Pomegranate Molasses-Glazed Turkey

If you're like most people, you've probably made the same turkey every Thanksgiving, year after year. Why not jazz up the flavor this time with a little pomegranate molasses? This Middle Eastern syrup is sweet but also deeply flavored with a little sourness. Think of it as a puckered-up version of balsamic vinegar. They're both irresistible. You can make your own pomegranate molasses (our recipe comes courtesy of Allrecipes reader, Flying Chef) or buy a bottle. Mix it with some sharp horseradish and mustard, as well as some chopped fresh sage for a familiar Thanksgiving flavor and you have a juicy, delicious turkey. Everyone will want seconds of this one.

• Preparation Time: 15 mins
• Cooking Time: 3 hr
• Total Time: 3 hr 15 mins
• Calories: 472 Calories

Ingredients

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup lemon juice
• 1 (12 pound) whole turkey, neck and giblets removed
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 4 cups pomegranate juice
• ¼ cup prepared horseradish
• kosher salt and ground black pepper to taste

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).

Step 2

Heat pomegranate juice, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring continuously, until sugar is dissolved, 3 to 5 minutes. Bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until reduced down to 1 1/2 cups, about 1 hour. Remove from heat. Let pomegranate molasses cool to room temperature, at least 20 minutes.

Step 3

Whisk the pomegranate molasses, horseradish, mustard, and sage together in a bowl to make the glaze.

Step 4

Remove any giblets or gizzards from the turkey and place the turkey in a roasting pan. Brush with olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven, basting with the juices from the bottom of the pan every 15 minutes, for 2 hours. When an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, reads 175 degrees F (79 degrees C), brush turkey with 1 cup glaze. Continue roasting until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes more.

Step 6

Remove turkey from the oven and brush with the remaining glaze. Cover with a loose tent of aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving up that turkey.