Paleo Basics: Sonoran Roast Turkey

I don't understand why people only cook turkeys once a year.  You know the Butterball turkey hotline gets 100,000 phone calls during the holiday season?  It wouldn't be so scary if you did it more often.  My friend Shannon and I cooked 3 turkeys this year for thanksgiving!  Three!  We made one traditional roast turkey, the other two went on the rotisserie.  Man, if you have a rotisserie, use it!  Those turkeys came out amazing, nobody even touched the roast turkey, which was good because it gave us leftovers for the rest of the weekend.  Which brings to me the reason I made this turkey, leftovers (and it was on sale!).   Cooking one 14 pound turkey means we have meat for more than a few meals.  This one was inspired by a chicken thigh I had from the deli at Jimbo's.  Jimbo's is a really, really nice organic food store here in San Diego.  Unfortunately their grocery prices are not budget friendly, but the deli has some great options that fit within my dietary restrictions, so it's good when I'm on the go.  They called it Sonoran chicken, I call it delish!
This turkey was only $28.89 for 14.25 lbs.

Sonoran Roast Turkey
(Print Recipe)
1 Turkey, washed and dried
2 Tbls coconut oil, melted
3 Lemons, quartered
1 tsp each of:
Chili powder
Cumin
Paprika
Granulated garlic
Oregano
Salt
Black pepper

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together oil and all your spices, set aside.  Season the cavity of the turkey with salt and pepper, then place in your roasting pan breast side up, stuff both cavities with lemon slices.  Tuck the wings under the bird so they don't stick out and get burned, and truss up the legs.  This helps keep the legs from burning, so everything cooks evenly.  I have re-usable cooking bands that make this a cinch.  Kitchen must.  Then just take your spice mixture and go nuts, cover the whole turkey with it.

Place your turkey in the oven at 350.  Cooking times vary depending on the size of your bird.  I use the cooking chart from Allrecipes.  I cooked my turkey for 3 hours, 15 minutes, (tenting with foil for the middle 2 hours) or until the internal temperature reaches 165-170 degrees to allow for 10 degrees carry-over to 180.  Pull from the oven, let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

What did I serve with it, you ask?  Citrus Cranberry Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potato Souffle.
Those recipes are coming up!

We had Thanksgiving on a Sunday!