Taste of Olney

This savory bird has become a Stewart family tradition, thanks to an Epicurious recipe discovered and perfected by Danny’s nephew Will Stewart. This bird takes a couple of days of preparation on the front end thanks to the brining, chile rub and spatchcocking [removing the backbone] but compensates on the back end with its rich, complex flavor and by roasting a little quicker than a traditional turkey.

Danny used the chile-infused drippings from the roasting pan with a squeeze of lime as a light gravy. He served the turkey with oven-baked stuffing and a simple citrus-tanged cranberry sauce that provided a palate- cleansing piquancy.

The recipes make 8-10 servings and all ingredients are available at Stewart’s Food Store.

“There are three kinds of dried chiles which you rehydrate … and it’s brined overnight. The brine also has chiles and sugar and salt, then it’s rubbed and sets for eight hours after it’s been rubbed. Will spatchcocked it. You don’t have to,” Danny said. “But Will did it the first time he brought it over and we’ve done it that way every time.”

Ingredients:

Chile Paste: 10 guajillo chiles 6 dried ancho chiles 8 dried chiles de arbol 2 tbsp cumin seeds 1 small onion, chopped 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled, crushed Brine and turkey: 6 (12-oz) cans pale lager (such as Tecate or Budweiser) ½ cup (packed) light brown sugar 2 tbsp dried Mexican oregano, divided 1 cup plus 2-½ tsp kosher salt 1 (12-14 lb) turkey, giblets, and neck removed 1 large onion, quartered 1 head of garlic, halved 2 cups (or more) chicken broth ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted ½ cup fresh lime juice Orange for stuffing turkey Lime wedges, fresh chile, herbs for garnish (optional) Kitchen twine Kitchen shears or paring knife for spatchcocking Foil

Preparation:

To Spatchcock a turkey: Flip a thawed turkey breast-side down and turn the neck side toward you. Using a pair of kitchen shears, cut down the back of the turkey starting at the neck. Follow the spine down to the tail, cutting through each bone. Do the same on the other side of the spine. Remove the backbone and flip the turkey over, breast-side up. Place both hands on the center of the turkey breast and press down firmly to break the breast bone. One broken, tuck the wings back below the bird.

For chile paste: Step 1: Using kitchen shears, cut open guajillo and ancho chiles along one side; place seeds in large bowl. Set aside. Open chiles and place flat in a large dry skillet over medium heat. Cook, turning once, until lightly puffed and toasted, about 4 minutes. Add chiles de arbol and cumin seeds; toast until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to bowl with chile seeds. Add 4 cups boiling water. Let soak until softened, about 10 minutes.

Step 2: Puree chile mixture with soaking liquid, onion, and garlic in a blender.

For brine and turkey: Step 3: Combine beer, brown sugar, 1 bunch oregano, 1 cup salt, 3 cups chile paste, and 8 cups water in a very large stock pot. Add turkey, cover, and chill at least 12 hours and up to 14 hours.

Step 4: Remove turkey from brine, pat dry. Place breast-side-up on a rack set in a large roasting pan. Mix remaining 2-½ teaspoons salt into remaining 1-½ cuts chile paste. Working from neck end of turkey, gently loosen skin from the breast and rub under skin and all over outside of bird. Chill turkey at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours.

Step 5: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Stuff turkey with onion, garlic, orange and remaining oregano. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Add broth and 2 cups water to pan and roast turkey 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F and roast, basting every 30-40 minutes with melted butter, adding more broth or water as needed to maintain some liquid in pan, and tenting with foil if turkey browns too quickly, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 165 degrees F (90 minutes if spatchcocked, 2-1/2-3 hours if not).

Step 6: Transfer turkey to a platter. Tent with foil. Let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

Step 7: Meanwhile, strain pan drippings into a measuring cup. Let sit 30 minutes, then skim fat from surface. Bring to a boil in a medium saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced to 1 cup. Stir in lime juice.

Step 8: Garnish turkey as desired, and serve pan sauce alongside.