Greetings from California!

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When is it done????

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Autumn Cider Brined Turkey Breast

To make sure Thanksgiving dinner goes smoothly, we like to have a little pre-Thanksgiving test run of the menu. (Plus it certainly doesn't hurt to get twice the smoked turkey deliciousness!) We like to call it our "T-day Practice Drill".

This year among the many delicacies that will grace our table, we've been itching to make the perfect fall take on our plump feathered friend with a cider brined turkey. Every 'lil gobbler needs a little sweetness, whether it's cranberries or in our case apples.

While browsing the store we found a beautiful lookin' turkey breast so we're using that as our test bird. And while you're making this test run turkey, go ahead and make two...or three. You won't regret it.

Oh, and to gild the lily a wee bit we glazed the beautiful bird with a rich apple cider glaze, sure to make that skin crispy and delicious.

AUTUMN CIDER BRINED TURKEY BREAST

PREP TIME: Overnight to brine
COOK TIME: 90 minutes to 2 hours
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Apple
SERVES: 6 to 8

INGREDIENTS

6 cups apple cider, divided use
4 cups ice water
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 bay leaves
1 T allspice
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup kosher salt
1 turkey breast
Traeger Pork and Poultry Shake
1 stick (1/2 cup) plus two tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature

PREPARATION

First make the brine. Simmer 4 cups apple cider, salt, allspice, garlic cloves, brown sugar and bay leaves in a large pot for 5 minutes, stirring often.

Cool completely. Add in the ice water. Place turkey in brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Drain turkey and rinse.

Start Traeger on Smoke, lid open, until fire is established (about 5 minutes).

Take two tablespoons of the softened butter and smear it under the skin of the turkey breast.

Use your fingers to gently spread the butter around under the skin.

Lightly season the turkey breast with the Pork & Poultry Shake. Smoke the breast on the Traeger for 1 hour.

While the turkey is smoking get the cider glaze going. Boil the remaining 2 cups of apple cider in a saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Whisk in butter. Cool completely.

Turn the heat up to 375 degrees F and cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F.

Brush the turkey with the cider glaze after the turkey has cooked for 20 minutes. If the breast starts to get too dark, cover it with foil.

Transfer turkey to a plate; tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes and then slice up and serve that sweet deliciousness.

PRINTABLE RECIPE:

Cider Brined Turkey Breast Recipe.docx (12.15 kb)

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Bacon Wrapped Brown Sugar Green Bean Bundles

I feel like the title of this recipe really delivers all of the key points I would normally hit on when writing the beginning of a side dish post.

Bacon: check. Brown Sugar: check. Veggies: check.

So, that pretty much covers it! Whip up these outstanding little bundles for your Thanksgiving feast and pretty much everybody will wonder why on earth they ever ate that nasty casserole. Blanch the green beans, toss in the brown sugar mixture and wrap in bacon the night before Thanksgiving for a side dish that cooks in minutes while your perfect Traeger'ed turkey is resting on the big day. 

 

Bacon Wrapped Brown Sugar Green Bean Bundles

 

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Recommended Pellets: Maple, Apple, Oak, Pecan, Alder

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs green beans. ends trimmed
4 strips bacon, cut in half
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt

PREPARATION: 

Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Gently place the green beans in the water, cover with a lid and boil for 8 minutes until tender-crisp. Remove from the water, and thoroughly dry on a paper towel.

In a large bowl combine the butter, brown sugar, garlic and salt. Toss the cooled green beans in the butter and brown sugar mixture.

Wrap each bundle of about 8-10 green beans in a piece of the bacon. Secure with a toothpick, if necessary and set aside. Repeat with the remaining bacon and green beans. If cooking the next day, cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to cook, start the Treager grill on Smoke with the lid open for 4-5 minutes to establish the fire. Close the lid and set the temperature to High. Allow the grill to preheat for 10-15 minutes.

Place the green bean bundles on the grill and cook for 10-15 minutes, turning once, until the bacon is crisp.

Serve immediately and enjoy!

 

Printable Recipe:

Bacon Wrapped Brown Sugar Green Bean Bundles.docx (14.09 kb)

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Traeger's Thanksgiving Smoky Spatchcocked Turkey

Here at Team Traeger, we have cooked enough turkeys over the years to feed every pilgrim on the Mayflower. We were fully convinced that we had done it all. Brine, dry brine, rub, stuff, smoke, roast... you name it. We've cooked it. We thought we knew the very best way to prep that glorious bird and please every palate. Then, one fateful Tuesday we were roasting up this spatchcocked chicken and the thought dawned on us that the method would likely translate well to a turkey as well. Turns out, we weren't the first people to think of it (thanks for the buzz kill, internet) but we were the first to perfect it because we threw that flattened turkey on our Traeger. We all know that wood smoke makes everything more delicious. 

For any of you reading this post and thinking, "why take the extra step to spatcock the turkey?" I give you the three best reasons any cook would want (especially on Thanksgiving.) Flavor, Time, and Space.

First, FLAVOR: A spatchcocked turkey has many advantages when it comes to flavor. Think about a traditionally cooked turkey. The smoky flavor coming from your Traeger circulates around the bird, penetrating it only from the outside while the large surface area inside goes un-smoked. Now imagine a flattened bird on your grill grate. The smoke is touching every available inch of your turkey, adding that extra hint of flavor from the bottom to the top and all around. A flat bird also ups the juiciness factor. How many times have you cooked a turkey and dried out the breast meat while trying to get the thighs up to the perfect temperature? With a spatchcocked turkey, cooking the thighs and breast meat takes the same amount of time because the heat is more evenly distributed throughout the bird.  A flat bird also keeps the juices right where they should be. No juices from the breast running down into the back of the bird. The breast stays nice and juicy and the thighs are perfectly tender.

Second, TIME: A flattened bird cooks in almost half the time of a traditional turkey. There are several methods for cooking a turkey on your Traeger, and they all work well for a spatchcocked turkey. We cooked ours slowly at 225 degrees to up the smoke flavor but you can also roast at 350 degrees and still get great flavor in a lot less time. A 12-14 lb bird will take approximately 2.5-3 hours at 225 degrees but only 1.5-2 hours at 350 degrees. Talk about a time saver on the busiest cooking day of the year! Our general guide is to cook your spatchcocked turkey for 11-12 minutes per pound at 225 degrees or 6-7 minutes per pound at 350 degrees.

Last of all: SPACE: Let's face it, a big bird needs a big space to cook and real estate on our grill grate is at a premium around the holidays. When we spatchcocked our turkey, it took up a little more space across the surface of the grill but opened up the top space in the grill. We used the extra rack in our Texas and were able to put three sides on the top rack to cook along with the turkey and still had enough space on the grill grate to roast several sweet potatoes as sides.

Below you'll find our method for cooking a spatchcocked turkey. It involves a brine, a simple salt and pepper rub, and basting during the slow smoke but you can switch out any of these parts for flavors your family likes. Just follow the guide above for proper cooking time and you'll be all set!

 

Traeger's Thanksgiving Smoky Spatchcocked Turkey

 

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Brine Time 8-16 hours
Cook Time: 2.5 hours
Serves: 12-14 people

INGREDIENTS:
12-14 lb fresh turkey (make sure it hasn't been previously injected with a brine solution)
For the brine:
16 cups cold water
2 cups apple cider
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
For the rub:
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
For the basting liquid:
4 tablespoons melted butter
1 tablespoon fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

PREPARATION:

Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and discard or set aside for giblet gravy, if desired. Flip the bird breast side down on a large cutting board or baking sheet and remove the backbone completely using heavy duty kitchen shears, an electric knife, or a sharp butcher's knife.

Turn the bird breast side up and spread apart the legs. Press heavily on the breastbone of the turkey until you hear a cracking sound and the turkey flattens out.

Combine all of the ingredients for the brine in a large container and stir until all of the sugar and salt crystals have dissolved. Place the turkey in the brine, cover, and refrigerate for at least 8 hours (up to 16).

When ready to cook, start the Traeger grill on Smoke with the lid open for 4-5 minutes to establish the fire. Close the lid and turn the temperature setting up to 225 degrees. Allow the grill to preheat for 10-15 minutes while you prepare the turkey.

Remove the turkey from the brine and dry throroughly with paper towels. Drizzle with olive oil and rub with your hands to cover all of the skin with the oil. Season liberally with kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the butter, lemon and sage butter basting liquid. Set aside.

Place the turkey directly on the grill grate, breast side up and close the lid. Roast at 225, basting with the butter mixture every 30 minutes for approximately 2.5 hours or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the breast meat reads 160 degrees F.

Remove the turkey to a large cutting board or serving platter and allow to rest for at least 25-30 minutes before slicing and serving. Do not tent the turkey with foil during the resting period or the skin will get soggy. Drizzle with any of the additional basting liquid before serving, if desired. Enjoy!

Printable Recipe:

 

Smoky Spatchcocked Turkey.docx (14.83 kb)

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Everything You Need To Know About Cooking A Turkey On Your Traeger Grill

Thanksgiving approaches and with that, we here at Team Traeger wanted to bring you the most comprehensive gathering of information available when it comes to turkey and your Traeger. The most important aspects of a killer turkey are flavor and texture. You want a turkey that tastes like turkey layered with subtle flavors and a kiss of Traeger's signature smoke. For texture, you want meat that is melt in your mouth juicy without turning to mush or taking an hour to chew. We can walk you through the entire process from brining to basting to get you the turkey you will dream of until next Thanskgiving (or next week). Read on to get the answers to the most common turkey-related questions we get every year.

 

Picking your Turkey:

 

How big of a turkey do I need? Typically we plan 1 lb of turkey per person. Yes, there will be leftovers but that never makes us sad.

Should I buy a kosher turkey or not? Kosher turkeys are injected with a salt solution to make them more flavorful and juicy. If you purchase a kosher turkey, you do not need to do an additional brine as this will make your turkey too salty and can adversely affect the texture. We recommend purchasing a turkey that hasn't been injected with anything so you can add your own flavor with a brine. If you have a kosher turkey and still wish to brine it, soak the turkey in cold water overnight to draw out some of the salt and then brine. In addition to being pre-salted, kosher turkeys are raised on a vegetarian diet and are hormone and anti-biotic free.

 

Thawing:

 

What's the best way to thaw my turkey?  There are two safe ways to thaw a turkey The  easiest way is to put a roasting pan under it and thaw in the refrigerator. Allow about 1 day for every 4 pounds. In other words, a 20-pounder will take 5 days. The second way to safely defrost a turkey is to make sure there are no tears in the wrapping, then submerge it in a sink, food-safe pail, or large basin filled with cold water (40 degrees F or less). It’s a good idea to put the turkey in a large resealable plastic bag so water and turkey juices don’t mingle. Allow about 45 minutes per pound. Be sure to drain and change the water every 30 minutes.

 

Brines:

 

Why would I brine a turkey? Brining a turkey adds more flavor and juiciness than any other method we have tried. Brining allows you to season your turkey from the inside out before cooking, and who doesn't want yummy flavor in every single bite? A simple brine is 1 gallon cold water, 1 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup brown sugar and any additional seasonings you'd like. We recommend peppercorns, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, or garlic. We have an awesome infographic post ALL about brining turkeys. If you are thinking about brining a bird, consult that post first.

How long should I brine my turkey? Opinion on this varies, but we recommend no less than 16 and no more than 32 hours. We find 24 hours is the perfect amount of time to add the right amount of flavor without the turkey getting too salty.

 

Rubs:

 

What do I season my turkey with? We like to keep this one simple and classic. We mix 8 tablespoons of softened butter with 2 tablespoons of finely chopped mixed herbs such as parsley, sage, rosemary and marjoram and use our fingers to press the butter mixture up under the skin of the turkey. Spread it evenly across all areas of the bird. Drizzle the outside of the bird with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and season liberally with salt and pepper or Traeger's Pork & Poultry Rub.

Stuffing:

 

Do I stuff the cavity of my turkey? This one is completely personal preference, but we personally prefer not to. When you stuff a turkey, the internal temperature of the stuffing must reach 165 degrees F and that typically means the breast and thigh meat of your turkey is much higher and the meat will be dry. We like to stuff the cavity of our turkeys with aromatics like onion, garlic, rosemary, thyme and citrus quarters that can infuse the meat with more flavor from the inside out.

 

Cooking the bird:

 

Directly on the grill or in a roasting pan? Again, personal preference. We will always choose to put a whole turkey in a roasting pan so we can collect the drippings for gravy. When using a roasting pan, we also like to add a few cups of broth to the bottom of the pan to steam the bird with extra flavor and moisture while cooking. No roasting pan? Layer the bottom of a large pan with carrot and celery sticks and place the bird on top. This will elevate the bird enough so it isn't stewing in its' own juices and will also add great flavor to the drippings.

How long and and what temperature do I cook my turkey? A small bird (8 to 12 pounds) requires 2-1/2 to 3 hours at 325 degrees F; a medium (12 – 18 pounds) will need 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours; and a large bird (over 18 pounds) could take up to 6 hours. 

How do I add more smoke flavor to my turkey? Cook your turkey on the Smoke setting for 1 to 3 hours, then finish cooking on higher heat (325 degrees F or higher) to reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees F and crisp the skin. We do not recommend cooking a turkey – especially a large one – entirely on the Smoke setting as it adds hours to the cooking time. The skin also tends to be rubbery as the heat on the Smoke setting isn’t high enough to render the fat. Check out our turkey guide below for more information.

What flavor of pellets should I use on a turkey? Our favorite is a 50/50 mix of apple and hickory. Of course, you can always refer to our pellet guide and pick your own or create a personal blend.

 

Basting:

 

Should I baste my turkey, or leave it alone? Basting is entirely optional. If you've already brined, seasoned, and smoked we don't think basting is completely necessary but it is a good way to add extra flavor to the skin specifically. Just keep in mind that every time you open the lid, you lose up to 20% of the heat in your grill.

 

Serving:

 

How long does my turkey need to rest? We recommend letting a 12-15  lb turkey rest for at least 20 minutes. Anything over 15 lbs needs at least 30 minutes to rest before carving. DO NOT tent your turkey with foil. Unless you enjoy soggy skin. The steam from the hot turkey will collect on the foil and drip onto your perfect turkey skin and make it anything but crispy.

There you have it, Traeger Nation. Our tried and true method for the perfect turkey. Got any tips to add?? Be sure to add your voice to our discussions on Facebook and Instagram @traegergrills. Also, tag us in your Thanksgiving food pictures using #traegerthanksgiving. We'd love to see what you make!

New guy from Colorado building me first smoker...

 "Quote: Originally Posted by DaveOmak  .... .... ...... ...... HEY!!!!! Dick,........."

Newbie needs help please!!

 "Yes that works for that method, utilizing flame or burning wood rather than coals. ..."

Wood Fire Cheater Sweet Kernel Cornbread

In the South everyone's mama has her own secret, patented recipe for cornbread that has been handed down through the generations. It's been made so many times that they've committed the recipe to memory and stashed the original away in a safety deposit box somewhere.

Ya just can't compete with that!

But sometimes you want to be able to whip up that buttery bite of cornbread without having to dig through the vaults or brush the dust off that cookbook.

Well, we have got you covered! We've Traeger'ed up something that is so ridiculously easy while not losing that rustic sweet cornbread taste that we love so much.

CHEATER'S SWEET KERNEL CORNBREAD

PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 30 to 45 minutes, plus 30 minutes if you grill the corn
RECOMMENDED PELLETS: Cherry, Apple or Alder
SERVES: 8 to 10

INGREDIENTS

1 box cornbread mix (plus ingredients required on box instructions)
1 box yellow cake mix (plus ingredients required on box instructions)
4 ears corn, shucked (you could use leftover, frozen or canned corn)
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 tablespoons butter to grease cast iron pan

PREPARATIONS

Start your Traeger on Smoke, lid open, until the fire is established (about 5 minutes). Preheat to High heat, lid closed, for about 15 minutes.

Drizzle the corn with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Put the corn on the Traeger and cook for about 30 minutes or until the kernels feel softened and cooked. You could definitely use leftover corn or even frozen or canned corn instead. Grilling the corn gives it that extra layer of caramelization and smokiness.

While the corn is cooking get started on the mixing of the cornbread. It seriously is as simple as combining both of the box mixes along with the ingredients required on the box instructions and mixing those puppies together.

Cut the corn kernels off the cobs and add them into the cornbread mixture. We also like to add in a couple of pinches of salt as well.

Turn the heat on the Traeger down to 325 degrees F.

Use the butter to grease a large cast iron skillet. Pour the cornbread mixture into the pan.

Place the pan on the Traeger and cook for about 30 - 45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cornbread comes out clean.

Rotate the skillet 180 degrees halfway through the cooking time and keep an eye on the browning. If it looks like it's getting too dark, cover the cornbread with aluminum foil.

Once you remove the cornbread from the Traeger let it cool for about 10 minutes before slicing and serving. Give those pieces a generous pad of butter and let that baby melt in before you take that first bite.

PRINTABLE RECIPE:

Cheater's Sweet Cornbread Recipe.docx (12.11 kb)