Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [102]
INGREDIENTS:
1 fresh turkey (12 to 14 pounds), washed and patted dry
4 cups Apple-Sage Brine
Stuffing:
6 dozen chestnuts
2 pounds sweet Italian sausage
2 large onions, cut into ½-inch-thick rounds
2 large tart apples, peeled, cored, and each cut into 6 wedges
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons rubbed dried sage
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 cups chicken broth
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 teaspoons Poultry Rub
18 fresh sage leaves
Pan Sauce:
1½ cups apple cider or apple juice
1½ cups chicken or turkey broth
1 teaspoon Poultry Rub
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)
Coarse salt and ground black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
The day before grilling the turkey, put the turkey and brine in a jumbo (2-gallon) zipper-lock bag. Press out the air and seal. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours.
For the stuffing: The day, or several hours, before grilling the turkey, prepare the stuffing. Light a grill for indirect medium-high heat, about 350°F.
Using a serrated knife, cut a small X just through the shell of the rounded side of each chestnut. Put the grill screen on the grill, away from the fire. Arrange the chestnuts, cut-side up, on the screen, close the lid, and cook until the cuts in the shells open wide, the chestnut meat is tender, and the bottoms of the shells have browned, about 20 minutes. Allow to cool until comfortable to touch, but still warm, about 15 minutes. Peel away the shells and the hairy skin underneath. Chop the chestnut meat finely. While the chestnuts are cooling, coat the sausage, onion rounds, and apple wedges with the oil and grill directly over the heat until the sausage is browned and firm to the touch, and the onions and apples are grill-marked and tender, 10 to 15 minutes, turning once or twice. Cool briefly and chop finely.
Melt the 2 tablespoons butter in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the grilled ingredients, the sage, rosemary, and chicken broth and boil until the liquid is almost all gone, stirring often. Season with salt and pepper. Cool to room temperature. Refrigerate if storing overnight, and return to room temperature before stuffing the turkey.
In a small bowl, mash the 4 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon garlic, and poultry rub together with a small fork until well blended; set aside. Remove the turkey from the brine and discard the brine. Pat the turkey dry.
Separate the skin from the breast and legs of the turkey by gently but firmly inserting your index finger under the skin at the neck end of the bird (you might need a small knife to slit some of the tougher sections of membrane attaching the skin to the meat). Move your finger around, separating the skin from the meat underneath. Gradually ease your whole hand under the skin, loosening the skin from the breast, the legs, and the drumsticks.
Spoon the seasoned butter under the skin and push it evenly over the breast and legs of the chicken by rubbing the skin to spread the butter. Lay the sage leaves all over the breast and leg meat under the skin.
Fill the cavity of the turkey with the stuffing. Do not pack tightly. If you have extra (you probably won’t), you can warm it in a skillet and mix it with the stuffing in the turkey just before serving. Tie the drumsticks together to secure the stuffing inside the bird.
Put the turkey on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Put the roasting pan on the grill away from the heat, cover the grill, and cook until an instant-read thermometer