As the morning went on...

We got the bird on at 6:50 am. Chuck had suggested I make notes so here they are. As Thanksgiving day went on, the temperature outside and in the grill started going down. It had been 550 until we opened and loaded the grill. It got up to 225 and we picked up Jeff and went to Starbucks. Follow my notes for the morning schedule. Here is the view from the kitchen table but the bad news was the weather kept deteriorating. Pies were made by Jeff and I and baked and around 10:30am the temp was 190 degrees and we had more rain/sleet. We decided that it would be best to take the turkey off and put it in the oven. It looked and smelled great. You can see by my notes that them temperature kept rising and we took the turkey out of the oven at 12:45pm. Although I was disappointed that I didn't get it ALL cooked in the BGE I consider it a success since everyone said it was the best turkey they had ever had. It was incredibly moist and tasted great today on sandwiches we shared today with 3 generations of family and friends:) I look forward to the Christmas challenge!!

Thanksgiving 2010 or Turkey 101 on the BGE

Gary got me up at 6:15am and I dashed downstairs to light the grill. It was misting and cold outside. I took the turkey out of pot and scooped off alot of the herbs to mix with 1 & 1/2 sticks of softened butter. I applied that to the bird but I need someone to tell me how to apply the butter consistently. Mine was in lumps and did not smooth out very well. Mad Max suggested that you fill a pan with water so I used part of the brined mixture along with an apple, a lemon, an orange, 2 onions, 2 sticks of celery and 2 carrots to keep moisture in the grill. We could also use this for gravy or for a turkey broth to use for a leftover recipe. I put the items in a foil pan but as I was getting ready to put it on the plate setter I discovered it would not fit. I ran for the green egg pan and Gary helped me transfer the pan items so we could get everything in the BGE quickly. Gary placed the turkey directly on the grill grates.

Thanksgiving Eve and preparing my first Thanksgiving dinner

My feelings were excitement and nervousness as I approached Thanksgiving and cooking it for my family for the first time. This was my first whole turkey and in addition cooking with the challenge of the BGE! I got lots of advice and read alot on the Internet. The decision to brine or not brine was made when Josh brought be the Fire and Flavor Turkey Perfect Herb brine. We also consulted on how we were approaching our preparation. We also shared a link I found on the nakedwhiz.com which was Mad Max's Turkey and Gravy. Alot of good tips. Tuesday at lunch I purchased my fresh turkey at Dillons, a Honeysuckley White weighing in at 13.43 lb and on sale for .99 per lb. So Thanksgiving Eve night I followed the Turkey Perfect instructions by removing the neck and giblets from inside the turkey, boiling water and the brine mix then adding sugar and vinegar before cooling off the mixture with more water and ice. I had a pot that I put the mixture in but also was able to put the turkey in it after it cooled off. The pot went in the fridge for the night. Josh also gave me a handful of pecan chips which I soaked over night.

Turkey Breast- bone in- test for Thanksgiving- November 8th

Since Thanksgiving is around the corner, I thought I should see what it was like to cook a turkey breast on the BGE. I went to Outdoor Home to buy some lump charcoal and visited with a guy about cooking a turkey breast. He was cooking one at the store so suggested I purchase Fire & Flavor Mustard and Herb Blend rub. He suggested I rub butter on the turkey along with the herb rub. I purchased a Honeysuckle White 6.65lb frozen turkey bone-in turkey breast. It took 3 days in the fridge to thaw out. I used the inverted plate setter and put foil on top of it to catch the drippings. I got maintained the heat at 325 and cooked the turkey for over 3 hours using a thermometer to get the heat to 160 degrees. I did let it cook a few minutes over when the I had checked it and I think I overcooked it a bit. It was slightly dry.

Tri-tips November 6, 2010 with John and Jenny

I had never tasted or cooked tri-tips. I went to our local Harter House and bought 2 tri-tips with a BBQ rub on them. I lighted the grill and got the temp to 550 degrees. I cooked on each side of for 3 minutes, one of the sides burned. I took them off and wrapped in foil while the temperature lowered to 350. I cooked another 25 minutes and they were medium when I took them off. I also cooked new potatoes with olive oil and rosemary, in foil, on the side. I carved them across the grain. They were simple, delicious and more tender than I expected! We liked them and the cost is substantially less than beef tenderloin.

Why I have been away from this

Our dog has had some back issues and thankfully we have gotten him better. This is what happens when you don't use the BGE. MOLD. The first blog I read said to clean it completely out and bleach it to kill the mold. But alas all it took was lighting a hot fire and burning it off. Didn't look pretty and at first I thought I had ruined it! I've only used it a couple of times since and will next blog those entries then report on our Thanksgiving turkey.