Cranberry Pomegranate Glaze- for a Turkey, Chicken, or Ham

This year I got to have Thanksgiving twice.  We celebrated on Thanksgiving day with my grandparents, and then celebrated again with my dad's family the Saturday after.  Of course, because we have a big fat mixed family, by Saturday everyone had already celebrated their traditional Thanksgiving, including taking home leftovers.  Since I was in charge of the bird on Saturday, I decided to do a glazed turkey instead of a marinated one, like my family usually expects.

I always brine my turkey in salt water and white wine for a few days before cooking it.  Usually, when you buy a turkey from a grocery store (unless it's organic or all natural, and sometimes even then), the bird will be injected with saline to make the white meat more moist.  Brining is essentially the same thing, only a more natural process and an opportunity to add more flavor (like with wine, herbs, flavored salts, etc). If anyone is interested, I can post a recipe and directions for brining a turkey:-)

Normally a day before I cook the turkey, I marinate it with olive oil, green onion, garlic, parsley, thyme, lemon juice, and pepper.  This year, I did almost the same thing, but made it into more of a paste than a dressing.  I used fresh parsley, green onions, garlic, thyme, and some sage with the other ingredients, and when I was done blending it, it looked like pesto.  I rubbed the whole turkey with it, concentrating on the inside of the cavity and under the skin.

I put apple, celery, rosemary, sage, and lemon inside of the turkey and put it in the oven to roast as I normally do.  Every 30 minutes, I opened the oven and poured some glaze over the top.  This made the turkey very brown (because of the sugar), and caused the turkey to have a crunchy, sweet outside moist, flavorful meat on the inside.  It was a hit at dinner, and a good break from the usual turkey.

For the glaze, you will need:

8 cups of juice total (you can mix cranberry and pomegranate juice however you'd like.  I prefer to use the unsweetened kind).
8 cups brown sugar
1-2 pears, cut in half
1 bay leaf
pinch of red pepper flakes
whole peppercorns
sprigs of fresh thyme, rosemary, or sage, or any other herbs you'd like to use
3-4 whole cloves
1 clove of garlic, whole

Put all of the ingredients in a sauce pan and heat until the sugar melts.  Simmer for about 30 minutes until all of the flavors blend, and take it off the heat.  Cover and let it sit overnight.  Pour over meat that is in the process of cooking every 30 minutes or so.  This much will be enough to glaze a 14 pound turkey.

You can also make adjustments to fit your taste.  Orange juice is great in it.  I have seen people use apple instead of pear.  Some people like it with more heat, so they add red pepper flakes and cayenne.  Some like the "spicyness" of the holidays, so it would be yummy to add extra cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon sticks.

When I did a ham for Christmas two years ago, I used maple extract with extra clove and pineapple juice with the cranberry juice.  I have also done pork with balsamic vinegar and peach juice for a glaze.  Honey is delicious on a roasted chicken.  Honey and lime is great on fish.

I gave this recipe to a friend of mine, and I believe she did oranges and mustard seed for the glaze, because most people in her family are not into cranberry.  She said the turkey turned out amazing and she will be doing something similar in the future.  (BTW, this was the first time she made Thanksgiving dinner by herself, and she did this with no problems.  This method is very easy).