Thanksgiving Meal On One Grill

It is that time of year again, when the once-a-year turkey gets cooked along with enough side dishes to feed a family of 40.  I tend to use the same joke every year…. I cooked for 40 for Thanksgiving this year.  There were only 8 of us, but I cooked for 40!!!  

One of the biggest problems with cooking for a crowd like this is oven space.  Unless you have a minimum of a double oven and 6 burner stove, chances are good that you are pressed for cooking space for all of those tasty dishes.  Here, today, we at FOGO want to help solve that dilemma as well as show you how to keep that oven from heating up the kitchen so badly that Uncle Larry’s shirt looks like someone dumped the Gatorade cooler over his head after winning the big game.  

We suggest that you move the bulk, if not all of your holiday cooking outside to the grill.  Captain Ron and his very special guest, Tina Cannon will show you how to prepare and cook your entire Turkey Day meal on one grill.  That’s right, the bird, the stuffing, green bean casserole (no cans of soup in this recipe), even the mashed potatoes are all cooked on one Big Green Egg.  If you don’t have an Egg, use whatever grill that you may happen to have in the yard.

If you have been hiding under a rock and don’t know who Tina is, She is a world champion BBQ chef.  She also happens to have won the last Netflix BBQ Showdown as well as star on Bobby Flay’s team on the last Food Network BBQ Brawl this year.  Not only that, but she is also one of the kindest and funny people you could ever hope to meet.  We are very grateful to her for coming down and cooking these videos with us.  She is a true BBQ ambassador!

We hope that this video helps you to plan out your Thanksgiving Day meal and saves you some headaches.  The side dishes can pretty much all be prepared in advance and baked on the big holiday.  So, once you have watched Santa Clause close out the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and are getting ready to watch some Turkey Day football, light up that grill and get your turkey on!

Directions:

Turkey:

1. Remove the turkey from the packaging and empty the cavity of all fillings.  Ex.- the neck, bag of “parts” Gizzards etc.  Place the bird in your brine, breast side down, fully covered and allow it to sit in the refrigerator overnight.
2. The next day--- Remove the turkey from the brine and pat it fully dry, inside, and out.
3. Using your kitchen shears, remove the backbone from the turkey.  Place it on a flat surface with the breast side up.  Press down firmly on the breast until you hear a cracking sound.  The turkey should lay flat on the cutting board now.
4. Gently run your fingers under the skin of the breasts and thighs and separate the skin from the meat.  Be very gentle while separating it, being careful not to rip or tear the skin.
5. Season the meat, under the skin with the rub.
6. Spray the outside of the bird with Duck Fat Spray and generously apply the seasoning to the outside of the bird to coat.  

Green Bean Casserole (This part can be done up to a day in advance, on a stove or grill):

1. Cook the green beans in pot of boiling, salted water.  Cook until they begin to become tender, approx. 3 minutes.  Work in batches if necessary.  Drain and let cool.
2. Heat up 1 TBSP. oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Cook half of the mushrooms, do not stir until golden brown on the bottom, approx. 2 minutes.  Stir and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms are completely browned.  Add 2 TBSP. butter and 2 thyme sprigs to the pan.  Continue cooking until the butter begins to brown and the mushrooms are dark brown and tender, about 4 minutes.  Season with salt and transfer to a plate.  Repeat this process with the rest of the mushrooms.
3. Melt remaining 2 TBSP. butter in the skillet.  Whisk in the flour.  Cook, whisking occasionally until the roux is brown and smells mildly nutty, about 3-4 minutes.  Whisk in the milk and cream.  Increase the heat and bring it to a simmer.  Whisk often and cook until the bechamel sauce is thick and bubbly.  It should coat the back of a spoon without running off, about 5 minutes.  Remove from the heat and whisk in the garlic and parmesan cheese, season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Spray your Casserole dish  with Duck Fat Spray .  Combine the mushrooms and green beans and place them in the dish.  Pour the bechamel sauce over the mixture.  It may not look like enough, but it will thin out as it bakes.  

Mashed Potatoes:

1. Wash each potato, scrubbing with a brush to remove any dirt and grit that may be on it.  Pierce each potato all over with a fork.  Wrap each potato tightly in aluminum foil.

Cornbread Dressing (stuffing):

1. In a large bowl, combine the cornbread cubes, seasoning, salt, pepper, eggs, butter, celery, and onion.  Mix to combine.  Add the chicken broth, a little bit at a time until the dressing has a medium consistency.  It should not be watery but also not like a brick.  You may not need all of the broth.
2. Pour the mixture into a grill safe casserole dish that has been greased or sprayed with Duck Fat Spray.  

Turkey Cooking Day!!!:

1. Fill your grill with FOGO Super Premium Charcoal.  Using your Blazaball and FOGO Fire Starters, light your fire and prepare for indirect cooking at 375°.  
2. Insert the Meater+ thermometer into the center of the breast, being careful not to touch the bone.  Set it for 160° finishing temperature. 
3. Once the grill is up to temperature and is burning clean, place the turkey, breast side up in the center of the grate.   Place the wrapped potatoes around the outside of the turkey, on the grates.  Cook for 45 minutes.  
4. Open the grill and check the turkey for color.  If one side is cooking faster than the other, rotate the turkey 180°.  Pierce the potatoes with a fork or probe and test for doneness.  When they are done, the probe will slide in with little resistance.
5. Once the turkey hits the desired temperature, remove it from the grill.  Place it on a cutting board and loosely tent it with aluminum foil.
6. Cover the green bean casserole and cornbread stuffing with aluminum foil and place in the center of the grate.  Cook for 30 minutes.  Uncover each.  Continue cooking for 15 minutes longer.  The bean casserole should be lightly browned on top and around the edges.  (roughly 15 minutes) Top the casserole with the fried onions and continue to bake for another 3-5 minutes.  The onions should be turning a deeper brown.  Remove from the grill and set aside.  Allow them to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
7. **While the beans and dressing are finishing up, prepare the mashed potatoes.  (you could also serve them as is for baked potatoes) Remove from the foil and place them in a large bowl.  (you can remove the skins or not, it is a personal preference.  I like to leave the skins on) Using a potato masher, press down on each potato until they are all combined.  Add ½ stick of butter, light salt, and pepper.  Combine.  Add the heavy cream a bit at a time, continuing to mash as you are adding it.  Continue adding the cream until the potatoes have reached the consistency that you are looking for.