Esmerelda's Portuguese Turkey

Esmerelda (last name withheld) is a real person known to me. She cared for my brother’s family for over 20 years, making life easier for everyone with her fun-loving attitude and perfectionism, (a rare combination). This recipe is for her Portuguese–American Thanksgiving turkey. It became a standard for my sister-in-law after Esmerelda and her husband retired to Portugal when their children were grown.

Esmerelda is an inveterate practical joker. She once set a birthday gathering of our elderly relatives aflutter by playing footsie under the table with two of the gentlemen, executing her mischief with enough agility to leave both gentlemen suspecting a great-grandmotherly woman in attendance as the likely provocatrice. Presented with this recipe, which calls for a CUP of paprika and a CUP of salt, we wondered at first if it was an elaborate joke on us. Have no fear; this actually works. (In all honesty, I did reduce the salt to 2/3 cup when I made the turkey last time.)

The success of this recipe depends upon the quality of the chourico you use, as well as upon the turkey you choose. Last year, I used what I thought was the best turkey Whole Foods had to offer. I can't remember the brand now. All of you will have your own favorites, but, obviously, you should avoid an injected turkey for this recipe, due to the amount of salt you will add in preparing it.

Industrial chourico (pronounced shoor-reese in Massachusetts) is one option. Here is a link to the website for Gaspar's brand. Gaspar's is widely available in markets on the east coast, and can be mail-ordered. It will yield a good result. (It is all my sister-in-law ever uses.) Here in Chicago, a dried Spanish chourico is stocked at Treasure Island. This is NOT the type to use. The Portuguese variety used in this recipe, while smoked, is not dry, and slices easily. According to ReneG, La Unica in Rogers Park offers a selection of chourico, though I have not looked at their selection. (As always, you should call ahead to confirm availability.) I have used Hungarian smoked sausage made with garlic and paprika from Gene’s market in Lincoln Square (this was actually a bit drier than the New England variety). Paulina Market offers house-made linguica, though I have not tried it. It might be worth a try.

For best results, I recommend the added step of ordering house-recipe chourico (both sweet and hot) in the style of Lisbon, from Solmar market in Hartford, CT. The proprietor explained to me on a recent visit that, in spite of recent zoning difficulties in Hartford, the original house-recipe sausage is still wood-smoked by a Polish sausage maker in New Britain, CT. Her husband assured me that they ship all over the country because this Lisbon-style chourico is unique, not at all like the chourico from Madeira that is sold in Fall River and New Bedford, MA. I couldn't verify this claim, but I did consult a former colleague, my source for all things Portuguese in New England. She confirmed that Solmar's chourico is considered the best by her Portuguese husband and his teammates from the local Portuguese football league.

Solmar Market
1860 Park Street
Hartford, CT 06106-2136
(860) 232-5694

Equipment:

Unadorned wooden toothpicks
Food-safe container for brining
Roasting pan
Turkey baster
Meat thermometer.

Ingredients:

18-20 lb. turkey
1 lb. thick-sliced bacon
2 lb. hot Portuguese chourico
2 lb. sweet Portuguese chourico
1 cup paprika
1 cup salt
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 T. red pepper flakes
2 heads garlic, peeled and chopped

Directions:

Prepare a brine using salt, cool water, and 6-8 sliced oranges.

Refrigerate brined turkey overnight.

The following day, wearing disposable rubber gloves, rub the whole turkey inside and out with a spice paste made from the following ingredients. As a part of this process, loosen the skin over the breast and, as much as possible, around the thighs, without breaking it. Stuff as much of the spice meat between the skin and meat muscle of the bird as possible.

Spice Paste:

1 cup paprika ( I use ½ sweet and ½ hot Szeged Brand)
1 cup salt
1 cup olive oil
1/2 cup wine vinegar or cider vinegar
1 T. red pepper flakes
2 heads garlic, peeled and chopped

After the whole bird is covered with the spice paste, stuff the cavity with the following:

½ lb. thick sliced bacon,
Scant 1 lb. sweet Portuguese chourico sausage, sliced into ½ inch rings, rings cut into quarters.
Scant 1 lb. hot Portuguese chourico sausage, sliced into ½ inch rings, rings cut into quarters.

Attach the remaining slices of bacon across the breast, securing with toothpicks. On top of the bacon, attach remaining 1 lb. of sliced chourico sausage rounds, securing with toothpicks.


DSCF4040 on Flickr

Cover studded turkey with plastic and put in refrigerator.
Refrigerate for 24 hours.

The next day, cook the turkey in an oven that starts at 400 degrees. Once the juices start to boil, baste the bird, and turn the oven down to 250-300 degrees. Roast for 4 more hours. Baste it every 1/2 hour. Prick it with a fork while you baste it so the juice gets in the bird.

Continue roasting this way till done. I suggest taking the temperature of the bird to determine doneness. (180 degrees is suggested for poultry) Do not overcook. The sausage blackens as it cooks, rendering it crispy and delicious, a nice contrast with the moist turkey.

Here is a link to a picture of the turkey being carved by PIGMON, and photographed by Rene G:


DSCF4054

My photo of the finished bird did not come out well, unfortunately.

Bump. The "Is it too soon to start talking about turkey?" thread got me thinking about my turkey plans for this year. Since I won't be in Chicago for Christmas, I may make this turkey sooner, around Thanksgiving.

I realize that the timing of last year's post did not provide an opportunity for anyone interested in this unusual turkey recipe to order chourico ahead of time from Solmar market (see above for details). That is what I am planning to do this year. I am already set in the bacon department, however, having purchased half a pig from a 4-Her and his father, a farmer, whom I met while eating a Guber Burger after attending the Missouri State Fair this August.

Josephine,

The best chouriço I've *ever* had in my life is from here. You might give them a call and see if they ship.

Geo

There is excellent sausage at Brasil Legal on Western. They carry Chourico and Paio. The paio was better than the chourico.

Gaspar's also distributes sausage to some grocers. Unfortunately, they won't tell you where.

Tim

Brazil Legal
2153 N. Western Ave
(between Palmer St & Shakespeare Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 772-6650

Tim wrote:There is excellent sausage at Brasil Legal on Western. They carry Chourico and Paio. The paio was better than the chourico.

Gaspar's also distributes sausage to some grocers. Unfortunately, they won't tell you where.

Tim

Brazil Legal
2153 N. Western Ave
(between Palmer St & Shakespeare Ave)
Chicago, IL 60647
(773) 772-6650

Geo wrote:Josephine,

The best chouriço I've *ever* had in my life is from here. You might give them a call and see if they ship.

Geo

Excellent ideas, Geo and Tim! Thanks for posting!

Edit February 2012 :New information for anyone interested in ordering chourico from Solmar in Hartford: Fax the market at this number (860) 231-8150. Call Maria George, the owner, and confirm receipt of the fax. She ships UPS and will call you with the amount to be charged when she ships.

Also, I learned that a new batch of sausages has just been made this week, so now is a good time to order if you are interested for Thanksgiving or Xmas. I always freeze the sausages if I am not going to use them right away. Once I did have a batch I kept too long in the fridge and I had to throw them away.

Esmerelda's Turkey is on the horizon for us once again! We offered a Portuguese dinner at a charity auction and were delighted that it went for a significant chunk of change!
In ordering the sausage from Solmar, I learned that the best way to go about this is to fax them at (860) 231-8150, then to call and confirm receipt of the fax (860)232-5694. Mrs. George, the owner, will call you when she gets to UPS and give you the full amount to be charged. I have corrected the post above to reflect the correct information.

I'm not planning on making Esmerelda's turkey this year, but my daughter is making her first turkey (sniff! sniff!), and she decided on this one. A friend of ours, originally from Mexico, also decided to make this turkey. The two of them came up with this Mexican chorizo version that cuts prep time. I will have to rely on reports to learn how they fare, but here is the plan. It's advantage lies in the greater availability of ingredients and the quicker prep time.

Esmerelda's & Elena's & Elizabeth's PDQ Portuguese-Mexican-American Turkey

1) Omit brining step from original recipe.

2) Prepare spice paste, reducing salt to 1/4 cup and adding
4-6 oz. (approx. 1/2 can) frozen orange juice concentrate
Cover turkey with spice paste as directed in original recipe- use gloves.

3) Substitute Mexican chorizo for Portuguese chourico.

Because of its softer texture, you will need to anchor the chorizo under, rather than on top of the bacon strips over the breast and legs. You may need additional toothpicks. Attend to the basting of the bird and be certain that the chorizo does not end up at the bottom of the pan during cooking, where it will burn.

4) Start the bird at a lower temperature, say 350, in order to prevent burning of chorizo. Attend to the basting of the bird and be certain that the chorizo does not end up at the bottom of the pan during cooking, where it will burn.

Next year I may try this approach, adding tamales to the stuffing. How can I go wrong?

thanks for posting this. Part of my family is from India and they are not crazy about turkey. too bland for them so this might be an idea to spice it up a bit.

In preparation for the holidays, I sat down to order chouriço from Solmar Market in Hartford, only to find that it has closed. Their chouriço, they told me, was made in the style of Lisbon, and smoked for them by a Polish butcher in New Britain. They used to send it all over the country.

Nevertheless, I figured that since my original post, more and more markets would be using online ordering. Fall River's excellent Chaves Market (since 1957) offers 3 kinds of chouriço, including the blood sausage variety. They were out of the spicy version today, but I ordered a nice quantity of the mild chouriço today, along with some bacalão and a package of the sweet english-muffinish Portuguese rolls. I can't wait to see if the chouriço holds up to my fond memories of Solmar's.

There is a nice history of Chaves market on their website (with pics.)

https://www.chavesmarket.com/history

How America's Best Portuguese Market Ended Up in a Small Town in Massachusetts