CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It's November and that means Thanksgiving! The turkey can feel like a daunting task for many of us, so we invited Ernie Adler, the grill master, to join us for turkey 101. “November in my home involves three of my favorite things to do” says Adler. They are:
- Wake up, stay in pajamas, and watch the parade with my family
- Watch lots of football
- Enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends
He adds “to start off the parade an Adler family tradition is to heat up some apple cider, add a cinnamon stick, a few whole cloves, lemon slice, and amber rum and watch the parade. Leave it on warm on the stove all morning to get your house smelling like Thanksgiving.”
Today on the show, we concentrated on the main event, the turkey... and giving people some easy guidelines to make thanksgiving successful. A lot of people get “turkey challenged” but it’s really one of the easiest things to make with an incredible brine, a little time, patience, and preparation. This recipe is perfect to make in the oven, on a gas grill, charcoal grill, or smoker.
First pick out the right sized bird. The general rule of thumb is pre-cooked weight of 1.25-1.5 lbs. per person for the meal if regular eaters, go larger if you want more leftovers. That accounts for waste like bones, liquid that evaporates, and general “waste”. If you buy a frozen one allow 1 day of thawing time in the refrigerator for every 4-5 lbs. of turkey. Once thawed, or if fresh turkey, it can be refrigerated raw for 3 days or so before cooking so don’t buy too early.
Next is the brine. In hot water add brown sugar, ginger powder, onion and garlic powder, Kosher salt, ground cloves, orange and apple juice. Keep whisking until fully dissolved and let cool. Place your bird in a food safe bucket (many hardware stores sell 5 gallon buckets with a food safe sticker on them, big enough for about a 24 lb. turkey). Pour the brine in, then place the bird in, add cold water enough to just cover the turkey, some ice on top, and place in a refrigerator for 24 hours. Then, take the turkey out and place on a roasting rack in a pan and place in the refrigerator uncovered for 12 hours which helps dry the skin so it’s crispier.
When ready to cook heat your oven, gas grill, charcoal grill or smoker to 325 degrees. With the turkey in the roasting rack in a pan rub with oil and put on the heat with some water in the bottom. If smoking I recommend fruit woods like apple, cherry, or maple and do not smoke the whole time so you only get a hint of smoke not overpowering. The rule of thumb is 15-20 minutes per lb. cooking time, and half way through add in some cut up potatoes, carrots, and onions if you want to the pan. Make sure to baste once per hour. Personally I like to start with the turkey breast side down for 1 hour then turn over only to get even cooking. Most turkeys come with a pop up thermometer and when they pop it’s done. If it doesn’t use an instant read meat thermometer and test several areas for the food safe temperature of 165 degrees. When don’t let rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. For best results first cut off the legs, then the thighs, then slice each breast down the bone and carve each breast individually so you get even professional looking slices.
For more great recipes visit Erniesbbq.com.