All posts tagged turkey

Dry brine for Thanksgiving turkey

By JR | November 19, 2010 | certified grilladelic | No comments
slow roasted over hardwood coals

Here is a recipe I have used numerous times.  Originally it came from the Portable Kitchen website.  I’ve even used it for a whole turkey breast which are the pictures below.  Worked great…just skipped the stick of butter.

It is a dry brine.  It makes it a heck of a lot easier to store the bird overnight in the refrigerator

Combine a dry rub mixture consisting of one-cup salt, one-cup of brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of sage and 1 teaspoon of thyme.

Rub the fresh or thawed turkey inside and out with mixture.

Place in a bag and refrigerate overnight.

Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper toweling.

Place bird breast down, in a pan with a stick of butter in the cavity.

Grill, indirect heat (or on a rotisserie).  I allow about 2-3 hours, but a lot depends on the temperature of the grill.  November barbecue also adds the element of outdoor wind, cold temps, adding significantly to cooking times.

I always rely on an internal temperature gauge for turkey. I shoot for about 170  degrees in the breast before pulling.

Boneless, rolled turkey breast prior to brining

The dry brine ingredients. Simple

Covered with the salt/sugar/herb mixture

Using the rotisserie

slow roasted over hardwood coals

Butterflied turkey on-the-grill

By JR | November 15, 2010 | certified grilladelic, recipes, tips | No comments
Butterflied Turkey with Fennel, Sausage, and Ricotta Stuffing

The technique: When it comes to poultry, butterflying means removing the backbone and flattening the bird like a book. This is easy enough to do with a chicken, but we suggest asking your butcher to butterfly the turkey.

Use your own seasonings to spice up this “grilled” turkey… really grilled. You can either grill it direct then move indirect -or- you can cook indirect than move to direct for a crisp finish.

From Bon Appetit

The payoff: A flattened turkey cooks more evenly and quickly than a regular bird. Tucking the stuffing under the skin ensures that the meat will be moist and delicious.

Grilled turkey: Prep 1 hour Total 3 hours 30 minutes (includes grilling time)

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Butterflied-Turkey-with-Fennel-Sausage-and-Ricotta-Stuffing-361749?mbid=rss_epinr#ixzz15POmZoBN

Brined turkey on a Weber grill.

By JR | November 6, 2010 | certified grilladelic, recipes | No comments
turkeypost1

This video was brought to us by our friends at BBQProShop.

A few Grilladelic comments:

  1. Many folks worry about finding a container big enough to hold a large turkey for brining.  A large plastic bag in a cooler, covered with ice does the trick nicely.  (I’ve even known folks to use a whole cooler without a plastic bag…but be food-safety smart)

  2. The turkey holder (vertical roaster) is a dandy.  In a pinch, I’ve used a Fosters beer can.  Turkey on a throne.  Presentation is critical

  3. Turkey is done when turkey is done.   Use a temperature probe to determine when to serve.  Be flexible with dinner, but you should be able to determine a dinner time within a 45-60 minute window.  “We’ll eat around 4:00″

Thanksgiving: Overkill?

By JR | November 4, 2010 | certified grilladelic | No comments
thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving, but for crying out loud does Bon Appetit need to stress everyone out with a calendar for planning purposes?

The only thing that needs to be planned is to order your fresh turkey.

Everything else is best done impromptu!  Over the next few weeks we’ll share some tips on where to buy your turkey in West Michigan, how to brine it, grill it, smoke it or deep-fry it.

Curious…where do you get your fresh turkeys?


Talking Turkey 2009 – Post #1

By JR | October 18, 2009 | education, holiday, tips | No comments

As we count down toward Thanksgiving 2009, Grilladelic will be scouring the four corners of the world (wide web) looking for grilled, smoked and barbecued turkey recipes that could transform your holiday.

This recipe is from the archives of Bon Appetit

First the turkey is soaked overnight in a brine to improve flavor and ensure moist meat. (Be sure to use a pot large enough to hold both the brine and the turkey.) The smokiness of the turkey is offset beautifully by the tangy, sweet glaze, which incorporates two quintessential Napa Valley ingredients: wine and mustard.

  • 6 quarts water
  • 2 large onions, quartered
  • 1 cup coarse salt
  • 1 cup chopped fresh ginger
  • 3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
  • 4 large bay leaves
  • 4 whole star anise
  • 12 whole black peppercorns, crushed
    • 1 13- to 14-pound turkey, giblets discarded
    • 4 cups hickory smoke chips, soaked in water 30 minutes, drained [I would experiment with a fruit wood like apple or cherry.  If you are brave, I was told by an old turkey farmer from Graafschap that sassafras is the wood of choice for smoking turkey]
    • Disposable 9×6 1/4×1-inch aluminum broiler pans
    • 2 large oranges, cut into wedges
    • 1/4 cup olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons oriental sesame oil

    For glaze

    • 3/4 cup pure maple syrup
    • 1/2 cup dry white wine
    • 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
    • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

    Preparation

    Make turkey:
    Combine first 8 ingredients in very large pot. Bring mixture to simmer, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Cool brine completely.

    Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in brine, pressing to submerge. Chill overnight, turning turkey twice.  (A large plastic cooler works good for a brine container.  You can add ice to keep it cool too)

    If using charcoal barbecue: Mound charcoal briquettes in barbecue and burn until light gray. Using tongs, carefully divide hot briquettes into 2 piles, 1 pile at each side of barbecue. Sprinkle each pile with generous 1/2 cup hickory chips. Place empty broiler pan between piles. Position grill at least 6 inches above briquettes. Position vents on barbecue so that chips smoke and briquettes burn but do not flame.

    If using gas or electric barbecue: Preheat barbecue with all burners on high. Turn off center burner and lower outside burners to medium-low heat. Place generous 1/2 cup hickory chips in each of 2 broiler pans. Set pans over 2 lit burners. Place empty broiler pan over unlit burner. Position grill at least 6 inches above burners.

    Remove turkey from brine; discard brine. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place orange wedges in main cavity. Mix olive oil and sesame oil in small bowl. Brush over turkey. Arrange breast side up on grill, centering above empty broiler pan. Cover; cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160°F, adding 1 cup hickory chips (and 6 briquettes if using charcoal barbecue) to barbecue every 30 minutes, about 3 hours.

    For glaze:
    Bring all ingredients to simmer in heavy medium saucepan.

    Brush glaze over turkey; cover and cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, covering any dark areas of turkey with foil, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil and let stand 30 minutes

    Gobble Gobble! Turkey on the Grill

    By JR | November 14, 2007 | recipes | 2 Comments

    Here is the lowdown on turkey on the grill. You have several options for both seasonings and techniques. I’d be lying if I would say all are good, but generally speaking, an “average” turkey on the grill, is better than one from the oven (at least it is more fun!)

    You can basically forget the traditional stuffing going the grill route.  Still make it, but do it inside.

    Here are a few thoughts about the process:

    Seasoning choices range from brining (wet and dry) to injecting to dry rubs. Brining does add extra flavor and prevents the meat from drying out, but sometimes I detect a hammy flavor with brines. A great site for brine recipes is http://www.cookshack.com/ .

    In a nutshell a wet brine is salt, sugar and water. I always use a ratio of 1 C salt, 1 C sugar and 1 gallon of water. You can be very creative with this…and substitute various sugars (honey, syrup, molasses, etc.) Plus add herbs and other seasonings. A dry brine I like is 1 C salt, 1 C brown sugar and about 2 T of rosemary. I rub the turkey inside and out, let stand overnight and then rinse before grilling.

    For injecting, you can use melted butter (w/garlic, lemon, etc.) or buy a commerical injectable. I really like Louisiana Fish Fry- Cajun Butter .http://www.louisianafishfry.com/ Not spicy. Flavorful. Inject about 8 oz. per bird.

    A basic seasoning technique I like is to coat the bird with butter and then rub it in. Great rubs are easily found on the web with a modicum of searching. Match your tastebuds with the main ingredients.

    A few ideas on “how”to do your bird.

    Rotisserie. This is easy and fun. The Weber kettle rotisserie is one of life’s best secrets. Bank the coals on both sides, place a drip pan between the two sides of coals, thread the bird with the rotisserie, balance and then walk away. There is no sound in the world like the hum of a rotisserie. It has the qualities of  Tibetan Monks chanting…lulling you into a better place. And what makes it better than monks chanting, is that you have a great meal and terrific leftovers.

    You need a deep grill for this technique; On the Throne, but it can be done. Like “beer can chicken”, you basically take a small bird (10-12 pounds) and then insert a Foster’s Beer can into the cavity, and place the bird back on the grill, feet down.

    Other than that, you can always deep fry the bird (quick, tasty and theatrical) . But I have seen garages full of left over oil. Clean up is a drag too.

    Great sites I recommend for turkey advice:

    Weber

    Big Green Egg

    Just search the recipe area and forums. Enjoy.

    (Please post any comments with your Thanksgiving experiences)

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