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Pavochón is a Puerto Rican style turkey that is seasoned like lechon (roasted pork or pernil). Pavochón is the star of the Thanksgiving dinner table and a favorite at every holiday celebration. Once you try this recipe, you’ll never eat turkey any other way!

This is actually my sister’s recipe. She makes Pavochón every thanksgiving and it’s the BEST! She has tips and tricks that are quite unique. For example, she washes the turkey in coffee which helps remove the gamey taste from the turkey. Also, she stuffs the turkey with apples and carrots and adds both white wine and apple juice to the marinade. Total game changer!

The recipe calls for equal ratio of white wine to apple juice. I find this adds a bit of sweetness to the gravy, but not the actual turkey meat. It’s very subtle and absolutely delicious! If you prefer less sweetness, you can add more white wine and less apple juice or omit the apple juice all together. But give it a try, I think you’ll enjoy it!

Apple & Eve apple juice — Apple juice adds a subtle sweetness!

What is pavochón?

Pavochón is a mash-up of two Spanish words: pavo (turkey) and lechón (roasted pig). Pavochón is turkey that is seasoned like lechón. Lechón or pernil is a staple in Puerto Rican cuisine. It is seasoned with lots of fresh garlic and oregano and roasted in the oven or can also be cooked over an open fire.

Pavochon Puerto Rican Style Turkey — Puerto Rican Lechon Style Turkey

Although Thanksgiving is not a holiday typically celebrated in Puerto Rico, it is becoming more popular these days. As a result, Pavochon is becoming the star of the Puerto Rican dinner table for Thanksgiving. Because lechón is a staple dish in Puerto Rico, turkey is seasoned and cooked in pretty much the same way.

How to make pavochón?

Pavochón is juicy, tender and FLAVORFUL! It is seasoned with generous amounts of fresh garlic and oregano. Adobo, sazón, and sofrito also infuse the turkey with tons of flavor. I love to use Healthy Rican Adobo and Sazón. They are free of harmful ingredients like MSG and dyes. Use my code: madewithsazon for 10% off your order! Alternatively, you could make your own adobo and sazón at home. I have a recipe for both and they are so easy to make with spices you probably already have in your pantry!

I also keep stash of homemade annatto oil and sofrito at all times! Homemade sofrito is a must in Puerto Rican cuisine. Store-bought sofrito could never compare. Check out my sofrito recipe and take your cooking to the next level! See the ingredient list below for a better idea of how to make pavochon.

Ingredients for pavochon:

Annatto oil
White vinegar
Sofrito
Garlic
Chicken bouillon paste
Adobo
Sazón
Ground oregano
Onion powder

How to thaw a turkey?

First things first, you must defrost the turkey properly before the seasoning process begins. Give yourself at least 4 days to thaw and prepare the turkey. Place your frozen turkey in the refrigerator 4 days before cooking day. Once the turkey has been in the refrigerator 24 hours, place the turkey in a large bowl filled with cold water. Allow turkey to thaw 1-2 hours in the cold water. Discard the water and place the turkey back in the refrigerator.

On the next day, remove the turkey from the wrapper. Rinse the turkey thoroughly with cold water, both inside and out. Remove the giblets and neck. You can save the neck for making broth for arroz con gandules and also stuffing. Wash the turkey with cooled coffee. This helps remove some of the gamey taste of the turkey. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pour white vinegar or lemon juice all over. Allow the turkey to rest about 10 minutes before giving it a final rinse with cold water.

How to season a pavochon?

Now the seasoning can begin! Mash the garlic cloves in a pilón (mortar and pestle). Add the crushed garlic to a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for the marinade. Pour this marinade all over the turkey and give it a good massage. Rub it on top, all over the wings and drumsticks and the inside. Flip it and repeat the process.

Flour an oven bag by adding one tablespoon of flour inside of the bag and shaking it up. This will prevent the skin from sticking and will also help brown the turkey. Place the turkey in the bag and pour the marinade over top. Add white wine and apple juice to the bag as well. Tie the bag with a zip tie and place the turkey in the refrigerator. Allow to marinate overnight or up to 2 days.

How to cook a Puerto Rican turkey?

Prepare the turkey

On cooking day, take the turkey out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for at least 1 hour. Allowing the turkey to come to room temperature ensures the turkey will begin to cook as soon as you put it in the oven.

In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cut up the apples and carrots and set aside. Stuff the turkey with the apples and carrots. This helps the turkey become fragrant while it cooks. After the turkey is fully cooked, I remove the apples and carrots and stuff the turkey with stuffing. I used cornbread stuffing in the photos shown.

Cook the turkey

Sprinkle adobo generously all over the outside of turkey. Tie the oven bag with a zip tie and place the turkey in the oven, breast side down if you prefer moist breasts. If you prefer crispy skin on top, cook breast side up.

Cook the turkey according to its size. Rule of thumb: cook 15 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer reads 170 degrees F in the breast and 180 degrees F in the thigh. About 30 minutes before the turkey is fully cooked, open the bag to allow the skin to brown and crisp. Continue cooking until perfectly golden brown.

If you don’t want to use an oven bag, you can cover the roasting pan tightly with aluminum foil. This will ensure the turkey cooks while steaming in its juices. About 30 minutes before the turkey is fully cooked, uncover it to allow the skin to brown and crisp.

Stuff the turkey

Puerto Ricans sometimes stuff turkey with mofongo (fried plantains mashed with butter and garlic) and cover the turkey with plantain leaves, which I think is GENIUS! I love the taste of plantain leaves (think pasteles, yum!) so I am sure this is a great idea. I will try this next year and I will report my findings, haha!

What to serve with pavochón?

Side dishes are just as important as the main dish for the holidays! In Puerto Rico, pavo is served with arroz con gandules (yellow rice with pigeon peas), ensalada de papa (potato salad), pastelón (plantain lasagna), pasteles, tostones (fried plantains), maduros (fried sweet plantains), alcapurrias, the options are endless!

What to do with leftover turkey?

When I have leftover turkey, one of my favorite things to make with it is soup! If you have ramen soup packets, cook them according to package instructions and set aside. In a large pot, sauté onions and carrots. Add some turkey wings or drumsticks and add just enough water to cover. Add the ramen soup to the pot, bring to a boil and cover. Continue to cook on low heat about 15 minutes to allow the turkey to infuse the soup with flavor. This will be the BEST bowl of ramen you have ever had!

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Pavochón Puerto Rican Style Turkey

Pavochón is a Puerto Rican style turkey that is seasoned like lechón (roasted pork or pernil). Pavochón is the star of the Thanksgiving dinner table and a favorite at every holiday celebration. Once you try this recipe, you’ll never eat turkey any other way!

5 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 1 15

Cook Time 3 30

Marinating Time 2

Total Time 2 4 45

Servings 10 people

Ingredients

Turkey

11-15 lb turkey thawed
12 oz coffee cooled
1 cup white vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 cup white wine drinking wine, not cooking wine
1/2 cup apple juice
3 apples cut into chunks
4 carrots sliced
2 tsp adobo Healthy Rican

Marinade

1/2 cup annatto oil see notes
1/2 cup white vinegar
1/4 cup sofrito
14-20 cloves garlic crushed
2 tbsp chicken bouillon paste Better than bouillon
2 tbsp adobo Healthy Rican
2 tbsp sazón Healthy Rican
2 tbsp ground oregano
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tsp salt or to taste
1 tsp black pepper

Instructions

Thaw the turkey

Place your frozen turkey in the refrigerator 4 days before cooking day.
Once the turkey has been in the refrigerator 24 hours, place the turkey in a large bowl filled with cold water. Allow turkey to thaw 1-2 hours in the cold water. Discard the water and place the turkey back in the refrigerator.

Clean the turkey

On the next day, remove the turkey from the wrapper. Rinse the turkey thoroughly with cold water, inside and out.
Remove the giblets and neck. You can save the neck for making broth or discard.
Wash the turkey with cooled coffee. This helps remove some of the gamey taste of the turkey.
Rinse the turkey with cold water and pour the vinegar or lemon juice all over. Allow the turkey to rest about 10 minutes before giving it a final rinse with cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and set aside.

Season the turkey

Mash the garlic cloves in a pilón (mortar and pestle). Add the crushed garlic to a large bowl along with the rest of the ingredients for the marinade.
Pour this marinade all over the turkey and give it a good massage. Rub it on top, all over the wings and drumsticks and the inside. Flip it and repeat the process.
Flour an oven bag by adding one tablespoon of flour inside of the bag and shaking it up. This will prevent the skin from sticking and will also help brown the turkey.
Place the turkey in the bag and pour the marinade over top. Add the white wine and apple juice to the bag as well.
Tie the bag with a zip tie and place the turkey in the refrigerator. Allow to marinate overnight or up to 2 days.

Roast the turkey

On cooking day, take the turkey out of the refrigerator and let it sit on the counter for at least 1 hour.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Cut up the apples and carrots and set aside.
Stuff the turkey with the apples and carrots. Sprinkle 2 tsp of adobo all over the outside of turkey.
Tie the oven bag with a zip tie and place the turkey in the oven, breast side down if you prefer moist breasts. If you prefer crispy skin on top, cook breast side up.
Cook the turkey according to its size. Rule of thumb: cook 15 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer reads 170F in the breast and 180F in the thigh.
About 30 minutes before the turkey is fully cooked, open the bag to allow the skin to brown and crisp. Continue cooking until perfectly golden brown.
Once the turkey is out of the oven, allow it to rest 30 minutes before cutting into it.
Remove the apples and carrots from the turkey's cavity. The carrots are edible, the apples are not.
Stuff the turkey with traditional stuffing, mofongo or your stuffing of choice. Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

TIPS:

I like to wash the turkey with cooled coffee. This helps remove some of the gamey taste of the turkey. Pour the coffee all over and rub into the turkey well. Rinse thoroughly with cold water. Proceed to clean the turkey with white vinegar or lemon juice. Allow the turkey to rest about 10 minutes with the vinegar/lemon juice on before rinsing with cold water.

Cooking the turkey in an oven bag helps keep it moist. I use Reynolds oven bags. Flour an oven bag by adding one tablespoon of flour inside of the bag and shaking it up. This will prevent the skin from sticking and will also help brown the turkey.

Cook the turkey breast side down if you prefer moist breasts. If you prefer crispy skin on top, cook breast side up.

Once the turkey is cooked, use the turkey broth to make the most delicious gravy ever! Strain the broth into a saucepan over medium high heat. Add a cornstarch slurry to thicken it up. Stir until thickened and remove from heat.

Cornstarch slurry: 1 tbsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water.

Annatto Oil/Aceite de Achiote:

To make achiote oil, simply warm annatto seeds in your oil of choice. Allow the oil to warm over low heat for about 5 minutes. You could also add aromatics like garlic, cilantro, culantro and black peppercorns. Allow the oil to cool and strain into a glass bottle. Store at room temperature for up to 2 months. See the full recipe here.