First turkey method?

Search for "Mad Max's Turkey and Gravy" recipe, and follow it to the letter.  The best.

indirect on the grate……This was my first one and not my last.

Raised direct has also worked well for me, but my go-to turkey method is spatchcocked and indirect with Mickey's rub at 350-375 degrees. Don't go crazy on smoke, but a touch of cherry is just right for us.

OK.....this recipe takes a couple of days so here we go...

1st thing that you will need is a cooler that will fit your bird with the brine


Brine

1 Gallon of water
1/2 cup of Garlic Powder
1/2 cup of Onion Powder
1/3 cup of pepper
1 cup of salt
1 cup of Brown sugar
A few bay leaves (your preference)
2 cans of bluebird apple juice from concentrate
1 can of bluebird cranberry juice from concentrate


Bring the Brine to a boil string frequently, and let cool on stove top

Break up a bag of ice and put about 5 lbs in the cooler 

Combine Brine with the Ice

Drop the turkey in and brine for 48 hrs.......

Now for the compound butter.....

2 tbsp of garlic powder
2 tbsp of onion powder
Fresh thyme, sage, rosemary (yes I know Simon and Garfunkel) to taste... your preference on amounts
I usually put thin in a coffee grinder for a few seconds and get it really fine.
2 stick of salted butter

Use a potato masher to incorporate the spices and herbs
(careful not to over due it or you will melt the butter)

Once everything is incorporated well, put the butter in a one gallon freezer bag and roll the bag up so you have a "roll" of butter at the bottom of the bag and freeze for a day.......

At the end of the 48 hour brine, pull the bird and place on the table breast side up

cut slits on the bottom of the breast closest to the legs, and use your fingers to separate the skin from the breast but be careful not to tear the skin..........

Take your compound butter and cut into 1/4 inch "wafers" to place into the slits that you created in between the skin and breast meat....
Make sure you get the wafers all the way to the top of the breast meat

Take the remainder of the butter and rub all over the bird 

Bring the ol EGG up to 275 and cook for a couple of hours then cover with a wet cheese cloth and drop the temp down to 225 for the remainder of the cook

Check the bird every hour to hour and a half to make the cheese cloth stays wet.....I just use water to do so

Pull off once the bird reaches a internal temp of 165

let rest and eat 

big fan of gravy and mad max gravy is outstanding.  tday would not be the same for me without it, i even cook a second bird for double the gravy, sometimes do a bird the week before just in case on the gravy.

Mickey said:

Spatchcocked Turkey and Chicken on the Big Green Egg

(you cut out the backbone and cook opened)

I like a 11/12 lb bird. If I need lots of turkey I just cook a couple ( 1 & 1/2  hr cook app)

Chicken 3 to 3.75lb bird or birds. Under an hour cook. 

Or, just add a package of legs extra. 

I do not brine the turkey or Chicken. 

If time I like to leave uncovered in the fridge overnight (no problem if no time) 

I cook "direct" @ 400/425 on a raised grill "skin side up" and never turn over.

I will use a coffee rub. Use what you like.

NOTE PLEASE (A LOT OF SMOKE IS NOT YOU FRIEND)

I use about a single handfull of mixed chips: Cherry & Pecan. 

Cook Turkey to temp (not time) breast @ 155/160 and thigh @ 165.

Cook Chicken to temp breast 160.

Rest both 10 mins.

 

Coffee Rub (turkey, chicken, beef & pork)

Equal part: Instant Expresso Ground coffee..

Equal part: Brown Sugar..

½ part: Black Pepper..

½ part: Kosher Salt..

½ part: Garlic Powder..

¾ part: Ancho Chili Powder..

  Don't worry on exact, just close on measurement. I used to use turbinado sugar but we like with brown better. This is pulled from MollyShark, Hungry Man, & Richard In Fl then tweaked. I find the ancho chili powder is far less expensive in the bulk spice area than the bottled area ( have used both light or dark version). I make it starting with a half cup Instant Expresso Ground coffee and work from there as it seems to store well if sealed.

160 is too much in the breast. 155 is fine.