Cranberry BBQ Glazed Whole Turkey

Is there anything that says holiday like cranberry sauce? It can be easily found in stores and on most Thanksgiving tables year after year. Let’s put a new twist on classic cranberry flavor with a homemade Cranberry BBQ sauce glazed whole turkey! This turkey is sweet, tangy, and loaded with delicious BBQ flavor. It compliments the roasted turkey and is a unique holiday recipe that is family friendly.

10-13 Servings
25 mins Prep Time
4 hrs Total Time

Ingredients

Whole Turkey

1 Fresh or Frozen Whole Turkey, thawed
1 tbsp. salt
½ tbsp. black pepper
¼ cup butter, melted

Cranberry BBQ Sauce

8 oz. of whole berry cranberry sauce
½ cup pomegranate juice
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
½ yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly minced
½ cup ketchup
1 ½ tbsp. tomato paste
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 ½ tbsp. worcestershire sauce
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. pepper

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Remove the neck and giblets package from inside the turkey cavity. Unwrap the whole turkey in the sink and pat dry with paper towels.
Step 2

Coat the outside of the turkey with melted butter and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon salt and ½ tablespoon pepper, and place on a rack in a large roasting pan and roast for 1 hour.
Step 3

Begin the Cranberry BBQ Sauce by sautéing the onion and garlic in a saucepan.
Step 4

Add in the cranberry sauce, ketchup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, worcestershire sauce, chili powder, salt and pepper.
Step 5

Bring sauce to a simmer and let cook for 20 minutes until it reduces and becomes thick and dark red. Optional: blend with an immersion blender to create a smooth sauce.
Step 6

After 1 hour of roasting the turkey, begin brushing with the BBQ glaze. If the turkey begins to get too dark during the cooking process, cover loosely with foil.
Step 7

Cook for another 1 hour, baste again with the BBQ sauce and check the temperature.
Step 8

Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the breast reaches 170°F as read by a meat thermometer.
Step 9

Transfer the finished turkey to a platter, tent with foil and let rest for 30 minutes before slicing.