor it if done together and you need to stiff the opening with vegetables and fruits ( or carrots, onions, oranges, lemons , garlic ect)) putting them around the turkey is pointless since , after several hours of roasting , they will be mush , and you will not be eating them.

This turkey came out awesome! This was the 1st turkey I have ever cooked and I really appreciated all the other reviews, which were very helpful. My family said they thought it was probably the best turkey they’ve ever had! It was very juicy! I used fresh thyme, but used marjoram in the spice section and just a teaspoon. I actually ended up using the whole portion of thyme in the butter mixture (make the night before) because I forgot to divide it. It came out great though. My turkey did not burn or actually brown a whole lot during the 1st 30 minutes at 375, but I did tent it for the reminder of the time at 350 and it came out beautifully. I was very impressed! I did reserve 1/4 cup for the gravy, but still didn’t use the entire butter mixture when I brushed it all over the turkey. I let the turkey cook for about 20 minutes, then took it out again and brushed the remainder all over. The gravy was good, but it didn’t thicken for me as I would have liked, but I had about 3 1/2 cups of stock vs the 3 cups in the recipe. It was very good though and thickened over time. This will be my staple recipe very year I cook a turkey!

Instead of butter used margarine and did not have fresh spices except one. Turkey was bland and dressing was tasty but for some reason the flavors did not mix together in a synergistic way.

I didn’t enjoy the sweetness with my turkey. But my family did.

Delicious results! We made the butter a day early and doubled the maple syrup because we like sweet. I feel the cooking time is a little long so we are going to use an internal thermometer next year. Skin on the turkey gets dark fast so keep an eye on it. Skip the apple brandy – not necessary. We filled the cavity of the bird with apples and onions and the gravy turned out sooooo good.

I cooked Thanksgiving this year for my very first time and my mom said it was the best turkey she’s ever had and she WAS a firm believer in cooking bags until today. I didn’t have the apple brandy so I just did without it. I cannot believe how moist it was!!! Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!!!!!

I made my first turkey followed the recipe to a T, it was good but not enough.. The second I doubled everything except the apple cider (3 cups instead of two) and for the fresh thyme and marjoram put half in the bird and sprinkle half all around it, I used a whole lemon all the skin and squeezed it too 🙂 I also buttered my bird a lot lol if you lift the skin on the top, the breast(without ripping, because you have to pull it back over) stuff and rub butter inside under the skin (real butter) wow so tender n juicy and dont forget baste your turkey every 20 min!! set a timer, pain in the butt but well worth it in the end. also I found it is unnecessary to roast for 30 min before you cover.. do that at the end ( uncovered turkey needs basting every 10 min) Do not over cook, follow instruction on turkey weight=time and and check internal temp. I had a lot of complements, I also made the gravy, I myself didn’t like it but my guests did.

I prepared this turkey but did not add the chicken broth… it caramelizes very well with apple cider and maple syrup reduction. It turned out very juicy and nice and golden glaze.

There are a couple other recipes that are exactly like this one except a few small variances. I chose to go by this recipe since my turkey was closer to a 12 pounder. I have to first off say that this was my first time making a turkey. Between the flavorful marinade in this recipe, brining the turkey, and the way I cooked it (breast side down and no foil), this was the most moist and flavorful turkey I have ever eaten anywhere! I pretty much went by the ingredients exactly except I didn’t use brandy and I only had margarine instead of butter. Next time I will make sure to use butter because the sauce didn’t set up to well and was a little liquid-y, so when rubbing on the turkey it wanted to drip off. I also made a solution of apple cider and maple syrup, boiled it down, and used a flavor injector to inject a little more flavor into the meat. I dont think it was really necessary but I thought what the hay, more flavor is always good! Next time I wont do that though, because between that and the butter mixture, the gravy was a little sweeter than it should of been. But it was still excellent! Thanks for this great flavorful recipe! When I have the chance at making a turkey again I will for sure use this recipe!

Years ago I used this recipe for the first turkey I ever cooked and it came out beautifully! In the years since, I have made slight alterations like apple juice instead of apple cider and I use it as a brine. Every year it is a HUGE hit with the family and now I am the designated cook for Thanksgiving. I highly recommend this recipe! It’s delicious as is and can be tailored to suit your particular tastes. Bravo!

I made it this year, and it was BY FAR the best one yet.. I have been asked to make it again for Christmas!

This is the one recipe I always come back to, no matter what else I find.

I made this in my crock pot. My boyfriend loved it.