Watch the YouTube videos!

Roasted Whole Meats

Starting with Chicken and Quail:

They are both light meats that need to be marinated and then foil wrapped to bake. 

Chicken done in 30-45 min

Quail done in 20-30 min

(under 10 lbs)

Marinades: Cranberry or orange sauces give a sweet and sour tang. Another simple option is italian dressing. The dressing keeps the meat tender and adds all the classic herbs for marination. The marinades' recipe links can be found in previous posts.

Foil wrapping the poultry, or the bake dish entirely, keeps in the moisture that poultry tends to lose while cooking. The meat will cook in its own juices and the marinade that was applied.

Turkey:

Turkey, is too large to foil wrap as it would take forever to cook all the way through. Instead, use a great marinade and baste the exposed meat regularly. Tip: Cut slits just under the skin and shove 

herbs inside. Rosemary, basil, garlic and onion slices are best. 

Stuff the turkey cavity from the rear. Store bought turkeys will come cleaned out and may have the neck, heart, liver and gizzard. Keep these for cooking the gravy later. Stuffing recipe is a previous post.

The turkey is done when the inside meat is over 180F and the skin is golden to amber brown.

Up to 10 lb, usually 2-3 hours at 300F

10-15 lbs, usually 3-4 hours at 300F

15+ lbs, usually 4-6 hours at 325F

Duck:

Duck is in it's own category, although it is cooked similar to a whole chicken, because of it's fatty nature. Duck needs to be marinated (both fruit and savory flavors work well) and then cooked 

on a rack to allow the fat to run off.

Duck is a tricky meat because it can dry out and get tough if not monitored. Our recommendation? Cook on a rack in a baking dish with foil covering just the top. This will keep the juices in, but 

allow the extra fat to run into the dish.

Duck done in 40-50 min.  

Pork and whole hams:

Pork is best done in an oven or slow cooker. Since it is technically a light meat, but definitely not poultry, sugary marinades are best (i.e. honey ham, pineapple ham, pralined ham)

Rub the ham down with your chosen marinade and then set to cook in a bake dish or slow cooker. 1/3 of the way through the cook time, turn the ham over so that both sides are tender and juicy. Leave the ham on the same side for the remainder of the cook time to get a nice crispy crust on top.

Our favorite ham recipe is coke and mustard marinade cooked in a slow cooker for at least 45 min, best when left in for hours. Rub the ham with the mustard, place in the slow cooker and pour coke over the top. Simple. Full recipe can be found in a previous post.

Pork is generally done when the interior temperature reaches 180F. Additionally, a ham should be cooked until the top "crust" gets nice and crispy.

Whole hams done in 2-2.5 hours (10lb)

Coke and Mustard Marinade

Watch the YouTube video!

Coke and Mustard Marinade

Very Easy Recipe

Prep Time: none

Cook Time: 45 min - several hours

This recipe is very delicious when used on a ham in a slow cooker or crock-pot, but has been successfully used on poultry and beef as well.

Ingredients:

1-3 Tbl Mustard 

2-3 cans of Coke

Seriously, that's all!

Step 1:

Slather your selected cut of meat with mustard. Any mustard you like can be used. For example, instead of yellow mustard, cajun spicy mustard or dijon mustard can be employed. Most hams and beef roasts take 1-2 Tbl of mustard to cover, but a whole turkey can take up to 5 Tbl.

Step 2:

Pour in the first can of coke and set the meat to cook on high heat for several hours. The sugar in 

the coke will balance out the mustard flavor nicely, the acid content helps to tenderize the meat.

Check the meat repeatedly to make sure that the liquid still covers 3/4 of the meat. When the liquid level drops, pour in another coke. 

The meat is done when it starts to fall apart. 

Don't be alarmed by the dark color of the outside, the coke has changed its color. When you pull the meat apart the inside will be a beautiful pink. 

Just wait until you taste it!

If you are doing a turkey, or other meat cut that doesn't fit into a slow cooker you can use the oven and foil method. 

Smother with mustard, set in the baking tray, pour the coke in and cover with foil. Repeatedly baste 

with the coke mixture in the bottom of the pan. Only 1 can of coke is needed for this method.

Sweet Orange and Spicy Cranberry Marinades

Watch the YouTube video!

https://youtu.be/UUBgWc8d62Q

Sweet Orange and Spicy Cranberry Marinades

for Poultry or Pork

Easy

Prep Time: 5 min.

Cook Time: 20 min.

Cranberry Marinade Ingredients:

1/2 lb fresh Cranberries

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Molasses

2 Tbl butter

1 tsp each Cinnamon, Salt, Vanilla Extract

1/2 tsp each Nutmeg, Cayenne Pepper

Orange Marinade Ingredients:

4 fresh Oranges, peeled and sectioned

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup Orange Marmelade

3 Tbl Butter

1 tsp each Vanilla extract, Salt

1/4 tsp ground Cardamon

Kitchen Prep is quick and easy with these recipes:

Simply measure out your ingredients and get the stove top ready to cook with sauce pans.

The oranges need to be peeled and the cranberries inspected for stems, etc.

Spicy Cranberry Marinade, Step 1:

Cook the cranberries down in a sauce pan on medium heat in the butter, about 10 minutes. Don't allow them to burn. 

When the cranberries are soft, smash them up a bit with a fork and turn the stove down to low 

heat.

Step 2:

Add in the other ingredients, sugar, molasses and spices, stirring constantly. Once the sugar has dissolved completely your marinade is ready to be used or cooled for later. 

Note: The sugar in the ingredients will burn on the stove very quickly if left unattended. Keep your eyes on the marinade.

Sweet Orange Marinade:

Same as the cranberries, cook the orange slices on medium heat in the butter until soft. Mash them up with a fork. 

Turn the heat down and add in the other ingredients, stirring constantly to keep from burning. 

Once the sugar has dissolved the marinade is done. 

Marinating:

Once you have your marinades cooked, you can apply them to your meat. Cut slices into the top side so that the marinade can sink into the meat and under the skin. 

Cover the rest liberally with the marinade. 

Because of the high sugar content of the marinades it is necessary to cover the meat in foil to cook. Take out 3-4 times during the cooking process and baste the meat in the juices at the bottom of the foil.

Open the foil for the last 15 minutes of baking to get a nice crispy skin on top.

The Cranberry Marinade has a nice sweet and sour kick to it which is great for poultry.

The Orange Marinade is tangy and smooth; also good for poultry, but also pork.