Turkey Recipes: 15 New Ways To Do Thanksgiving

Whether you're cooking for a huge crowd of extended family members on a holiday or whipping up a weeknight dinner for four, turkey will serve you well. Like chicken, it gets along beautifully with a variety of flavors.

The top two ways to make your turkey special? Give it a flavorful glaze and fill it with an amazing stuffing. From Pomegranate Rosemary Roasted Turkey to Turkey with Orange-Thyme Butter and Fennel and Bacon Stuffing, we have 15 clever new recipes to inspire you this season.

Looking for more Thanksgiving tips, tricks and recipes? Check out our Thanksgiving Guide.

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Comments

[lizsandyotto]

12:07 AM on 11/24/2011

Happy Thanksgiving to the American posters from your Canadian neighbours!

[AngryHarpy]

03:11 AM on 11/23/2011

This recipe is amazing.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rosemary-roasted-turkey-2/detail.aspx

[LangstonA]

12:38 AM on 11/23/2011

I went to a cooking demonstration on 11/20/2011 at Gatsby Bookstore in Long Beach, CA. The demo was called "Cooking Thanksgiving With Trader Joe's". The bookstore was promoting a recipe book series by Brown Bag Publishing where all the cookbooks have ingredients found at Trader Joe's. The cooking demonstration included making a DELICIOUS fig and apple juice reduction that is basted over the turkey in the last hour that it is cooking. I made turkey breasts in the crock pot and used the recipe and it was YUMMY.

For a list of the Trader Joe's cookbooks visit this link: http://bitly.com/t47MRY
For a download of sample recipes from these books visit this link: http://bitly.com/rOWkb7
To see videos of the cooking demonstration on Youtube please visit: http://bitly.com/tkhAKi

[Flaming Moderate Wacko]

11:01 PM on 11/22/2011

Looked through a lot of turkey recipes. Didn't find one that told how how to slap a pound of butter on a republican's butt and roast for a month until done.
Guess I'll keep looking.

[akinca]

05:22 PM on 11/21/2011

I only have one oven, so I cook our turkey on our gas grill. I buy a disposable roasting pan and put the turkey in it with garlic butter and herbs rubbed all over it and garlic, lemon, and onion in the cavity. Put it on medium high on the grill with about an inch of water in the bottom of the pan. Baste often. Follow directions for how long to cook it. So yummy! :)

[James Leo]

08:59 PM on 11/21/2011

I roast mine over charcoal on a rotisseie. I place a drip pan directly underneath the bird and bank the charcoal on the left and right sides (Indirect cooking) Brush the turkey with olive oil (ot extra virgin it will burn) rub the outside with coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.Place fresh herbs (Sage,thyme, rosemary and garlic) and baste ocassionally your choice of liquids. Takes about four hours for a 15 lb Turkey. If you desire more "smokey" flavor, you can put some hickory or meskite or apple chips soaked in water.

[Brenbooks]

04:29 PM on 11/21/2011

I cook our turkey "upside down" so all the juices drain into the breast and then uproght it for the final hour--It may not look perfect but it sure does taste fabulous!

And what's with all the rosemary? Some of us are deathly allergic to it!

[jeb50]

04:09 PM on 11/21/2011

The first thing I do with any bird is pull out that idiotic plastic 'timer'. My mother has dried out many turkeys waiting for that stupid thing to pop up.

[MichaelAKD]

02:30 PM on 11/21/2011

most important, sufficient time to completely thaw out, put in the refrigerator NOW. the morning of t-day pull the bird out and start prep. melt two sticks of butter, mix a tablespoon kosher salt, pepper and an 1/8 cup lemon juice(you may have to zap it again as the juice cools the butter some.) then pretend your turkey is getting botox treatment, inject the mix under the skin evenly all over the bird. sometimes the butter lemon mix will clog the syringe but just pour what remains back in the original container, a quick rinse of the syringe under hot water and start up again. after doing all that the best insurance for a perfect turkey, an oven bag. get it out, put a tbsp of flour and shake. go back to your turkey, melt another stick of butter, mix 1 tbsp corn syrup, coat the outside w/butter mixture, sprinkle w/kosher salt(taste better) and black pepper. then get help, easiest is to put your arm inside the turkey while someone else holds the bag open so you can slide it in. tie the bag, put it in the oven and follow the instructions for temp/temp on the oven bag packaging based on weight. even if you over cook your turkey this way you need not worry about it being dried out. there ya go, no matter how hard you try it is almost impossible to mess it up going this route. Happy T-Day!!

[halfpricefaustian]

01:11 PM on 11/21/2011

This year I'm going to brine my turkey and then rotisserie roast and baste with butter.

[SMBrown2]

12:44 PM on 11/21/2011

Now I'm hungry again.

[mass maritimer]

11:56 AM on 11/21/2011

I'm a deep fried fan mostly because the men take care of everything outside while I do the fixings.....having the help is fantastic.....

[MichaelAKD]

02:37 PM on 11/21/2011

funny how it works out that way for us as well.

[blacksmithn]

11:41 AM on 11/21/2011

I have had excellent results by slipping herbed butter, frozen broth cubes, or even just plain ice cubes and herbs, in between the skin and the breast. Put some vegetables and aromatics (celery, onion, garlic, lemon, orange, some wine, rosemary stems, any other spice or herb that sounds good) inside the bird. Discard all that once the bird's done. I also like to rub the skin with olive oil and season the outside as well. Cover and roast. Uncover for the last 15-20 minutes to brown the skin.

[imonlyhereforthelaughs]

11:15 AM on 11/21/2011

WHat's with all of the citris-based recipes?

[MichaelAKD]

02:34 PM on 11/21/2011

the citrus or lemon is acidic and helps bring out the flavor more but you really don't taste the lemon so much when all is said and done. it works really well which is why so many recipes make use of it. but to each their own taste is totally up to the individual, well and your family.

[yappnmutt]

11:11 AM on 11/21/2011

the two best turkeys i have ever cooked were a deep fried turkey because it held all the moisture in the breasts and a slow smoked turkey with a well seasoned stuffing. the deeep fried bird is too dangerous and messy(splattering oil) to do again.

i don't have a large enough smokjer anymore so i slow cook the bird in the oven with a tight seal and broil the skin for ten minutes to brown it when i am done. the one problem i have encountered is that some guests aren't sure the meat is cooked because the breasts come out pinkiish and very moist and they believe the hype about festering bacteria in stuffing..

[Jeronimo Dan]

07:10 PM on 11/21/2011

Butterball has came out with a electric deep turkey fryer and it is built to be used inside the home, with no danger of fire and uses 1/3 less oil. Wal-Mart $112.00, not bad. Will hold a 14 lb. turkey. I watched it demonstrated on TV yesterday and bought one today!!!

[livingdangerously]

11:10 AM on 11/21/2011

Smoke it in an outdoor smoker. My husband does no matter what the weather!