Grilled Spatchcock Turkey With Maple Butter And Apple Cider Brine Food

CIDER-BRINED TURKEY WITH MAPLE-CIDER GLAZE

Steps:

• For the turkey brine: Heat the apple cider, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, garlic, bay leaves, oranges, shallots, parsley, sage and thyme in a saucepot to dissolve the sugar and salt. Then let the mixture cool completely.
• Divide the turkey pieces between two 2 1/2-gallon resealable plastic bags or containers big enough to hold them. Add equal parts of the brine to the two bags. Let rest for several hours in the fridge, preferably overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry. Rub the skin with oil and sprinkle with pepper. Set the turkey on a metal rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet and cook about 15 minutes per pound, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part registers about 165 degrees F. The temperature will go up 5 to 10 degrees as it rests.
• For the glaze: Place a small saucepot over medium-high heat. Add the apple cider, turkey stock, maple syrup, butter, peppercorns and orange rind. Bring the mixture to a light simmer and reduce by half. Baste the turkey every now and then during the last half of the cooking time.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCK TURKEY WITH MAPLE BUTTER AND APPLE CIDER BRINE

Steps:

• Place brine mix and apple cider in an extra large soup pot.
• Bring mixture to a boil, cooking until salt has dissolved.
• Turn off heat and add cold water.
• Let brine cool to room temperature and then add spatchcock turkey. (See above post for instructions on how to spatchcock a turkey)
• Refrigerate overnight, up to 12 hours.
• Bring all of the maple butter ingredients to room temperature.
• Juice and zest the orange.
• In the bowl of a mixer, soften the butter.
• Slowly add the remaining ingredients to the butter, mixing thoroughly with each addition.
• Cover your mixer with a clean tea towel and turn up to high. Be patient, the butter will eventually whip to a fluffy consistency.
• Season butter with salt and pepper to taste.
• Divide butter into two portions: one to serve on the table and one for basting the turkey.
• Preheat grill to 300-350F using indirect heat (see above post for more details).
• Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels.
• Melt a portion of the maple butter and baste the turkey with it.
• Place turkey on the grill, breast side up and tuck the wings under the breast.
• Cover the grill and let cook for 30 minutes.
• At the 30 minute mark, start basting the turkey every 15 minutes until it is almost done (about 140-145F).
• When the turkey reaches 160F, remove from the grill, cover and let rest 15 minutes before carving.
• While the turkey rests. line the platter with greens.
• After you've carved the turkey, place fruit around the turkey and serve.

GRILLED APPLE-BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• To make the brine, in a large kettle, combine the first 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Stir in oranges. Remove from the heat. Add cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Remove giblets from turkey (discard or save for another use). Place a turkey-sized oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add turkey. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan or other large container. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours, turning occasionally., Prepare grill for indirect heat. Drain turkey, discarding brine. Rinse turkey under cold water; pat dry. Rub oil over skin. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together., Place breast side up on a rack in a disposable foil roasting pan. Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 30-40 minutes. Tent turkey with foil; grill, covered, until a thermometer reads 165°, 2-1/2 to 3 hours longer. Cover and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

SPATCHCOCKED GRILLED TURKEY

Steps:

• The day before roasting, combine the sugar, 1/4 cup salt and 2 teaspoons pepper in a small bowl. Rub the turkey all over with the salt mixture. Refrigerate on a baking sheet, uncovered, at least 8 hours and up to overnight.
• The next day, rinse the turkey and pat dry. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• Prepare a grill for medium indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes, turn off one of the middle burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer's guide for best results.)
• Place the turkey breast-side up over the drip pan and grill, covered, until the meat is cooked about halfway through, about 50 minutes. Turn and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F, about 50 minutes more. Move the turkey to direct heat and rotate to evenly brown the skin in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Transfer to a cutting board, cover and let rest 10 minutes before carving.

SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY WITH SAGE BUTTER AND GRAVY

Steps:

• For the turkey: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Remove and reserve the heart and giblets from the turkey cavity; remove and discard the liver. Flip the turkey upside down so the breast is on your cutting board. Using kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone to remove it. Using your fingers, gently separate the skin from the breast meat while keeping it attached. (You want to create a pocket for the sage butter without tearing the skin.)
• Push the Sage Butter under the skin of the turkey, being careful not to puncture it. Rub the skin with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• For the gravy: Put the bay leaves, garlic, apples, celery, carrots, onions, cinnamon stick and thyme in a roasting pan and sprinkle with salt. Add 2 cups of the chicken stock and 1 cup of the apple cider, as well as the heart, giblets and backbone of the turkey.
• Roast the turkey: Place a roasting rack on top of the vegetables and set the turkey on the rack. Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes. Tent the turkey with foil and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the leg (without touching bone) registers 175 degrees F. Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, finish the gravy: Strain all the veggies over a bowl; discard the veggies. Skim the fat from the pan juices and add it to the roasting pan; this is the fat for the roux.
• Set the roasting pan over 2 burners over low heat and whisk in the flour. Cook until the mixture looks like wet sand, 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the remaining 1 cup apple cider and 2 cups chicken stock, as well as the strained pan juices from the bowl. Cook until the mixture has thickened and reached a gravy consistency. Taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper as needed. Pour into a serving pitcher or bowl and serve with the turkey.
• Mix the butter with the sage and some salt and pepper until well blended. Set aside.

GRILLED SPATCHCOCKED TURKEY RECIPE

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry with paper towels and season liberally all over with salt and black pepper. Tuck wing tips behind back. Place turkey on wire rack set in a rimmed baking sheet and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours.
• Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals in a crescent moon shape on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Place wood chunk(s) directly on top of hot coals. Remove rack with turkey from sheet pan and place on grill, with turkey legs and thighs placed closer to the coals. Cover, situating top vent over cool side of grill, and cook until an instant-read thermometer registers between 165-170°F (74°C-77°C) in thickest part of the thigh and between 145-150°F (63°C-66°C) in thickest part of the breast, about 90 minutes, replenishing coals after an hour if needed.
• Remove rack with turkey from grill and place over a cutting board. Let rest at room temperature for 20 minutes, then remove wire rack and carve turkey. Serve immediately with gravy.