One of the tastiest and juiciest turkeys I’ve ever cooked! Even in the driest area of the breast meat, the rub creates a crust that seals in all the liquids. I plated some of it with black beans and sweet potato chunks and topped some of it with thick pan sauce.
| Prep Time: | 30 mins |
| Cook Time: | 3 hrs 25 mins |
| Additional Time: | 1 hr 20 mins |
| Total Time: | 5 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 whole roast turkey |
Ingredients
- 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
- ½ cup ground cumin
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ⅓ cup vegetable oil
- 12 cloves garlic, peeled
- 3 tablespoons paprika
- 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or as needed
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons water, or as needed
- 1 (8 ounce) container creme fraiche
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 lime, juiced
- 2 jalapeno peppers, stemmed
- ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Loosen skin over each side of breastbone with a spatula inserted beneath skin.
- Place cumin, soy sauce, vinegar, vegetable oil, garlic, paprika, black pepper, smoked paprika, and oregano into a blender. Blend spice rub into a thick paste, about 1 minute. Set aside 1/2 cup of rub in a bowl for a later step; pour remaining rub all over turkey and use a spatula to work about 2 tablespoons of mixture beneath the loosened skin on each side of the breast. Rub the mixture over every nook and cranny of turkey. Let turkey stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Fold a piece of aluminum foil into a rounded piece about the size of the turkey breast; set foil aside.
- Place turkey onto a rack set in a large roasting pan. Tie legs together at the bottom with a piece of kitchen twine. Spread 1/4 cup of reserved wet rub into cavity of turkey; retain remaining 1/4 cup for later. Sprinkle entire top and sides of turkey with kosher salt.
- Roast turkey in the preheated oven for 1 1/2 hours; place foil tent on turkey breast. Return to oven and continue to roast for about 1 hour and 15 more minutes. Combine remaining 1/4 cup of spice rub with 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and water in a small bowl. Brush mixture over turkey’s top, legs, and sides. Roast until until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh, not touching bone, reads 170 to 175 degrees F (75 to 80 degrees C), about 30 more minutes. Transfer turkey to a serving platter and let rest for at least 20 minutes, reserving drippings in roasting pan.
- Place creme fraiche, chicken broth, lime juice, jalapeno peppers, and cilantro into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour excess grease out of turkey roasting pan, pour in creme fraiche mixture, and place the roasting pan over a burner set over medium-high heat. Scrape the browned pan drippings into the sauce mixture, bring to a boil, and cook until gravy is reduced by half and thickened, about 10 minutes. Whisk often to prevent lumps. Season gravy with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Carve and serve turkey with pan gravy.
- Please note differences in ingredient amounts when following the magazine version of this recipe.
- Roasting time is about 15 minutes per pound, or a total of about 3 hours for a 12-pound turkey. Mine was about 13 pounds.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 841 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 7 g |
| Cholesterol | 292 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Protein | 94 g |
| Saturated Fat | 15 g |
| Sodium | 1267 mg |
| Sugars | 1 g |
| Fat | 47 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
I only used the rub part and tweeked it a bit. I knew the cumin amount would be too much so I only used about 3 tbs. I then added a stick of unsalted butter and about 2-3 tbs of dried achiote. I have a separate brine recipe that is my go to but OMG, it was so good that only the bones were left behind. I will try it on chicken next time and can’t wait.
This is one of the best turkey recipes I’ve had! Right up there with a fried turkey! Very flavorful, not overpowering and very juicy! Don’t listen to the 2 stars, this is keeper recipe!!!
The best turkey ever! There were literally no left overs the next morning! This Thanksgiving I’m gonna make it again but only with a bigger turkey!
I made this for Thanksgiving. After reading reviews, I decreased the cumin to 3 Tablespoons. I didn’t have both smoked paprika and paprika, so 1 used 3 Tablespoons of smoked paprika. I also didn’t have creme fraishe so used sour cream. I really liked it, but the flavors totally overpowered the turkey flavor. The gravy was even better the next day. I would use a chicken next time.
I am from Mexico and we use very similar spices as Peruvians. I followed the recipe to the T, and it was absolutely delicious! EVERYONE loved it!! Thanks so much for sharing it:)
Made Turkey according to recipe but stuffed with onions, celery, poblanos, and jalapenos. I also used a combination of jalapenos and poblanos in the gravy. Was really good!
OMG! Best ever. Made it with chicken and 1/2 amount of the wet rub. Just looking at the spice amounts you’d say that’s way too much, but it’s just right. Whether you do chicken or turkey, make 2x sauce so you have some to serve with the meat. Separate the portions so you don’t contaminate the serving sauce with raw chicken. Salt the inside of the cavity to keep maximum moisture in the meat. Cooking to temperature is what real chefs do (rather than time), and it’s largely how their food tastes great. You’d do well to follow their example. Serve with black beans, rice or quinoa, etc. and Jamaica (hibiscus flower) tea. Peruvians like sweet potatoes in a variety of ways, so that’s a good side too. I had rotisserie chicken at a Peruvian restaurant that had a spice coating, but this is WAY superior.
I thought this was going to have a ton of flavor, It didn’t in my families opinion. The rub smelled fantastic. I followed the directions and recipe completely. The chicken didn’t seem to have any of the flavor of the rub. I even used the glaze. Don’t understand it. Maybe it needed to marinate. So I won’t be making this one again. I was to dissapointed.
This is the most delicious set of ingredients that makes me eat the rub with a spoon. I’ve made it several times and the husband and boys give it two thumbs up. Today I’m doing the rub with a small turkey my husband shot that’s been plucked and skinned in the slow cooker. Already my house smells amazing!
I did this in an infared oil less fried by Char Broil and the results were great. Very flavorful and moist. The dark meat just fell off the bone and the breast was great.
I did this in an infared oil less fried by Char Broil and the results were great. Very flavorful and moist. The dark meat just fell off the bone and the breast was great.
why not 6 stars, or ten? I had NEVER made a turkey this good before. every bite was seasoned. the skin, wow. that gravy! even my gravy-and-sauce-hating husband liked this gravy, and asked for it all weekend on his leftover rolls. honestly, you need to try this recipe! do NOT skimp on that rub! thanks, Chef John, we’re not having Mexican food for TG any more. PERUVIAN TURKEY!
I am of Afro-Ecuadorian heritage and was looking for an easier alternative to the elaborate way we roast turkey. What a great alternative. This recipe was amazing and I absolutely loved the sauce. I had a 20 pound turkey so I doubled the ingredients. Had a lot of the dry rub left over and it still came out very delicious. I used Bragg’s Liquid Amino instead of soy sauce and toyed with the idea of using apple cider vinegar instead of white, but decided against it. By the way, in keeping with my family’s tradition, I marinated the turkey for 3 days. The sauce was the best gravy mixture I’ve had with turkey. I blended the drippings with the creme fraiche mixture and it didn’t require additional salt or pepper. Easiest turkey I ever made! Thank you so much for making my life easier. You have great taste, Chef John!
I generally hate thanksgiving turkey no matter roasted, smoked, or fried. However this is far and beyond the best I’ve ever had. I’ve made it three years in a row for friendsgiving and there are never any leftovers which sucks because we always want more.
First I’ve ever made a turkey!! Best I’ve ever had!! Will definitely make this again!!!
I made this recipe along with the bourbon glazed carrots and the lemon pepper potatoes for Christmas, served alongside traditional Newfoundland pease pudding as well as turnip, cabbage and salt beef. I made a turkey soup using the left overs from this recipe, which was probably the best I’ve made.
I rarely give 5 stars for recipes, but I think just the flavours alone in this one deserves the rating. It closely reminds me of the yummy Peruvian roast chicken I ate at Chicken and Guns in a food pod in Portland, Oregon. applied half the recipe for the spice rub (processed in my little food chopper) on a 5+lb chicken that I split (removed the backbone), did not let it sit to soak in the flavouring (didn’t have time) and baked it at 350’F for about an hour or when juices run clear at the thigh joint. The chicken was juicy and full of flavour. I am definitely going to try this recipe on a small turkey, like it was meant to be. This recipe is a keeper!
Great recipe. My in-laws are of Japanese-Peruvian descent and I make a variation of my father in law’s recipe for the meat stuffing and turkey every year. This is an easier and just as good version.
Helllooo cumin!! Wowza! The cumin completely overtook the entire thing. Next time I will just use a pinch. I tested this out on a 5lb whole chicken to make sure it is something we could use for Thanksgiving, and boy I’m glad I did. With some tweaks I think it would be passable, but the way it is in the recipe is not so good. Cut wayyy down on the cumin, add some heat like red chili flakes, and maybe a tad more soy sauce. I didn’t make the ‘gravy’, and the skin (crust) was not crispy at all. In all fairness I think it’s because my oven isn’t the greatest, and also because I had to adjust the time and temperature to cater to a chicken rather than a big turkey. I’ll give it another shot, but I’m glad I tried this out before Turkey Day! *UPDATE* I changed this from 3 stars down to 2, because the leftovers (which were a lot) were terrible. Something happened in the fridge over night, and the spices completely changed their flavor. The cumin was still way too overpowering, and the others turned grainy and very off-tasting. Most of Chef John’s recipes are a hit, but this one was definitely a miss.
Lots of flavor. I really enjoyed this, not the usual boring turkey I am use to. I will make this again. I had to substitute in the creme fraiche, i couldn’t find any. 1 c. of heavy cream, 1/2 c. Sour mix together and allow to set over night. I also used diced green chilies instead of the jalapeños I have people in my house that does not jay spice. They did like this recipe.
This is one of the most amazing turkey recipes I’ve ever tried. This Thanksgiving will be the 4th time I’m making this. It’s become a family tradition. Unique flavors, super juicy and that gravy is to die for.