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.

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 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, y sofrito also infuse the turkey with tons of flavor. Annatto oil adds a beautiful color. I love to make my own adobo y 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 y 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:

Olive oil
Annatto oil
White vinegar
Lemons or limes
Sofrito
Garlic
Chicken bouillon paste
Adobo
Sazón
Ground oregano
Cebolla en polvo
Garlic Powder
White wine
Broth
Orange juice

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. The key ingredients in the marinade are garlic (lots of garlic!) and oregano. I add about 16-20 cloves of garlic for a 12-15 pound turkey. Annatto oil also helps add a beautiful color to the turkey’s skin.

Place the turkey in a pan and pour the marinade all over the turkey and give it a good massage. Rub it on top, all over the wings and drumsticks and the inside. Also, lift the skin carefully and rub the marinade in between the skin and flesh. Be careful not to tear the skin. Flip it and repeat the process.

Cover the pan 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. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350℉. Stuff the turkey with aromatics like onions, garlic, carrots, celery, lemon and cilantro. You can also add other fresh herbs, if desired. Tie the legs together with twine to keep everything neatly in place. Drizzle the turkey with annatto oil and sprinkle adobo all over the outside of turkey. Add white wine, broth and orange juice to the pan. Cover the pan securely with foil.

Cook the turkey

Place the turkey in the oven, breast side up if you prefer crispy skin on top, cook breast side down if you prefer moist breasts. Cook the turkey according to its size. Rule of thumb: cook 15 minutes per pound, or until a meat thermometer reads 165F in the breast and 170F in the thigh.

Cooking time:

The following are estimates while cooking at 350 degrees F.

8-12 pound turkey: 2 1/2 – 3 hours
12-14 pound turkey: 3 – 3 1/2 hours
14-18 pound turkey: 3 1/2 – 4 1/2 hours

Stuff the turkey

After 2 hours, remove the turkey from the oven, uncover the pan and baste with its drippings. Remove the aromatics from inside the turkey and stuff the turkey with traditional or cornbread stuffing, mofongo, mashed yuca or your stuffing of choice. If you’re not stuffing the turkey, you can leave the aromatics in. Cover the pan and place the turkey back in the oven.

About 15-20 minutes before the turkey is fully cooked, baste the turkey again with its drippings, uncover the pan and allow the skin to brown and crisp. Continue cooking until perfectly golden brown. Keep an eye on the turkey so the skin doesn’t burn. If the turkey wings or breast are becoming too dark in the oven, cover them with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent burning. Once the turkey is out of the oven, allow it to rest 30 minutes before cutting into it. Remove the stuffing and place it in a serving platter.

How to make homemade gravy?

Pro Tip: Make a delicious gravy with the drippings in the pan. Strain the drippings and pour them into a saucepan over medium high heat. Add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp water) and stir until the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.

Serve the turkey with your favorite sides and enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!

Is it safe to eat stuffing from the turkey?

Stuffing the turkey while raw is not safe because it can cross contaminate the stuffing. When you stuff a raw turkey, it increases the cook time and it will result in extremely overcooked turkey breast before the stuffing reaches a safe temperature to eat.

After 2 hours, remove the turkey from the oven, uncover the pan and baste with its drippings. Remove the aromatics from inside the turkey and stuff the turkey with traditional or cornbread stuffing, mofongo, mashed yuca or your stuffing of choice. Cover the pan and place the turkey back in the oven. Eating stuffing from the turkey is safe when the stuffing is added during the last part of cooking because the turkey is almost completely cooked.

What to stuff a turkey with?

Puerto Ricans sometimes stuff turkey with mofongo (fried plantains mashed with butter, garlic and chicharrón) 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 soon and report my findings, haha!

Other delicious options include mashed yuca, sweet plantains, ground beef. You can also stuff a turkey with traditional bread stuffing or cornbread stuffing. Just make sure to stuff the turkey after about 2 hours of cooking to stay on the safe side.

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), ensalada de coditos (macaroni salad), pastelón (plantain lasagna), pasteles, tostones (fried plantains), maduros (fried sweet plantains), 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!

You can also make turkey sandwiches, paninis or wraps. Add stuffing and cranberry sauce for all of the thanksgiving flavors in every bite!

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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 11 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 1 15

Cook Time 3 30

Marinating Time 2

Total Time 2 4 45

Servings 10 people

Equipo

1 Bandeja para asar
turkey baster
kitchen twine

Ingredientes

Turkey

12-15 lb turkey thawed
12 oz coffee cooled
1 taza white vinegar or lemon juice
2 tbsp annatto oil
2 tsp adobo

Marinade

1/4 taza extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil
1/4 taza white vinegar
1/4 taza sofrito
2 heads garlic crushed
2 tbsp chicken bouillon paste Better than bouillon
2 tbsp adobo
2 tbsp sazón 3 packets
1 1/2 tbsp ground oregano
1/2 tbsp cebolla en polvo
1/2 tbsp ajo en polvo
1/2 tbsp sal or to taste
1 tsp pimienta negra

Aromatics stuffing

1 onion cut in quarters
6 enteros garlic clavos
2 carrots cut in half
2 ribs celery cut in half
1 lemon cut in quarters
10-15 sprigs cilantro

For the roasting pan

1/4 taza white wine drinking wine, not cooking wine
1/4 taza broth chicken or turkey
1/4 taza fresh-squeezed orange juice can sub with sour orange juice

Intrucciones

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 olive oil, vinegar, sofrito, chicken bouillon paste, adobo, sazon, oregano, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined.
Place the turkey in the pan, pour the marinade all over the turkey and give it a good massage. Rub it on top, all over the wings and drumsticks and the inside. Also, carefully lift the skin and rub the marinade underneath the skin for maximum flavor absorption. You can use the back of a spoon to carefully separate the skin from the flesh without tearing the skin. Flip it and repeat the process.
Cover the pan 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. Stuff the turkey with the aromatics: onion, garlic, carrots, celery, lemon. Allow the turkey to sit on the counter for at least 1 hour to come to room temperature.
In the meantime, preheat the oven to 350℉.
Drizzle the turkey with annatto oil and sprinkle 2 tsp of adobo all over the outside of turkey. Add the white wine, broth, and orange juice to the pan and cover it securely with foil.
Place the turkey in the oven, breast side up if you prefer crispy skin on top, cook breast side down if you prefer moist breasts.
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.
After 2 hours, remove the turkey from the oven, uncover the pan and baste with its drippings. Remove the aromatics from inside the turkey and stuff the turkey with traditional or cornbread stuffing, mofongo, mashed yuca or your stuffing of choice. If you are not stuffing the turkey, you can leave the aromatics in. Cover the pan and place the turkey back in the oven.
About 15-20 minutes before the turkey is fully cooked, baste the turkey again with its drippings, uncover the pan and allow the skin to brown and crisp. If the turkey wings or breast are becoming too dark in the oven, cover them with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil to prevent burning. Continue cooking until perfectly golden brown. Keep a close eye on the turkey so the skin doesn't burn.
Once the turkey is out of the oven, allow it to rest 30 minutes before cutting into it. Remove the stuffing and place it in a serving platter.
Pro Tip: Make a delicious gravy with the drippings in the pan. Strain the drippings and pour them into a saucepan over medium high heat. Add a cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp cornstarch, 2 tbsp water) and stir until the gravy has thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
Serve and enjoy! ¡Buen provecho!

Notas

TIPS:

Cleaning the turkey

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

Drizzle annatto oil over the turkey and sprinkle with adobo before cooking. Cook the turkey breast side down if you prefer moist breasts. If you prefer crispy skin on top, cook breast side up.

Stuffing the turkey

Eating stuffing from the turkey is safe when the stuffing is added during the last part of roasting because the turkey is almost completely cooked.

Make homemade gravy

Once the turkey is cooked, use the drippings to make the most delicious gravy ever! Strain the drippings 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.