Delightfully brined and trussed, this classic recipe is coated with a rich, aromatic glaze and packed with bold, zesty flavors of apple, garlic, rosemary, and sage. Make this holiday one to remember!
Category
Entree
Servings
14
Prep Time
30 minutes
Cook Time
3 hours 30 minutes
Calories
471
Chef Tom fires up the Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill and roasts a brined, trussed, whole Classic Holiday Turkey with a sweet and savory glaze. This is the quintessential holiday turkey and hits all the flavor notes you expect from a traditional bird— apple, garlic, rosemary and sage.
Ingredients
- 14 lb whole turkey
-
2 (16 oz) bottles Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath
-
1 cup Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
- 2 gallons cool water
-
Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust AP Seasoning
- 1 cup unsalted butter, for injecting
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
-
1/4 cup Reida Farm Wildflower Honey
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1/4 tsp whole cloves
-
ATBBQ Classic Holiday Turkey Kit
For the glaze:
Get the kit for this recipe
Directions
- In a 22 quart Briner Bucket, combine the two bottles Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath, 1 cup Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt and 2 gallons water. Whisk well.
- Place the turkey in the briner bucket. Submerge the bird with the plate and lock into place. Brine the turkey for 1-1.5 hours per pound (14-21 hours).
- Remove the turkey from the Briner Bucket. Transfer to a wire rack over a sheet pan. Pat dry with paper towels. Transfer to the refrigerator and let the skin dry out, uncovered, for 24 hours.
- Preheat your Yoder Smokers YS640s Pellet Grill to 450ºF, set up for indirect grilling (diffuser in place).
- Melt the butter. Let cool slightly (5 minutes). Load the butter into your pistol grip injector. Inject the butter into the breasts.
- Rub excess butter over the surface of the skin. Season the turkey on all surfaces with Cattleman’s Grill Trail Dust AP Seasoning.
- Truss the turkey with butcher’s twine, tying the legs together and pulling them toward the breasts, also pinning the wings to the sides of the breasts. Touch up the seasoning, as needed.
- Place the turkey (still on the wire rack over the sheet pan) on the main cooking grate, toward the right side of the grill. Cook at 450ºF for 45 minutes.
- In the meantime, combine all ingredients for the glaze in a Lodge 8” Cast Iron Skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for about one minute.
- After 45 minutes, turn the heat down to 325ºF and brush the turkey with the glaze.
- Continue cooking until the internal temperature reaches 155ºF in the breasts, basting every 45 minutes.
- Remove the Classic Holiday Turkey from the grill and rest 20 minutes before carving.
Nutrition
Nutrition
- Serving Size
- 4 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 471
Amount/Serving
% Daily Value
- Carbs
- 5 grams
- Protein
- 38 grams
- Fat
- 33 grams
- Sodium
- 492 milligrams
I followed the instructions, with one exception. I brought the breast temp up to 165 degrees instead of 155 degrees, which was suggested in the video. The glaze worked perfectly, and our bird looked just like the picture; it was moist and flavorful – everyone loved it! The one note I made was that the glazing and rotation removed excess heat, which extended the cooking time by nearly an hour in PNW 40-degree conditions. We have been asked to host again next year – because of the bird.
Should be done soon. Looks GREAT!
Chef Tom, making this for Thanksgiving this year. Just checking, is it ok to run at that high temp with the entire diffuser in place? Yoder suggests not to run above 300 degrees C with the diffuser in place. Thanks and great recipe.
Sounds like a great recipe and I’m about to order the traditional flavor brine concentrate.
I just have one question.
You mentioned patting the turkey dry and letting it dry out in a refrigerator overnight.
Would spraying the turkey with Duck Fat before roasting help with a crispy brown skin?