This time of year is one of my absolute favorites. We get to look back on what all we have accomplished and look forward to what next year holds in store. We also take time to count our blessings and think of what we are thankful for. The two things that always come to the top of my list are family and friends. Luckily this is also the time of year that we get to spend more time with both.
Usually once a month my friends and their wives all gather to have a game night, where we: cook, eat, drink, laugh and play board games. For the last one of the year we went all out! (We made it "Favorite Christmas Movie/Song" themed. My costume will be below, and my apologies that is backwards but see if you can guess the movie!) We had Elf on the TV, had some new friends over, played the pickle-game (the one where you hide a pickle ornament and have people hunt for it), made s'mores over a fire, had plenty of grub and best of all... I busted out the Traeger!
Every year my work gives each employee a whole turkey. Those of us who do not want them opt to have them donated to a local charity. This year I took mine home because it had a hot date with my Traeger!
Now I have the Traeger Tailgater, which is the smallest of the line-up. I opted for this as it is easy to take to functions (thanks to the EZ Folding Legs) and I always like to take things one step at a time. Or should I say, one size at a time.
I will apologize that this blog will be lacking in the photo department as this was by far my messiest operation to date. But here we go:
Whole Turkey:
15# Turkey
Brine Concoction (Kosher Salt, Brown Sugar, Minced Garlic, Soy Sauce and Worcestershire Sauce)
Canola Oil
Lather Concoction (Softened stick of Butter and Sweet Malone's Rubb)
Cooler (to brine turkey in)
Turkey Pan (to cook turkey in)
The key thing to know about cooking a whole turkey that is in an adventure in time! To make a truly delicious bird you are going to have to spend some time to make it happen. There's several parts to the whole process: defrosting, cleaning, brining, Rubbing, lathering, cooking, cooling and carving. Honestly plan for a day or two for the whole thing.
First make sure your bird is defrosted. Most turkeys are frozen at time of purchase. Then thoroughly clean the bird with running water. Make sure to get under the drumsticks and wings as those areas can get skipped. Next comes the brining.
Many people have many different brines. The one I have listed above is a basic one that can be altered/added to depending on what one is going for. As always I do not provide exact measurements as your taste is different than mine, but use plenty of everything. (The water should look like something you would not want to swim in when you're done.)
Fill up a cooler. This cooler needs to be large enough to hold several gallons of water, your bird and a bag of ice when fully loaded. Many people will first boil a gallon of water with the salt in it to get the salt to dissolve better which is extremely important to the brining process. Just be sure your water cools to room temperature before putting the turkey in, otherwise the warm water will start to cook the bird.
I go: water, salt, turkey and then the rest of the ingredients as they are listed. Once everything is good and mixed together, pour the bag of ice over it and let sit overnight. If you want your bird to brine longer, just make sure the water is cool enough and does not cause the meat to spoil.
After the bird has been brined, take it out, put it in the turkey pan and wipe the bird clean. Drizzle over some Canola Oil (helps crisp the skin) and then Rubb that jive-turkey like there is no tomorrow! For a bird this size it will take a full jar of Rubb so make sure you have plenty! Then stick the whole thing in the fridge for at least twelve hours. This time allows the Rubb and flavor sink into your bird.
At the same time you are waiting for the bird, it is time to begin the "lathering process". What I mean by lathering is adding something to keep the bird juicy and moist. Many will use a butter-herb injection. The only problem with this is that the holes you put in the bird to fill with flavor will be the same holes that allow the flavor to spill out. So using a softened stick of butter (not melted) and mixing in some Sweet Malone's gives us a lather to put onto the bird. Working your hands between the skin and the meat you create a pocket to put the lather between. Take your time and be sure not to rip through the skin. I will do this lathering right before the bird goes into the smoker.
Speaking of smoker, make sure you get that bad-boy preheated and going! With a Traeger it will take several minutes to get a glorious white cloud of smoke going and then you can adjust the temperature to your desired level. I cooked this bird at 300 degrees for roughly four hours. Make sure to use a meat probe to get the internal temperature to a safe eating level. I made sure mine reached 170 degrees to be safe.
For the flavor of pellets I used a blend of: hickory, maple and apple. It worked perfectly with all the other flavors going on with this bird. Make sure to watch your hopper and keep it filled with plenty of pellets. It is normal for the Traeger to smoke more at times and for the heat to fluctuate. The best thing to do is just enjoy the smell and not open the door too often. Roughly every hour you will want to take a peek on your poultry delight.
(That is after a couple hours, wait for the big finish below!)
Side note: Make sure your bird will fit in the smoker before starting all of this. I had a pretty tight clearance at the top of the bird (but then again I used to bullseye wamp-rats in my T-17 and they weren't much bigger than that) and had to "modify" my turkey pan on the side to make sure the door of the Traeger could close all the way.
Once the bird is cooked, let it sit for 30 minutes before carving it up.
If you are making gravy to drench the turkey in, be sure to use some of the drippings in the pan. This gives a distinct and delicious flavor.
By this time of the night our guests were over and as I carved the bird I made sure it wasn't poisonous. Taking a small piece of meat and dipping it into the bottom of the pan, Jester got the first sample. He looked at me with eyes that said "I love you right now more than I do when you leave in the morning and get your side of the bed." So from there everyone got a little bite and then it was time for the full meal.
Words cannot honestly describe how good this turkey was. But to put in perspective, I am going to be buying more whole-turkeys throughout the year from now on.
Be sure to stock up on your Rubbs before the holidays and tag us in any posts/pictures of your meals using these sensational seasonings!
-Chubbs