Elevate your Thanksgiving turkey with this recipe for a wet-brined, spatchcocked turkey, cooked to juicy perfection over the coals.
This recipe is part of our series with chef, traveler, speaker, storyteller and TV Host Jay Ducote.
INGREDIENTS
For the brine:
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoons granulated garlic
1 tablespoon ground black pepper 1 x 15-18lb whole turkey, natural or unenhanced if possible (if your turkey is enhanced with a salt brine - described on the packaging - then skip the brine step)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet BBQ Rub
INSTRUCTIONS
For best results, brine your turkey for 12 hours or up to a full a day ahead of time. To make the brine, combine 2 gallons of cold water with kosher salt, brown sugar, worcestershire, garlic, and black pepper in a food safe container. Submerge the turkey in the brine, and keep the turkey refrigerated during this process.
Set up a Sea Island Forge fire kettle for low and slow cooking. This will consist of a nice coal bed made with charcoal or natural wood that has mostly burnt down into coals. Use the Sea Island Forge adjustable grill grate with a heat dome.
While the coals are lighting or the fire is burning, remove the turkey from the brine, and pat dry with paper towels. Use kitchen shears or a knife to cut on either side of the backbone, and remove it entirely, then break through the breast bone with a cleaver. Flip the turkey over and press on the breast until the breast bone splits and the turkey lays flat.
Apply a thin layer of olive oil all over the turkey. Season the entire turkey on both sides with Jay D’s Spicy & Sweet Barbecue Rub. Place the turkey on the Sea Island Forge grill with the breasts up, and lay the thighs and legs out flat and tuck the wing tips under the breasts. Maneuver the turkey over the heat with the thighs and legs over the hotter part of the kettle. Cover the grill with the heat dome and cook for 2.5-3.5 hours, maintaining a temperature of around 275-300F as best as possible, adjusting the grill and the coals as necessary.
Periodically check the coal bed and add some extra charcoal or another log of good cooking wood (I mostly use pecan in Louisiana). Use a meat thermometer to monitor the temperature of your bird. Check at the thickest part of the thigh. Cook until the temperature reaches at least 165F. Once the turkey is at temperature, remove it from the grill onto a large carving board and loosely cover it with foil. Allow it to rest for around 10 minutes before carving.
