If you want to make your turkey super flavorful, make Pavochon, the Puerto Rican Turkey. Not only will it be juicy, but it will also be super delicious.
If you’re wondering what pavochon is? A pavochocho is a turkey made with the exact same seasoning combination as the Puerto Rican roasted pork.
The seasonings used are the typical adobo for flavor, sazon that adds color, salt, thyme, and oregano. But for the turkey, we add butter to add moisture.
This is the way Puerto Ricans do their turkey for Thanksgiving Day or any festivity. Always with the traditional rice and pigeon peas or my own favorite, arroz con gandules and coconut milk.
You can also make a quick mashed potato with this easy gravy recipe.
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Why This Recipe Works
- You will have a good turkey that is full of flavor.
- It is made with the same base ingredients used in Puerto Rican food, which you can find at almost any supermarket.
- A great recipe not only for the holidays but to make for any weeknight dinner and save the leftovers for meal prepping.
Recipe Ingredients
- Turkey- I made a 12-pound turkey. If your turkey is bigger, you have to make sure to adjust the cooking time and seasonings.
- Butter- The butter is used to help the turkey stay moist. In this case, the butter will work better than using oil for the seasoning mix.
- Seasonings- We used the same pernil seasonings. We used salt, adobo, sazon, thyme, and oregano.
- Garlic- Whenever possible, I always use a fresh garlic paste. Some people like the garlic in a jar, but for me, it has an off taste. But is that all you have, you use it.
How to Make A Pavochon
- Photo 1: First, clean and dry the turkey. Drying the turkey skin is going to help spread the butter easily.
- Photo 2: Lift the skin of the turkey so we can add seasonings under it. Don’t rush it, you don’t want to break the skin.
- Photo 3: Mix the butter with the garlic and all the seasonings until you have a creamy, smooth paste.
- Photo 4: Add a couple of tablespoons of the butter under the skin of the turkey. Spread the rest all around the outside of the bird.
- Photo 5: Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Place the turkey breast down on a roasting pan with a rack. This will cook for 1 hour. The rack lines will mark the turkey, so to avoid this, put a double piece of foil between the bird and the rack.
- Photo 6: Lower your temperature to 350 degrees F, flip the bird, and finish cooking for 2 hours. Let the turkey rest for 20 minutes. Carve and serve.
Recipe Tips
- Seasoning. You can use this seasoning not only for turkey but also for roasted chicken. It will be delicious.
- Leftovers. You can freeze your leftovers and then use them to make a turkey sandwich, make a turkey burrito, or just add some on top of a baked potato.
More Recipes To Serve With Your Turkey
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Puerto Rican Turkey (Pavochon)
If you want to make your turkey super flavorful, make it in a Pavochon style. You'll have a very juicy turkey that will be delicious.
Ingredients
Instructions
- First step is to make sure to thaw your turkey before prepping. Preheat oven to 425℉.
- Remove the turkey from its packaging. Make sure to do this in a sink or a tray because it will have some liquid. Remove the plastic piece holding the turkey's legs, neck, and giblets from the inside of the bird.
- Pat the turkey dry with paper towels until it is completely dry (this is necessary for the seasoning to stick better).
- In a small bowl, make the seasoned butter. Add the butter, salt, adobo, sazon, thyme, oregano, and garlic paste. Mix until everything is combined well.
- With the aid of a spoon or your fingers, gently lift the skin of the breast area of the turkey. With a spoon, add about 2 tablespoons of the butter seasoning per turkey breast. Then gently press on top of the skin of the bird to spread all the butter that is under the skin. Spread the rest of the butter all over the bird.
- Set the turkey on a roasting pan with a rack, breast side down. Cover the pan with a lid or foil. Place the turkey in the middle rack of the oven. Roast at 425℉ for 1 hour (more or less depending on weight, see notes).
- After the first hour has passed, lower your oven temperature to 350℉. Remove the turkey from the oven. Remove the foil and carefully flip the turkey over. It should be breast up.
- Place the turkey back in the oven and finish cooking for 2 hours.
- Rest the turkey for 20 minutes covered with foil. Carve the bird and save or serve. Buen provecho!
Recipe Notes
- Thawing turkey. You should thaw the turkey at least 48 hours in the fridge before cooking. Make sure to place the turkey at room temperature at least 1 hour before cooking.
- Marinate. You can season the turkey before time, but there is no need to marinate before cooking unless you are brining.
- Cooking time per pound. I like to cook the turkey for 15 minutes per pound. The internal temperature has to reach at least 165℉.
- Serving. Great sides for pavochon are arroz con gandules and guineitos en escabeche.
Nutrition
Calories: 742kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 105g | Fat: 33g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 363mg | Sodium: 2048mg | Potassium: 1099mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 0.4g | Vitamin A: 459IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4mg
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