Cooked Turkey on the Green Egg that was brined in an ICEMULE Pro

The ICEMULE Pro: The Perfect Companion for Brining Your Thanksgiving Turkey

The ICEMULE Pro: The Perfect Companion for Brining Your Thanksgiving Turkey

We joined Chris Ritchie from @smoksignalsLR as he demonstrates how to prepare a mouthwatering Thanksgiving turkey using the ICEMULE Pro. In the video, Chris shows you how to brine a 16-pound turkey overnight in the ICEMULE Pro cooler, infusing it with incredible flavors and ensuring a juicy and flavorful result. With the ICEMULE Pro's insulation, size, and wide opening, brining your turkey has never been easier.The bag keeps everything tight and secure and you are sure to impress your guests with a flavorful turkey, thanks to the ICEMULE Pro. This gets us excited for Thanksgiving Turkey!

ICEMULE Pro Large or the ICEMULE Pro XL

Description of my Turkey Cook Session

I bought a 16-pound frozen turkey.  Remember, that it takes a few days to thaw in the refrigerator.  Get it early to ensure it’s completely thawed!  You do not want to try and thaw a big turkey the day of your party.  You have more important things to do!

I bought Kinder’s Butcher’s Brine Kit from Walmart.  I have a link below.  I always brine my turkeys now.  You get a juicier turkey. You can also make your own brine and there are many recipes on the internet.  Kinder’s brine kit is so good because you have everything you need.

For the brine, Kinder’s makes it very easy to follow the directions.  You put the contents in a pot and bring to a boil.  I added a lemon, an orange, and a few sprigs of thyme.  You don’t have to add anything else if you do not want to do so. Then add more water and ice to let it cool down.

Take the turkey out of the packaging, remove the giblets, and put the turkey in the brine bag.  I put 10 pounds of ice in my Ice Mule, put the turkey in, and added another 10 pounds on top.  I would recommend having the turkey in the brine for at least eight hours, but ideally it sits in the brine overnight. The Ice Mule worked like a champ.  Be sure to wash out your Ice Mule with soap and hot water before putting anything else back in it!  Ice Mule’s are extremely easy to clean.

I took the turkey out of the brine and put it on a large cutting board.  You want to make sure that you pat the turkey dry with paper towels.  It removes the extra moisture, so you get a better bark on the bird.

I seasoned the turkey with Kinder’s Buttery Poultry, Kinder’s Chorizo, garlic powder, and cracked pepper.  I let it rest while my Big Green Egg got to 250 degrees.

While the temperature of my Big Green Egg was rising, I spatchcocked the turkey.  Spatchcocking the turkey is removing the backbone.  It gives you a more even cook, and it’s a faster cook time.  I use a sharp knife to do this.  Once you remove the turkey, you have to push down on the breastbone to lay it flat.  You’ll hear and feel a crack.  You won’t hurt it.

If you don’t want to spatchcock the turkey that’s completely fine.  I would recommend stuffing the turkey with a lemon, an orange, five sprigs of thyme, and use the same seasoning inside the bird.  I wouldn’t go crazy with the seasoning.  Just sprinkle the same seasonings above in the cavity of the turkey.

I used seven Western BBQ Wood Pecan chunks for this cook.  Make sure you wait to put the bird on if you see thick white smoke.  Let it burn until the smoke gets a little clearer.  I had my Big Green Egg set up for indirect cooking.  This means I used the plate setter (which is a ceramic piece) that blocks the fire from the grates.

Put the turkey on the grill breast side up.  I waited an hour and a half to make my Hardcore Carnivore Amplify butter.  I put a stick of Kerrygold Irish Butter in the microwave to melt.  I added two tablespoons of Hardcore Carnivore’s Amplify to the butter and used a fork to mix it up.  If you want to add another tablespoon, do it!  I basted the turkey right after the Amplify butter was done.

I let the turkey go another hour, and I made my second batch of Amplify butter.  The isn’t necessary, but I enjoy it.  At the three-hour mark, I let the temperature of the Big Green Egg get up to 315 degrees until the internal temperature of the turkey reached 165 in the breast meat.

I put it in a pan, covered in foil, and serve it hot!  Don’t cut into the turkey too soon.  You should let it rest for a minimum of 30 minutes to let the juices relax.

 

Ingredients

Turkey:

  • 1 fresh or thawed whole turkey (I used a 16-pound turkey)

Brine (optional, but you will have a juicier turkey!):

Kinder’s Butcher’s Brine Kit - https://kinders.com/products/butchers-brine-kit/                     This kit comes with the brine seasoning, brine bag with tie, and the turkey seasoning!

  • I also put in:
    • One lemon
    • One orange
    • 1/3 cup of peppercorns
    • 3 sprigs of thyme

Seasoning for the Turkey:

Hardcore Carnivore Amplify Butter

Instructions

Brine Recipe

SIZE TURKEY• BRINE MIX RUB BLEND ICE WATER
10 LBS OR LESS HALF POUCH HALF POUCH 10 CUPS
10 LBS OR MORE WHOLE POUCH WHOLE POUCH 18 CUPS

Usage instructions:

  • Enough brine for two turkeys at 10 lbs. or 1 larger turkey up to 20 lbs.

Brining directions:

Start with 6 cups of warm / hot water and add brine mix.

Bring brine solution to room temperature, then add ice water (see amount in table above).

Place turkey (neck and giblets removed) into brine bag breast side down and set into a large pot or cooler for support.

Add prepared brine mix to brine bag and seal tightly, removing excess air. Refrigerate overnight or about 30 minutes per pound.

Remove turkey from brine bag, rinse with cold water and pat dry. Brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with buttery poultry rub.

  1. Boil: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan
  2. Add: Brine mix, lemon, orange, thyme, and peppercorns
  3. Simmer: Let simmer until the brine seasoning is completely dissolved.
  4. Add: Four cups of water & four cups of ice cubes to cool.
  5. Cool: Remove from heat.
  6. Ice Mule: Once the mixture is completely cooled add your turkey to the brine bag and put the brine in the bag. Add a 10-pound bag of ice to the bottom of your Ice Mule. Put the brine bag in the Ice Mule. Add another 10-pound bag on top of the brine bag.
  7. Overnight: Let the turkey brine overnight while in your Ice Mule.
  8. Remove: Remove from brine, pat dry and proceed to the Smoked Turkey Recipe, below. Discard brine.

Smoked Turkey:

  1. Spatchcock: Spatchcock (remove the backbone. I use a sharp knife) the turkey and push down on the breastbone to lay flat. You’ll hear and feel a crack. You will not hurt it.
  2. Seasoning: I covered the turkey with Kinder’s Buttery Poultry. I then coated the turkey with Kinder’s Chorizo. I sprinkled garlic powder and pepper over the turkey.
  3. Preheat: Preheat smoker to 250 degrees.
  4. Indirect Cooking: Set up the Big Green Egg/Smoker/Grill for indirect cooking.
  5. Pecan Chunks: Throw 7 pecan chunks on the fire. I used Western BBQ Wood - https://www.westernbbqproducts.com/pecan-chunks. Do not put your turkey on the grill when it produces thick white smoke. Let the smoke clear up.
  6. 90 Minutes at 250 Degrees: Place turkey (breast side up) on the smoker grate, insert temperature probe into the breast and close the lid. Let smoke for 90 minutes.
  7. Amplify Butter: Melt a stick of KerryGold butter in the microwave. I add three tablespoons of Hardcore Carnivore’s Amplify seasoning and mix with a fork. At the 90-minute mark, baste all sides of the turkey with this mixture.
  8. 3 Hours at 250: Make a second batch of Amplify butter and baste the turkey.
  9. 315 Degrees until 165 Internal Temp: After 3 hours, increase the temperature to 315 degrees F. and let the turkey continue to cook until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees in the breast. My entire cooking took three hours and thirty minutes.
  10. Remove: Remove the turkey and put in an aluminum pan.
  11. Rest: Cover with aluminum foil and let the turkey rest for 25-35 minutes.
  12. Carve and serve.

How to find the ingredients and products he used.

@kindersflavors
@hardcorecarnivore
@kerrygoldusa
@biggreenegg
@westernbbqwood

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