Our Turkeys will have a fantastic flavour whatever way you chose to cook them, because of the way we bring them up. So why not have a look at some different ways that don’t involve the oven!
Deep Fried Turkey
Deep-fried turkey is a Southern American tradition, who try to cling to it as the most delicious (and most deliciously unhealthy) way to prepare a turkey. Aside from the oily, greasy, artery-clogging goodness, it’s also extremely quick. You’ll want to use an outdoor cooker of some sort, perhaps a propane burner (Please don’t deep-fry a turkey indoors!) Most recipes call for peanut oil, but vegetable oil will also work for the deep fry. Just watch you don’t burn yourself.
When you’re ready to actually fry your bird, you’ll be pleased to know that the actual cooking time is less than an hour; this means you’ll be able to devote more time for telly and drinking.
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Grilled Turkey
One of the best parts about grilling a bird is the extra space it frees up in the kitchen for goose-fat potatoes, roasted vegetables, and fluffy Yorkshire puddings. (It also gives all the men in the house something fun to do besides drinking). Kitchen capacity aside, some experts maintain that the crisp smokiness of grilled turkey beats the oven any day of the week.
Grilling does pose a few added challenges, though. For one, BBQ grills are less precise than ovens, so you’ll need to keep an eye on both the grill thermometer (if you have one) and the meat thermometer – which is absolutely necessary. Meat tends to dry out faster on grills, too, and it’ll be tougher to capture turkey drippings for your gravy. Some grills feature a holder at the front of the unit for this very purpose.
Smoked Turkey
Smokers allow you to be creative with some of the unique tastes that wood chips add, and you don’t even need to season the bird beforehand, although we still recommend it. Some cooks like to marinade the turkey beforehand with unusual ingredients, such as wine, bourbon, or apple cider. And different types of wood will impart different flavors to the bird.
Turkey stuffed with other birds
The infamous, all-powerful turducken is a turkey… stuffed with a duck… stuffed with a chicken. That simple three-punch combo is enough to capture the imagination of anyone who has ever enjoyed eating a bird.
There are a million-and-a-half recipes, and a million-and-one ways to screw up this delicate culinary concoction. We recommend keeping it simple, especially if it’s your first time making a turducken. But whatever your method, be patient—these take a while to cook.
Turkey on a Beer can
You sort of have to see this one to believe it. It involves steam-infusing your bird with beer (and, optionally, herbs) by shoving a partially full 24 or 32-ounce can into the cavity and using it as a stand. It’s brilliant, obviously, and any way to combine beer and food is a worthy endeavor.
The turkey is cooked on a large grill using indirect heat, with the beer-can stand ensuring mostly uniform cooking. The evaporating beer keeps the interior moist, and the herbs add flavor. In a sense, this method is like the perfect combination of grilling and smoking!
And did we mention it’s infused with beer? Just make sure you choose a decent beer— but nothing too expensive.
