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When most families think of holiday cooking, they typically picture baked goods and time spent in the kitchen near the oven. This year, you can take your seasonal meal prep outdoors with cooking methods often overlooked during the winter: grilling and smoking.
As one of the most popular dishes during the holidays, turkey is an easy way start creating festive flavors using a grill or smoker. To help keep your bird tasty and juicy, this Art of the Turkey Brine requires just a few simple ingredients before transferring the turkey to the grill. Pair it with this Sweet 'n' Savory Sausage and Cornbread Stuffing that combines familiar flavors with golden crispy edges.
Find more ideas to change the way you think about holiday cooking at Ace Hardware's website.
Art of the Turkey Brine
Recipe courtesy of chef Jason K. Morse of 5280 Culinary and Ace Hardware
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 2 hours; allow 2-3 hours to cool
Servings: 6-8
- 1/3 package 5280 Culinary Brine mix
- 2 quarts water, plus additional for cooling and covering turkey, divided
- ice
- 6-8 pounds turkey breast with rib cage, cleaned
- 1 5-gallon bucket with lid
1. In pan, mix brine with water. Heat to high 5 minutes to dissolve sugar and salt.
2. Cool brine mixture; add ice water and mix well.
3. Place turkey in bucket and cover with water and brine. Place bucket in refrigerator or cooler.
4. Brine 45 minutes per pound.
5. Remove turkey from brine.
6. Heat wood fire grill to 350 F.
7. Cook turkey 20 minutes then turn temperature to 275 F. Cook 1 hour, 40 minutes until internal temperature reaches 170 F.
8. Allow turkey to rest about 15 minutes prior to carving to allow juices to settle.
Sweet 'n' Savory Sausage & Cornbread Stuffing
Recipe courtesy of chef Jason K. Morse of 5280 Culinary and Ace Hardware
Prep time: 15 minutes, plus 1 day for drying
Cook time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 10-12
- 1 package cornbread
- 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, ground
- 1/2 cup carrots, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup celery with leaves, diced
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1/4 cup dried blueberries
- 1/2 cup dried apples
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, crushed
- barbecue rub
- 1-2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- nonstick cooking spray
1. Cook cornbread according to package instructions; allow to cool. Leave uncovered and let dry 1 day. Break into medium pieces.
2. Heat wood fire grill to 350 F.
3. Heat medium skillet and add sausage. Cook until half done and fat is rendered.
4. Add carrots, celery, onion, blueberries, apples and garlic. Saute until caramelized. Add cornbread pieces and stir to combine. Add chicken stock until slightly wet or pasty; stir well to combine.
5. Season, to taste, with barbecue rub and transfer stuffing from skillet to pan lightly sprayed with nonstick cooking spray.
