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Printable recipe below! We're making Thanksgiving day simple and stress free with this turkey recipes and bonus side and pumpkin cake!
Used in this video:
🔥ChefsTemp ProTemp Plus Wireless thermometer: https://shorturl.at/skrR5
🔥Chefstemp FinalTouchX10: https://bit.ly/47U5XEt
💰use code: cowboykent25 for 25% off sitewide
Hasty Bake Roughneck smoker
Smokey woods bbq wood https://smokeywoodsbbq.com/
Stargazer cast iron pan https://stargazercastiron.com/products/13-5-inch-cast-iron-braiser
DJI Mic 2 https://amzn.to/4ewAHAw
Cowboy Hat: Chazhatz.com
For more suggested products seen in our videos click here: https://www.amazon.com/shop/cowboykentrollins
======================
Printable Recipes:
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/vegetables/balsamic-brussels-sprouts
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/chicken/fool-proof-turkey
https://kentrollins.com/blogs/dessert/pumpkin-cake
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0:00
Here is the star of the show,
0:04
Thanksgiving turkey. And it's so famous,
0:07
it's got its own star on the Hollywood
0:10
Walk of Fame.
0:12
[Music]
0:20
We're going to walk you through every
0:22
tip and trick, whether you're doing it
0:24
outside on the smoker or in the oven to
0:27
give you a turkey that is done to the
0:29
right temperature that oh is so juicy
0:31
and moist and flavorful in every bite. I
0:34
even got you a bonus, too. A new side
0:37
dish. Roasted Brussels sprouts with
0:39
cranberry and basic in there with it.
0:41
And we've also got a holiday cake that
0:43
will beat pumpkin pie every day. And I
0:46
have three things that you need to know
0:48
right off the bat. Number one is we're
0:50
going to use a brine for this turkey
0:52
because what's this going to do? It's
0:54
going to enhance the tenderness, but
0:56
also add a little bit of flavor. We're
0:58
going to use a temperature probe because
0:59
we do not want to have dry turkey.
1:02
Nobody likes a dry turkey. I promise
1:04
you. And number three, whether you're
1:06
cooking it in the house or on the
1:07
smoker, I'm going to have you the times
1:09
and temps that you need to be cooking it
1:11
at. You can't go get him the night
1:13
before and hope he's going to be what?
1:14
Thought out and ready to go. Unless
1:16
you're a hunter and you're out there in
1:17
the woods and you're going to get you a
1:19
fresh turkey and you hide behind the
1:21
little bush and you go knock and you
1:24
hear him in the distance
1:26
and then you shoot him. This one ain't
1:28
froze. You ain't got to worry about. But
1:30
there's so many frozen turkeys out
1:32
there. There is. Get him four to five
1:34
days ahead of time. Put him in the
1:36
refrigerator to thaw. Now, the night
1:39
before when you get ready to brine him
1:40
the next morning, make sure you may have
1:43
to take him out, set him on the counter
1:44
a little while. How do you figure out
1:46
serving size? Pound of turkey for
1:48
adults, half a pound for kids. But
1:50
remember, you got all them side dishes
1:52
and the dessert to go with it. So, you
1:54
might lean a little bit less back than
1:56
about half a pound. So, the first thing
1:58
we have to do is talk about this brine.
2:00
When you get the peppercorns in there
2:02
and you get the sage and you get the
2:04
rosemary, you got to get all that to a
2:06
bowl first. We got our turkey out of the
2:08
package. And you can see that if we look
2:11
in here,
2:13
there is some neck bone. And let's see
2:17
if there's anything else in there. We
2:19
can go ahead and cut this oil sack off
2:21
and everything else cuz we don't need
2:22
it. It would make good pup groceries.
2:26
But just look down in there. Make sure
2:29
they ain't that sack of giblets and
2:30
gravy and liver and all that stuff. You
2:32
might even have to pull this next skin
2:34
up because sometimes it's hid right
2:36
there. See it? It is a surprise. Now,
2:40
I don't make my gravy with this stuff
2:43
right here. But if you're a fond of
2:45
liver, gizzards, stuff like that that
2:47
you want to use for this turkey to cook
2:49
it down and make that gravy, don't throw
2:51
that away. Well, this was the brine that
2:53
we boiled and let it cooled off. Let it
2:55
set in the sink a little while. Then I
2:57
put a little ice in it to even let it
2:58
cool some more. There is already ice in
3:01
the ice chest.
3:06
He's going to be so happy. Jump on in
3:08
there.
3:12
Make sure he is submerged. Make sure you
3:14
keep enough ice in there to keep that
3:16
good and cold because he's sitting in
3:18
there 24 hours. I'll see y'all in the
3:20
morning.
3:23
[Music]
3:24
[Applause]
3:24
[Music]
3:38
Hope y'all slept well cuz me and the
3:40
turkey, we did a turkey trot early this
3:41
morning. Got him out of that ice water
3:44
and just set him on his sheetpan. If
3:46
there's any moisture come out of there
3:48
with him that you pat him really dry. I
3:51
mixed me up some herb butter. in the
3:53
herb butter. What was it? A little bit
3:56
of thyme, a little bit of fresh sage.
3:59
They didn't have any fresh rosemary down
4:00
here, so I mixed dry. Some coarse ground
4:03
black pepper, some mosquite seasoning,
4:05
and some garlic cloves. Blended it all
4:07
well together. Then for the stuffing
4:09
that we're going to do inside here,
4:11
which is not your typical stuffing,
4:13
because a lot of times when you want to
4:15
put your stuffing or your dressing in
4:17
there to cook inside the turkey, one's
4:19
done and the other one isn't at cooking
4:22
time. So, we mixed up apple, quartered
4:25
lemon, onion, then some more of that
4:28
fresh sage, and some fresh thyme. But
4:32
first, we're going to have to arrest
4:34
this turkey. I mean, this turkey has
4:36
done committed a crime. So, to do that,
4:40
especially if you're cooking out here on
4:42
a smoker, we are going to handcuff the
4:45
turkey
4:49
[Music]
4:50
this way.
4:52
We have created a natural cradle for
4:55
that to set up a little more to where
4:57
we're not directly setting on that
4:59
backbone. So, try not to rip that skin.
5:02
You can see where it's attached pretty
5:04
good right there. So, let's just do a
5:06
little little trimming right here to see
5:08
if we can get that to turn loose.
5:11
And you can see it it will now. And just
5:14
pull it up with your fingers. Don't run
5:17
that end of the spoon in there. You'll
5:19
bust that skin open. But just keep
5:21
working it down in there to where
5:23
all the way down
5:24
to where you can loosen that skin. But
5:27
be careful and do not puncture it. So
5:30
when you let this bird be warming up,
5:32
come on out here and get you some
5:33
hardwood lumps started in your smoker.
5:36
Preheat it to 275°.
5:38
But we need to get our herby butter down
5:40
in there. And this gets a little bit
5:42
greasy. So I'm going to glove up here a
5:46
minute. Just get you some started in
5:49
here. And then it looks like a big
5:51
pimple. Just keep working it down here.
5:53
If you can't push it that far, just work
5:55
it down with your fingers.
5:57
[Music]
6:06
Well, he is buttered up. He is. So,
6:09
we're going to lay them fresh herbs
6:11
right out there. Get them as far as you
6:12
can.
6:14
Mix and match. Get some of that lemon.
6:19
And I did roll them lemons around before
6:21
I quartered them. Make sure all that
6:24
juice was where it needed to be.
6:29
Fresh herbies.
6:31
What is it?
6:32
We have sage and thyme.
6:36
Let me get rid of these for a minute cuz
6:37
they're so greasy. I can't hang on to
6:39
them. I'm gonna get me a little twine.
6:43
You
6:44
get rid of that bee?
6:45
No, he's the Thanksgiving bee. Double
6:47
your string up. Make you a loop.
6:51
Go ahead and put the hobbles on that
6:53
turkey before he runs off. Give it a
6:55
little pull. Now you can just run this
6:58
one back over here.
7:02
If I can get string loose off my finger.
7:05
Wrap him around one time.
7:09
All I'm going to season with is our
7:11
mosquite seasoning and a little coarse
7:13
ground black pepper. Now, you use
7:15
whatever blend you want. Uh there is a
7:17
blend out there that I really like, too.
7:19
It's Uncle Dub's seasoning. They make a
7:21
great poultry season, but also for
7:23
turkey as well. So, we're just going to
7:27
give him a generous shaking. And if you
7:30
like to marinade your turkeys, hey,
7:33
we've got a video to where we mixed up
7:35
and marinated a turkey, cooked him a
7:37
long time ago. We even have a video to
7:39
where we cooked a turkey breast in the
7:41
ground. Now, we're gonna stand him up
7:42
right here like this. And we gonna try
7:44
to get a little that seasoning down in
7:46
there. Get them legs.
7:49
Nobody wants to go to the beach, you
7:51
know, and part of your body's tan, part
7:53
of it ain't. So, we're going to let him
7:55
have some of all of it.
7:57
This turkey did not ever have Botox in
8:00
its life. Because look at all this. I
8:02
don't want to cut it off up here to
8:04
where all that breath me breast meat is
8:06
exposed, but I'm just going to give it a
8:08
little trimming right here.
8:10
We're going to give it just a shake. Of
8:12
course, ground black pepper.
8:16
And this turkey is fixing to trot to the
8:18
fire. Remember I told you I had some
8:20
tips for you to make Thanksgiving not
8:23
stressful and get the best cook on your
8:25
turkey you ever had? That is what a
8:27
temperature probe. And hey, I'm going to
8:29
go with the people I rely on and the
8:31
people I know that's going to get it
8:32
right. And that is Chef's Temp. I would
8:34
really like to thank them for sponsoring
8:35
this video. And we are using the ProTemp
8:38
2 Plus. you get the perfect cook on your
8:41
bird. So, take our little probe out here
8:43
and they have redesigned this probe. It
8:45
is the thinnest one on the market. 40
8:48
hours of battery life. And this thing
8:50
will give you an accurate reading, but
8:52
we need to get it in our bird. And you
8:53
see if Shannon will get in here, it's
8:55
got this little line right here. It has
8:58
to be at least that much in there. So, I
9:02
want to sort of get to where I'm in the
9:03
meatiest part of this breast. And we're
9:05
going to have to angle this because if
9:07
we went plum through, we'd be going into
9:09
the backbone and the cavity on the
9:10
inside. So, start at an angle here and
9:13
then just push
9:15
till you get past that mark. And there
9:17
it is. Now, we can have this on our
9:20
phone. Got the little app. This is
9:22
designed for longer cooks. Run your
9:25
little program around there and it says
9:26
turkey,
9:28
best turkey. That's what you're cooking.
9:29
Best turkey. And it'll give you the
9:31
dness temperature that you need to be.
9:33
Sit there on your phone. You can manage
9:35
the fire every once in a while and you
9:37
are good to go. But if you want to go
9:38
more old school and just use a
9:40
temperature probe and this is one of my
9:41
favorites, the Final Touch X10 give you
9:44
an accurate reading every time and so
9:46
fast. I always double check these even
9:48
though I know what the temperature might
9:49
be right. I'll come cuz I want to run
9:52
this in these also the leg and the
9:54
thighs. I don't want to be moving this
9:55
around all the time. So I will use them
9:57
both. They're going to give us a great
9:59
big discount for our customers. 25% off.
10:02
Don't miss this deal because you don't
10:04
want to mess up your cooking at
10:05
Thanksgiving or anytime
10:07
[Music]
10:16
for the rough neck hasty bake here. Had
10:18
to lower them down just a little. I just
10:20
put me some shims of wood in there. Let
10:22
it set right down on there. Could have
10:24
put it on the Legacy or whatever got
10:25
smoker you got. Just make sure you got
10:27
some room on that lid when it shuts. But
10:30
we preheated that smoker to 275. Added
10:33
me a little fruit wood to that hardwood
10:35
lump. Not a lot. Two little pieces. One
10:37
of apple, one of cherry. You use your
10:39
favorite. Don't really go so much on a
10:41
harsh wood. Something that's going to
10:43
give a bitter taste if you smoke too
10:44
long, which I think if you had too much
10:46
mosquite or too much oak or too much
10:49
hickory, you might get that bitter taste
10:51
to it. So, we're target temperature of
10:53
dness is 165. That's why we have the
10:56
probe in there. That'll keep us alerted
10:58
on our phone. We'll check the
11:00
temperature periodically to make sure
11:02
we're still running at 275. Might have
11:04
to add just a little more wood right
11:06
there at the end. For y'all cooking it
11:08
in the house, preheat that oven to 325°.
11:11
Now, I don't want you to set him
11:12
directly in a roasting pan. I want you
11:14
to set him up on a rack on a pan to
11:16
where them juices can drip in there
11:17
because you might need them juices later
11:19
to make gravy. And you're looking at 12
11:21
to 15 minutes a pound on your cook time.
11:24
Say you're three4s done there on your
11:26
cook time, but the top of that turkey,
11:28
the breast meat is getting a little
11:29
browner than you think it should. So, go
11:32
over to the cabinet, get some of that
11:34
aluminum foil, and just tint the top of
11:36
that. That'll keep that from darkening
11:38
up. But remember, we got to let this
11:40
turkey rest, too, before we slice him
11:42
when he's done.
11:44
[Music]
11:47
Now, if you think your Thanksgiving took
11:49
some effort, try celebrating it in the
11:51
Old West. Back in the mid 1800s, this
11:53
holiday looked mighty different west of
11:55
the Mississippi. President Lincoln had
11:57
just declared Thanksgiving a national
11:59
holiday in 1863, right in the thick of
12:02
the Civil War. But out here, word didn't
12:04
spread fast. Some ranchers and wagon
12:07
trains didn't even know about it for
12:08
years. When the pioneers and settlers
12:10
finally caught on, they celebrated it in
12:13
their own way. Simple, scrappy, and
12:15
grateful. In mining towns like Virginia
12:17
City and Deadwood, the saloons would
12:19
push up the tables together, hang some
12:21
pine garland, and serve whatever they
12:23
could wrangle up. Wild turkey if they
12:25
had it, jack rabbit or prairie chicken
12:27
if they didn't. And in boom towns,
12:29
oysters were actually a big deal. They
12:31
came in by train and cost a small
12:34
fortune, but folks would splurge just to
12:36
feel a little civilized. Out on the
12:38
range, cowboy didn't have trains or
12:40
turkeys. They had chuck wagon. The cook
12:42
might save a little flyer for some
12:44
biscuits, open a can of peaches if he
12:46
had one, and maybe roast up a hunk of
12:49
beef or a prairie hen over mosquite
12:51
cold. They'd eat off tin plates, pass
12:54
around black coffee, and that was feast
12:56
enough. There are stories from the good
12:58
night loving trail where cooks made
13:00
bread pudding out of old biscuits soaked
13:02
in canned milk, called it trail dessert,
13:04
and that was about as fancy as it got.
13:07
In frontier towns like Dodge City or
13:09
Fort Worth, Thanksgiving often meant a
13:11
church service, maybe a shooting contest
13:14
or even a horse race afterwards. Then
13:17
everyone would crowd into the nearest
13:18
boarding house for supper. You'd find
13:21
hunters, soldiers, gamblers, and
13:23
preachers all sitting around
13:25
shouldertosh shoulder passing the gravy
13:28
and the stories alike. So while the east
13:30
had silverware and fine china, the west
13:32
had coffee pots, campfires, but the
13:35
spirit was the same. Gratitude for good
13:38
company and a hot meal and a simple gift
13:41
of making it another year.
13:43
[Music]
13:53
[Music]
14:04
[Music]
14:11
Looking for a new holiday tradition? We
14:14
found ours and we're going to keep this
14:15
dish. So easy to make and I'm going to
14:18
eat every bite there is.
14:22
You know, I used to not even like
14:24
Brussels sprouts. Chan liked them. I
14:25
didn't. But that's before I found out
14:27
you could roast them little rascals. And
14:28
they bring out so much flavor. So, I cut
14:31
the little coriand off of them, split
14:33
them in half, put them in my stargazer
14:36
skillet, then I peeled me a sweet
14:38
potato, chunked it up in bite-sized
14:40
pieces, putting it in there. Then a
14:43
purple onion, diced it up, put it in
14:46
little minced garlic, and then drizzled
14:47
it with some olive oil. Seasoned it with
14:49
our mosquite seasoning. We're going to
14:51
preheat the oven to 400° and we're going
14:53
to roast them in there for 25 to 30
14:56
minutes. And I guarantee you when
14:57
they're done, they'll clean the skillet
14:58
out. To top all this off, we done added
15:01
us some Parmesan cheese right here on
15:02
top of it. And then some cranberries and
15:05
some pecans mixed in and then glazed
15:08
that with just a basamic glaze. But one
15:10
other thing that we have done too is add
15:12
a little bacon grease to it at times or
15:14
some really crispy fried bacon in there.
15:16
Mix it up just a little.
15:20
Holidays
15:22
are here again.
15:27
Let's go over our game day Thanksgiving
15:29
meal preparation so you're not stressed.
15:32
First thing, make sure you buy that
15:34
turkey. Get him in that ice box. I'd say
15:36
4 days ahead of time so he will be
15:38
thought out the day ahead. Brine the
15:40
turkey overnight. Choose a dessert that
15:43
doesn't need to be served hot. Make you
15:45
a pie, a cake, or some cookies the day
15:47
before. Now, the day of Thanksgiving, be
15:50
sure you remove that turkey out of that
15:52
brine one hour before you're going to
15:54
cook him. That way, he can warm up. For
15:55
dishes that you've got done that you're
15:57
wanting to keep warm for the
15:58
Thanksgiving meal, either store them in
16:01
a ice chest, we'll put them in a crock
16:03
pot. Hey, we're changing up pumpkin pie
16:05
this year and substituting our what our
16:08
favorite fall festive cake.
16:12
Y'all are in for a treat for dessert
16:14
today because this actually this recipe
16:17
comes from a dear friend of ours named
16:18
Heath. This is their old family secret,
16:21
but he was gracious enough to share it
16:23
with us even back when we had the coffee
16:25
shop in Wellington, Texas. We would make
16:26
it in muffin tins like little cupcakes.
16:29
It'd sell out in 10 minutes. Start out
16:31
with flour, sugar, baking soda, a little
16:34
shake of cinnamon. Whisk it all
16:36
together. Then you're going to add what?
16:39
some eggs, some oil, and the pumpkin pie
16:42
stuff right here in the can. Just dump
16:44
it all in there. Get it all smoothed out
16:46
really well, and then grease you a bunt
16:49
pan. Flour it. Shake the excess flour
16:51
out. Pour it in there, and we're going
16:53
to bake it. So, preheat that oven to
16:55
300°. Slip it right on in there. You're
16:58
going to bake it about an hour, maybe an
17:00
hour and 20 minutes, depending on your
17:01
oven and how it acts during the
17:03
holidays. But hey, you can make these in
17:05
muffin tins and people will grab them on
17:07
the go and you will have nothing left.
17:12
You know, sometimes you can just wear
17:14
out a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving.
17:16
People just think, "Oh, no. Let's change
17:17
it up a little." Folks, this is probably
17:20
the easiest thing you can prepare. It's
17:22
so moist. And we made a butter cream
17:24
cheese icing to go on top. I'm going to
17:26
have me a bite. Been a long time since
17:29
I've had this. It has.
17:35
That right there
17:38
brings back every fall memory you should
17:42
have gathered around the table.
17:45
You get the richness of the pumpkin, but
17:48
that butter cream cheese icing.
17:51
This is a hit.
18:00
That is a spread right there. It is. I'd
18:02
be thankful every day if I could just
18:04
sit down at that table and have me a
18:06
bite of that. So easy to do. Be sure you
18:08
check out all these tips because we want
18:11
your holidays to be stressfree and
18:13
that's what it's all about and cooking
18:15
the perfect bird, the perfect side dish,
18:17
and what the best dessert you're ever
18:19
going to have. Now, I would like to go
18:21
ahead and just give a special shout out
18:22
to the folks at Cheftemp for sponsoring
18:25
this video. be sure and check out their
18:27
website because they are good enough to
18:29
offer that 25% discount on all their
18:32
products on their website. So, be sure
18:34
and check that out. But folks, as you
18:36
gather around the table this year, and
18:38
we have so much to be thankful for at
18:40
our house, we do. We have y'all in our
18:42
lives. We are truly blessed to have each
18:44
and every one of you. But let's be
18:46
thankful for so many things. Just the
18:49
fact that we get to walk around and do
18:50
what we do. We live in a country where
18:52
there is great freedom. We live in a
18:54
country to where, hey, we can speak to
18:56
our neighbor every day. Tip our hat.
18:57
Help someone. That's what it's all
18:59
about. Truly be thankful. Not just
19:01
Thanksgiving, but every day. And
19:03
speaking of being thankful, and I tip my
19:05
hat to all the servicemen and women and
19:07
all the veterans that have kept that old
19:08
flag of flying over camp. Remember, when
19:11
you gather around the table this year,
19:13
it's not the legs that hold it up, but
19:14
the family around you. And y'all have
19:16
family in me and Shen. Get in here real
19:19
close. I'm going to give you a
19:20
Thanksgiving hug.
19:22
God bless you each and everyone and I'll
19:24
see you down the stress-free
19:26
Thanksgiving Day trail.
19:31
But first of all, dogs love pumpkin.
19:34
They do. Come here, pumpkin head. Look
19:36
here. Whoa.
19:38
Come on. Look. Can Can you take care of
19:41
this first?
19:44
No.
19:45
[Music]
19:51
[Music]
#BBQ & Grilling
#Meat & Seafood