I know, I know. You just finished off the last of your Thanksgiving Turkey and you haven't even begun to start thinking about your Christmas Turkey. Well, I am here to tell you- you should be! Christmas is only 23 days away! For those of you already feeling inadequate, I have had my Christmas Eve and Christmas Day menu planned since Halloween! Why you might ask? Because that is what I do. I start thinking about Halloween at my birthday, and I am in full holiday mode before the last jack-o-lantern has been smashed in the street by those annoying delinquent teenagers the next block over (which is also why we have a fake pumpkin now).
Maybe you don't feel up to Christmas just yet? Don't feel overwhelmed. Just make a plan, get your shopping done as early as possible and don't forget to delegate. I have embraced my Obsessive and Excessive holiday planning this year. I am going to celebrate the holidays to their maximum capacity, but I am not going to make myself crazy. Last week I sent a schedule to everyone coming for Christmas. A little much? I don't think so. Now everyone knows what the plan is and what needs to happen. I like plans. I like knowing what to bring, where to go, and when to be there. For my husbands sake, I even listed naps (his favorite) and grocery trips (his least favorite).
When it comes to the food, it is almost more important to plan ahead than at Thanksgiving. With all the present opening and family visiting, who wants to be stuck in the kitchen? You have to make as many things as you can in advance. You also need an action plan so you don't spend two days cooking by yourself and completely miss the holidays (yep, did that last year). Enter, Grill Roasted Turkey. Let the men be men and watch the Turkey this year. Even better if you can send them all to the backyard with a 6 pack so you don't have to watch sports or worse, The History Channel. They don't really have to do much, just stand around the grill, and occasionally baste the bird- but they will be out of your hair, and not napping while you do all the work. You will have to prep the bird, and provide them with instructions, but the heavy lifting will be up to them.
You Will Need:
1 turkey, 1.5 pounds per person- washed and cavity searched
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar (whatever kind you have extra of)
1 TBSP black peppercorns
1 pack fresh holiday herbs (if you cant find them, just use some poultry seasoning.)
1 stick softened butter (you can also substitute 1/2 cup olive oil)
1 TBSP Poultry Seasoning
1 TBSP Cajun Seasoning (or salt and pepper)
Bits and pieces of carrot/onion/celery/lemon- whatever is left over from other recipes
2 heavy duty disposable aluminum pans
Aluminum Foil
Beach Towel
Turkey Thermometer (not the pop up timer that comes in the bird!)
Turkey baster
For the Turkey Brine (Christmas Eve):
24 hours before you plan on cooking, boil a large pot of water with 1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar (white, brown, both- whatever), 1 tbsp black peppercorns. Once the sugar and salt dissolve, remove from heat and add in 1/2 pack of holiday herbs. Allow the water to cool (add ice, cold water, etc) Place your clean turkey (neck, giblets removed- do that cavity search!) in a cooler or 5 gallon bucket. Pour the COOL water mixture over the turkey. Make sure your water is not hot or you will cook the turkey! Add enough water and ice so the turkey is completely submerged. Place bags of ice in the water to keep the turkey cold. Flip the turkey over at the 12 hour mark. Check the ice frequently, swapping out the melted ice bags for fresh ice as needed...just don't let the water freeze.
To cook the Turkey (Christmas Day):
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well. Don't forget to rinse, it will be too salty otherwise. Sprinkle the cavity with salt and pepper. Place bits of onion, celery, the rest of the holiday herbs, carrots, lemon ( whatever makes you happy) inside. Mix the softened butter, poultry seasoning, and cajun seasoning together. Dry the turkey really well, and rub the butter mixture all over the skin. Place the turkey in the disposable roasting pans (use both so they don't collapse), on top of more veggies (the same that you shoved inside). Cover with aluminum foil an cook 15 minutes per pound. After you reach the 2 hour mark, baste every 15 minutes (leave the foil off at this point). Keep the grill between 350-450. Remove the Turkey from the grill with the internal temp is between 160-165 (the timer that comes with the Turkey will not pop). Replace the foil, cover with beach towels, and allow to rest 20 min-1 hour.
DO NOT CARVE THE TURKEY UNTIL YOU ARE READY TO EAT. WHEN EVERYTHING ELSE IS DONE, AND SOMEONE IS MAKING GRAVY, THEN YOU MAY CARVE THE TURKEY. Seriously, the turkey needs time to rest. The beach towels will keep it hot and carving it too soon will only make it dry.
That's What's for Christmas Dinner!
No comments:
Post a Comment