Holidays
The Five Incarnations of Turkey – Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
Thanksgiving is coming and that means … another Raichlen turkey experiment. The task of cooking the turkey has devolved to me most of my adult life, and I’ve rarely done it the same way twice.
Over the years, I’ve cooked turkey by indirect grilling, spit-roasting, spatchcocking, beer-canning, and more. I’ve rubbed the bird, brined it, injected it, and slid truffle butter under the skin.
My conclusion: there is no one “right” way to cook turkey—each technique has unique advantages and tastes.
Last week, I gave you my First Timers Turkey recipe—my failproof formula for making a drop dead gorgeous, awe-inspiring Thanksgiving bird—even if you’ve never done it before.
This week I want to tell you some other ways I’ve prepared turkey over the years.
So ladies and gentlemen: fire up your grill.
Wishing you a happy Thanksgiving!
SR
Thanksgiving Turkey Recipes
Turkey with truffle butter under the skin
Here’s a dish from my cooking school days in Paris, and it solves the perennial problem of dry turkey breast. The secret? Use an injector sauce and stuff with truffle slices and herb butter under the skin. The injector sauce will add extra moisture and flavor to the turkey meat.
Turkey adobo with mojo de ajo
In Miami, our food culture is firmly anchored in Latin America and the West Indies. This recipe is a holiday turkey—Miami style, spiced with adobo, a garlic-cumin marinade, and served with a sour orange sauce called Mojo.
Beer can turkey
You wouldn’t, would you—not with America’s most revered culinary emblem—Thanksgiving turkey? Well, sorry, Mr. Rockwell, but here comes the strangest incarnation of all: beer can turkey.
Double Whiskey-Smoked Turkey
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays because we get to fire up a lot of smokers to prepare the Thanksgiving feast. We always smoke our turkey for Thanksgiving. I love the way the joint techniques of brining and smoking give you a bird with incredibly moist flesh. No more dry turkey!
Citrus smoked turkey beast
Here’s a turkey breast bright with citrus (lemon, lime, orange, and grapefruit, pureed rind and all), with fennel pollen (or fennel seeds) for a licoricy sweetness—inspired by the Pig & Pickle in Scottsdale, Arizona.
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