RayClem
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- May 4, 2022
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- Chicago suburbs
- Grill
- Ironwood 885, Char-Griller Flat Iron Premium griddle, InkBird Sous Vide
I know this thread is a little late for our Canadian friends who celebrated Thanksgiving a little over a month ago.
For many years, I cooked the Thanksgiving turkey in the kitchen over. Since purchasing my Traeger Ironwood, I have been smoking the turkey. The results have been wonderful. As long as I am able and my Traeger still produces smoke, I will continue to smoke my turkey. I started this thread so others can post their experiences with the Thanksgiving turkey or other foodstuffs cooked on their Traegers this year. Be sure to post photos of the cook.
My wife purchased a 12# frozen Butterball turkey. Its only the two of us celebrating as other family members are too far away. The turkey is thawing slowly in a picnic cooler along with a bag of ice din the garage. Since cold air and high winds from Canada are supposed to make its way into the Chicago area on Wednesday, I plan to smoke the turkey on Tuesday when the high temperature is predicted to be 54F. Although the Traeger will function in cold weather, I am not quite so fond of cold accompanied by wind.
Some folks spatchcock their turkeys for more even cooking, but I prefer the traditional appearance of the whole bird. I will coat the turkey with soft butter and then sprinkle liberally with poultry seasoning both inside and out. The inside will be packed with onion, celery and apple for flavor. If you have fresh thyme, marjoram, oregano, or rosemary, that can be added as well. We cook the dressing separately.
I will start the cook at 225F (measured by a 3rd party thermometer). I like using cherry pellets, but pecan, oak or a competition blend also works.. I monitor the internal temperature of the turkey with two ThermoPro Spike wireless temperature probes. When the internal temp gets above 155F, boost the cook temp up to 400F to brown the turkey and bring the internal temp to 165F. If the skin becomes too brown before the internal temp hits 165F, cover the breast of the turkey with foil. If you have to cook the turkey on Thanksgiving Day, you will either need to start very early in the morning, or cook at a higher temperature to shorten the cooking time.
We will eat the breast of the turkey for a few days. Then the carcass will go into a large stew pot to be boiled to release the meat from the bones. The combination of white and dark meat will be used to make Southern style Brunswick stew. Traditionally, the stew was made with squirrel or rabbit taken in the wild, but it is just as good with turkey or chicken if squirrel and rabbit are not available. The stew also contains cubed white potatoes, baby lima beans, corn (white corn or mixed sweet corn works best), and stewed tomatoes. Season with poultry seasoning and Lawry's seasoned salt to taste. If no one in your family is gluten sensitive, you can also add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. We divide the large pot of stew into meal sized containers and place in the freezer for later use. A bowl of hot Brunswick stew is wonderfully comforting throughout the cold winter months.
OK. Now that you know my plans, what are yours? Bon Apatite!
For many years, I cooked the Thanksgiving turkey in the kitchen over. Since purchasing my Traeger Ironwood, I have been smoking the turkey. The results have been wonderful. As long as I am able and my Traeger still produces smoke, I will continue to smoke my turkey. I started this thread so others can post their experiences with the Thanksgiving turkey or other foodstuffs cooked on their Traegers this year. Be sure to post photos of the cook.
My wife purchased a 12# frozen Butterball turkey. Its only the two of us celebrating as other family members are too far away. The turkey is thawing slowly in a picnic cooler along with a bag of ice din the garage. Since cold air and high winds from Canada are supposed to make its way into the Chicago area on Wednesday, I plan to smoke the turkey on Tuesday when the high temperature is predicted to be 54F. Although the Traeger will function in cold weather, I am not quite so fond of cold accompanied by wind.
Some folks spatchcock their turkeys for more even cooking, but I prefer the traditional appearance of the whole bird. I will coat the turkey with soft butter and then sprinkle liberally with poultry seasoning both inside and out. The inside will be packed with onion, celery and apple for flavor. If you have fresh thyme, marjoram, oregano, or rosemary, that can be added as well. We cook the dressing separately.
I will start the cook at 225F (measured by a 3rd party thermometer). I like using cherry pellets, but pecan, oak or a competition blend also works.. I monitor the internal temperature of the turkey with two ThermoPro Spike wireless temperature probes. When the internal temp gets above 155F, boost the cook temp up to 400F to brown the turkey and bring the internal temp to 165F. If the skin becomes too brown before the internal temp hits 165F, cover the breast of the turkey with foil. If you have to cook the turkey on Thanksgiving Day, you will either need to start very early in the morning, or cook at a higher temperature to shorten the cooking time.
We will eat the breast of the turkey for a few days. Then the carcass will go into a large stew pot to be boiled to release the meat from the bones. The combination of white and dark meat will be used to make Southern style Brunswick stew. Traditionally, the stew was made with squirrel or rabbit taken in the wild, but it is just as good with turkey or chicken if squirrel and rabbit are not available. The stew also contains cubed white potatoes, baby lima beans, corn (white corn or mixed sweet corn works best), and stewed tomatoes. Season with poultry seasoning and Lawry's seasoned salt to taste. If no one in your family is gluten sensitive, you can also add a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce. We divide the large pot of stew into meal sized containers and place in the freezer for later use. A bowl of hot Brunswick stew is wonderfully comforting throughout the cold winter months.
OK. Now that you know my plans, what are yours? Bon Apatite!
