Pavochon with Mofongo Stuffing – Sense & Edibility

Pavochon is a Puerto Rican-style turkey seasoned with tons of garlic, oregano, and sofrito, then later filled with a garlicky green plantain-mashed stuffing that’s a must for any holiday. This pavochon is a star at every holiday or celebration, but especially for Thanksgiving. You’re going to love this recipe, especially if you’re looking for a new way to serve this year’s turkey. 

*I’ve updated this post, originally published in November 2020, to clarify the step-by-step instructions. The recipe is the same.*

What is Pavochon?

Pavochon is a mash-up of the Spanish words “pavo” meaning turkey, and “lechon”, or a roasted suckling pig. In short, it’s a turkey that tastes like lechon, but without the pork. If you’ve never had lechon, it’s essentially seasoned with a flavorful garlic and oregano marinade, then slow-roasted in the oven or over a fire until the skin is crisp. I stay true to the classic marinade for lechon, even going as far as partially roasting the turkey under banana leaves, which is a nod to the indigenous Taino tribe of Puerto Rico. 

Thanksgiving isn’t a huge holiday in Puerto Rico, so pavochon is a recipe that originated in the Puerto Rican diaspora in the States in Hispanic-Caribbean enclaves. Puerto Ricans who probably missed the traditional spit-roasted pig improvised with popular turkey and developed this recipe. My family prefers this version of the bird instead of the traditional iteration. 

Where Does Mofongo Stuffing Come From?

Mofongo is a Puerto Rican dish of mashed green plantains flavored with pork cracklings, or chicharrones, and a heavy hand of garlic and herbs. This popular dish is commonly served in Puerto Rico with fried meat or saucy proteins. The Dominican Republic ‘s version excludes cracklings, is more wet, and is called mangú. 

It felt natural for me to stuff my pavochon with mofongo to stay true to the Puerto Rican flavors.

How Do I Season a Pavochon?

Pavochon marinade contains tons of garlic, as well as sofrito, oregano, salt, pepper, granulated onion powder, and sazón. I brush the bird with achiote oil to give the turkey skin a rich amber color, but you can replace that with vegetable oil. A generous sprinkling of adobo is added just before wrapping the bird in banana leaves and roasting it.

Covering the pavochon in banana leaves (or foil, at the very least) keeps the meat moist and gives it a unique, subtle flavor. 

How Much Turkey Do I Need?

Buy a turkey to prepare enough pavochon to feed all of your guests by using this chart:

• An 8-pound turkey feeds 8 people. This is likely only a turkey breast, as most turkeys weigh more than 8 pounds. Because turkey breasts are usually boneless, estimate 8 ounces of turkey per guest.
• A 10-pound turkey feeds 15
• A 12-pound turkey feeds 18
• And a 15-pound turkey feeds 22 people. 

For this pavochon recipe, you need 1 1/2 pounds of turkey per person pre-cooked weight. Tally up the number of people you have eating turkey and use that as your starting number. Multiply that by 1.5, and you have the weight of the raw turkey you need to purchase for this recipe. 

How Far Ahead Can I Marinate My Turkey?

You can marinate pavochon for 48 hours (or 2 days) before roasting it. This allows the marinade plenty of time to flavor the meat and skin of the turkey.

Before marinating the pavochon, remove the plastic packaging, the plastic leg tie, neck, and giblets. The giblets are usually in a plastic or paper bag in the neck cavity of the turkey and the neck of the turkey in the bird’s cavity. Roasting the pavochon with the giblets inside will most likely ruin the bird, especially if they’re in a plastic bag. Put the turkey neck and gizzards in a food storage bag to use later for gravy. Pop out, then discard that useless internal thermometer that the turkey came with.

Rinse the meat under cold water after unwrapping it and removing the giblets to remove the blood it’s been sitting in while it was inside the package.

Douse the turkey with white distilled vinegar, leaving it on the turkey for 10 minutes while you prepare the pavochon marinade. 

Use a pilón (or mortar and pestle) to mash the garlic, kosher salt, black pepper, oregano leaves, sazón, and granulated onion to a fine paste. Add the sofrito to the paste in the pilón and use the pestle (or a spoon) to stir these together to make a loose marinade. You can also make this marinade in a jar using an immersion blender and a little olive or achiote oil to get it flowing.

Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, then put it on a half-sheet pan.

How Do I Make A Really Flavorful Pavochon?

The skin acts as a barrier between the pavochon marinade and the meat, so putting the marinade between them ensures you get a flavorful piece of meat.

Separate the skin from the flesh by using your fingers to scrape away the connective tissue (or fibers) that hold the skin to the flesh. Do this all over the breast of the turkey. Try to get as much of the back skin separated from the back of the turkey. Because this is a bonier part of the turkey, you may not fully separate the skin from the flesh. Don’t worry too much about the drumsticks or the wings. Those are too cumbersome to try to separate.

I also go a step further by carefully piercing the meat with a thin boning knife, ensuring I avoid damaging the skin. This is an optional step, however.

Once the skin is separated from the flesh, rub the pavochon marinade over the outside of the turkey, under the skin, and inside the cavity.

Can I Leave The Turkey Unwrapped After Marinating It?

Before putting the turkey in the fridge, wrap it tightly in plastic. Tightly wrapping the pavochon in layers of plastic wrap and foil forces the spices into the meat instead of allowing it to run out into the container it is sitting in, so wrapping it is essential.

The best way to ensure your pavochon marinade penetrates deep into the turkey is to:

1. Wrap two layers of plastic wrap tightly around the turkey.
2. Follow the plastic wrap with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.
3. Put the turkey onto the sheet pan to catch any spills, then slide the sheet pan into the refrigerator.
4. Marinate the turkey for 12-48 hours.

Alternatively, you can leave the turkey in the pan and cover the pan loosely in plastic wrap. The meat won’t be as flavorful, though.

What’s The Best Pan For Roasting Turkey?

Remove the foil and plastic wrapping after marinating the turkey for 12-48 hours. Set the bird into a rack inside a large roasting pan. I use a stainless steel roasting pan with a rack to roast my turkey. A heavy-duty roasting pan with a rack that elevates the turkey is best for obtaining that crisp skin because it keeps the turkey from swimming in its juices. 

You can use a disposable aluminum roaster if it’s more convenient. I encourage you to use a rack, no matter which pan you roast in. You can craft one out of aluminum foil if you don’t have a rack. Just form a long piece of foil into a coil, and you have a makeshift rack!

Allow the turkey to warm up for at least 1 hour at room temperature while the oven is heating up. This allows the chill to come off the turkey, so it roasts evenly. 

Before roasting the turkey, pat the skin down with paper towels. Next, use a brush to give the skin a light layer of achiote oil, then sprinkle a generous amount of adobo onto the surface of the turkey. 

Cover the pavochon with damp banana leaves to retain its juices and add another element of flavor. Of course, you can skip this if you don’t have banana leaves or find they are hard to source in your area. Just wrap the roasting pan in heavy-duty aluminum foil. Ensure the seal on the foil is tight because the first stage of roasting this turkey is steaming it lightly.

How Long Do I Roast Pavochon?

Put the pavochon into a preheated 325°F (163°C) oven. A general guideline for roasting time for all meats can be found on the FoodSafety.gov website. 

However, for this recipe, you will pull it from the oven to uncover it an hour before it’s done. That gives you time to brown the skin and get the mofongo into the bird’s cavity before the turkey is finished roasting. 

This chart will help you figure out when to remove the pavochon’s covering for the browning portion of its roasting: 

• 8-12 pound turkey: 2 hours 30 minutes
• 12-14 pound turkey: 3 hours 30 minutes
• 14-18 pound turkey: 4 hours
• 18-20 pound turkey: 4 hours 30 minutes

Keep in mind this chart is for this pavochon recipe only. This is the first roasting time. After this roasting time, the pavochon goes back into the oven for an additional 45 minutes to one hour.  

Roast the meat according to its size and corresponding time on the chart above. 

Why Mofongo?

Bread stuffing is boring and overdone and can exclude diners with gluten allergies. Mofongo is an interesting, tasty option for stuffing your turkey.

Mofongo, pronounced moh-PHONE-go, is a combination of fried green plantains mashed with crispy chicharrones (or pork rinds), garlic, oregano, pepper, and a small amount of salt. 

Mofongo is usually served with fried chunks of pork or chicken or with shrimp in garlic sauce. 

How Do I Make Mofongo?

Mofongo requires very green, firm plantains. Avoid plantains with too much yellow on the peel because they make the mofongo taste too sweet. Use 1 plantain per diner if you want a lot of stuffing, or reduce it to half per person. 

To peel a green plantain, cut off both of the plantain’s ends and run the tip of your paring knife down the back and front of the fruit.

Press up on the peel using the fleshy part of your thumbs to remove it.

Cut the plantain into one-inch-thick chunks and put the pieces into salted water for 10 minutes. This quick brine in the salt seasons the plantain and also prevents browning. 

After soaking the plantains, drain them, then pat them dry. 

Heat vegetable or peanut oil to 350°F in a large cast-iron dutch oven or pot. Add the plantain chunks in small batches to the oil once it’s hot. Fry the plantains in the oil for 3-4 minutes or until a knife pierced into its center meets no resistance.

Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the plantains from the oil and drain them on a bed of paper towels to absorb any excess oil. Continue frying the rest of the plantains until they’re all cooked.

Can I Omit the Pork Rinds in Mofongo?

Once the plantains are fried, begin mashing them in batches: 5 chunks of plantains with a handful of pork rinds, 1 teaspoon of garlic paste, 1/2 teaspoon of oregano, and a pinch of pepper. Mofongo is supposed to be garlicky, so don’t be shy about it. 

I prefer Baken-ets® pork rinds (or the generic equivalent) because they are lighter and crisper. Avoid “all-natural” or artisanal pork rinds when making mofongo because they have tough outer edges that become gummy when mixed into the plantains. Use salt sparingly because the pork rinds are salty on their own, so adding more salt may overwhelm your mofongo. If you avoid eating pork, you can replace the chicharrones in mofongo with fried chicken skins or omit them altogether. 

If you have a potato masher, you can add everything to a 4-quart mixing bowl and use it to mash everything for the mofongo together at once. Mofongo should have the consistency of thick mashed potatoes after smashing it. You want it slightly dry to mimic bread stuffing but not bone-dry. Add a 1/2-1 cup of room temperature chicken stock to the mofongo if it’s too dry. 

Set the mofongo aside until the turkey comes out of the oven. 

Is It Safe to Eat Turkey Stuffing?

Remove the turkey from the oven one hour before it’s finished. Check the chart above to determine when your turkey needs to come out of the oven.

Unwrap the turkey (if you’ve covered it in the banana leaves) and use a large spoon to stuff it with the prepared mofongo. Use the spoon or a turkey baster to ladle any pan juices over the turkey and mofongo. Return the roasting pan with the turkey to the oven and continue to roast for 45 minutes-1 hour, basting the turkey after 30 minutes. Eating stuffing from your pavochon or any turkey is safe when the stuffing is added during the last part of roasting because no blood enters the stuffing since the turkey is almost completely cooked. 

If you find that your turkey wings or breast are growing too dark in the oven, cover them with a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil.

What’s a Safe Internal Temperature of Pavochon?

Insert a thermometer probe into the turkey breast’s thickest part to ensure it’s ready. The internal temperature of a fully cooked turkey is 165°F (74°C). Make sure you are using a reliable meat thermometer the test your turkey. I prefer to use a Chef Alarm thermometer. The Chef Alarm thermometer has an oven-safe probe that allows me to insert it into the turkey breast and monitor the temperature while it roasts. When checking the temperature of any large piece of meat, it’s essential to ensure that your thermometer’s probe is not touching bone. Bones register higher temperatures than flesh does. 

Once the pavochon is fully cooked, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving. This rest period allows the meat’s juices to settle back into the meat, so they don’t run out when you cut it, which dries out the turkey.

How Do I Carve the Pavochon?

Once the turkey has rested completely, use a carving knife to carve it. I usually leave this to Hector because I don’t feel like dealing with carving the turkey myself, plus he needs to earn his keep.

It’s best to use a carving knife for carving your turkey. This type of knife has a thin blade, which gives you those pretty picture book slices. 

To carve the turkey:

1. Find the center of the breast and make a deep cut into it down to the bone.
2. From there, cut 1/4-inch slices on both sides of that dividing line.
3. Turn your carving knife horizontally and cut along the breast bone to release the breast slices. 
4. Slice the wings and drumsticks from the turkey, then remove the thighs at the hip joint. Thinly slice the thighs before serving.  

Usually, my family and I eat the drumsticks and wings straight off the bone. We don’t bother with the formalities of using a knife to remove the meat from these pieces.

How Is Pavochon with Mofongo Stuffing Traditionally Served?

Most Puerto Rican celebrations are full of amazing dishes. To complete your Puerto Rican-style holiday meal, serve your mofongo stuffed pavochon with: 

How Do I Store Leftovers?

Store leftover pavochon with mofongo in food storage containers in the refrigerator for 72 hours.

Reheat leftover turkey covered in the microwave or on the stovetop in a skillet with a small amount of water or turkey stock. This retains as much moisture as possible. To reheat the mofongo, add a small amount of chicken stock to its container and reheat until warm. 

If you want to freeze leftover turkey, allow it to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer storage bag and freeze the meat for up to six months.

To thaw frozen turkey meat, put it in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours or until it has thawed completely and reheat as instructed above.

How Can I Repurpose Leftover Pavochon?

Leftover pavochon can be transformed into many other dishes. Reheat and chop the cooked turkey, add it to salads and grain bowls, stir it into hashes, or serve it over steamed rice. I like to add chopped leftover turkey to quiches or fold the meat into omelets or empanada shells, which I later fry.

However you enjoy this turkey, I hope it is around the table with beloved family and friends. Be sure to pin this recipe to your holiday or party boards and share it with your world.