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Pavochon Puerto Rican Style Turkey

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
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Prep Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Cook Time 3 hours 30 minutes
Marinating Time 2 days
Total Time 2 days 4 hours 45 minutes
Servings 10 people

Equipment

  • 1 Bandeja para asar
  • turkey baster
  • kitchen twine

Ingredients
  

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

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 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!

Notes

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
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 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.