Let’s be honest. One of the most intimidating things to do is prepare the Thanksgiving turkey for the friends and family on “Turkey” day. I will be the first to admit that the idea of prepping the bird, timing the cook process and making sure that when it comes off the grill and onto the serving tray it is glistening and highlighting the entire spread for the watchers to salivate over is overwhelming.
Despite all the fears that I have the most rewarding part from cooking my bird is the satisfaction that my hours of preparation and cooking make me and my glorious bird are the center of attention. What makes it even better is when I begin carving and the flavors just melt off the bird. Before I know it there is nothing left but a shell of what used to be a beautiful turkey.
So what is the best way to cook a turkey? I have a few key techniques that will make you the master of the bird. The first thing I have found is that in order to get the flavors all the way through you “MUST” brine your turkey! The recipe below is taken from Goose the Market in Indianapolis. Use this as your template for your brine and you will be well on your way. The second is cooking on a Big Green Egg. The Egg retains the heat and allows the slow cook to tenderly cook the bird all the way through. Finally, adding smoke to the cook will give your turkey an added dimension.
BRINE INGREDIENTS:
1 tbsp Mustard Seed, whole
2 each Star Anise, whole
1 tbsp Black Peppercorn, whole
1 each small Cinnamon Stick, whole
1 tbsp Juniper Berries, whole
3 gallons H20
3 cup Kosher Salt
1½ cup Light Brown Sugar
2 each Carrots, peel and rough chop
1 each Onions, peel and rough chop
1 each Celery rib, rough chop
1 head Garlic, cut in half across bulb
1 pinch Parsley, at leaf, whole
1 pinch Thyme, whole
1 sprig Rosemary, whole
1/2 each Orange, quartered
BRINE PREPARATION:
Turkey Brine
1. In a heavy bottom stock pot toast mustard seed, star anise, black peppercorn,
cinnamon stick and juniper berries until they ll the room with a fragerent aroma.
2. Add 1.5 gallons of the water and the remaining brine ingredients.
3. Continue over medium high heat until the water simmers or the salt and brown
sugar dissolve completely.
4. Add remaining 1.5 gallons of water to quicken the cooling process. Chill for at
least 4 hours.
5. Inject turkey with brine. Space injections by one inch and ll until esh pu and
rms. Focus on the thickest part of the bird and move your way out.
6. Submerge turkey completely in brine. Store the bird below 40ºF for 24 hours. If
bird is more than 20 lbs, store for 36 hours.
7. Once brined, remove bird from solution, rinse with cold water and pat dry with
paper towels. Allow the bird to sit uncovered for 4 to 6 hours until the skin
becomes tacky to the touch. This is called the pellicle
COOKING THE TURKEY:
1. Roast: Bring the egg up to 300° using indirect heat with the plate setter legs up place the drip pan on the plate setter with your desired liquid. Place the cooking grid on plate setter legs. Roast the turkey for roughly 20-25 minutes per lb. Once the turkey has reached an internal temperature of 160° remove from the egg and let rest 20-30 minutes before carving and serving.
Mmmm....Almost time to eat
2. Smoking: Soak wood chips or chunks overnight. Take all of the charcoal out of you egg and place a small layer on the bottom 3″-6″ of charcoal. Use fire starter or electric starter to get egg lit. Once the coals are bright red immediately add wood chunks (3-4) or wood chips (2-3 handfuls). Add charcoal immediately on top of wood chunks/chips to the top of fire ring. Place the plate setter legs up place the drip pan on the plate setter with your desired liquid. Put turkey on the grill rack. Leave both the daisy wheel and bottom damper open and close by half when the temperature gets to 300°. Continue closing top and bottom by half until you reach an egg temperature of 225°-250°. Expect 1- 1.5 hours per lb. for cook time.
