Make your turkey the toast of Christmas day!
Bring some pizazz to your Christmas Day offering by taking a leaf out of Kamado Joe’s cookbook. They advocate abandoning the tradition of oven roasting the joint for firing up the Kamado Joe!
Want the recipe for success? Read on to find out how to make your turkey memorable come 25th December.
Do it the Kamado Joe way!
Think of Christmas dinner and the festive choice is often turkey. In fact, it’s estimated that 10 million turkeys are eaten in the UK each Christmas!
There are indeed lots of ways to cook a turkey. But nothing beats using a Kamado Joe to do so! Best thing is, that by cooking on the Kamado Joe, not only will your turkey be delicious, you’ll also free up space in your oven for your other Christmas dinner essentials such as roast potatoes and pigs in blankets!
Getting started
Preparation is key, so plan ahead by ensuring you have all the ingredients you need. Choose the right size of turkey too. Remember that birds that are 12-14 pounds tend to cook more evenly. However, if you’re entertaining the masses, why not opt for two smaller turkeys rather than one large one.
And don’t forget to thaw your turkey if it’s frozen!
Brine to make your turkey shine!
The experts at Kamado Joe advocate brining your turkey first. This can be either a dry or wet brine. Do this overnight on Christmas Eve, ready for cooking Christmas Day.
Once brined, rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry. For a crispy, golden, skin make sure it’s dry as possible.
Tis’ the season
Season your turkey with dry seasoning, ensuring your get into every nook and cranny of the joint. For an extra moist turkey, inject the joint with butter.
Roast, roast, roast!
Before the cook off begins, ensure you have enough wood chunks and charcoal for the entire cooking time required.
Light the charcoal in your Kamado Joe and set the dampers to allow the grill to get to between 350- and 375-degrees Fahrenheit.
Place a range of roasting vegetables such as onions, carrots, and celery in a single layer in the bottom of a disposable foil pan. Then it’s time for the main attraction! Place the turkey on top of the vegetables.
How long is long enough?
As a guide, it takes roughly 13 minutes to roast each pound of turkey using a temperature set at 350 degrees. This means that a 12-to-14-pound turkey will roast in approximately three hours.
Once you hit the two hour mark, start checking the temperature of the turkey. A temperature probe inserted in the thickest part of the thigh is the best way to do this.
Once the temperature probe registers 180 degrees, your turkey will be cooked. Find your thermometer or meat probe here.
Give it a rest
Once cooked, allow your turkey to rest. Thirty minutes is ideal and doing this will allow the turkey juices to absorb into the meat. The result? A flavoursome bite with every slice!
Find out more
Fancy a Kamado Joe? Take a look at what’s on offer at Bell BBQ Shop
