Orange Brined Turkey on the Big Green Egg

I thought I’d share my turkey technique before the holidays so people would have a chance to give it a try this year. My secret for a juicy and tasty turkey: Brining. I use the orange brine recipe from Steven Raichlen’s Primal Grill, Season 3. (Orange-Brined Turkey Breast)

First, mix up the brine in a large bucket or container. . . 

Truss the bird so it's not flopping around . . . and dunk him or her into the brine for an overnight soak . . 

I started late, it is best to brine the turkey for at least 24 hours – I brined for only 12 hours – but it was still moist and tasty!

The Big Green Egg (BGE) cooker is set up for indirect grilling, and a drip pan is placed underneath. Unfortunately, this set up sometimes burns the drippings – I will try using a traditional roasting pan to catch the juices next time. This bird had one of those pop-up doneness indicators – I usually ignore those and test for actual internal temperature.

After the first hour, the turkey looked like this . . . 

After the second hour, it looked like this. . . 

The pop-up indicator said it's done, however, it is not. Total roasting time at 325 degrees F (163 C): About 5 hours. Temperature in the thigh 170 degrees F (77 C).

After the turkey was finished, there was plenty of heat and lump charcoal, so I decided to cook the stuffing in the BGE, too.

After a 15 minute rest, time to carve!

Yes, this is as tender and juicy as it looks. The mayo-mustard-triple sec dressing that is part of this recipe is very good. I think I will try this with lemons next time.

About Wayne Yoshida
Wayne Yoshida is a technical writer and education advocate with sales management experience. Wayne currently works in the alternative fuel vehicle (AFV) industry and has worked for a wide variety of high technology companies, including aerospace and defense,photonics, lasers and opto-mechanics, two-way radio,telecommunications and a non-profit, educational organization. His personal passion for electronics and Amateur Radio opened many doors to some very interesting personal and professional experiences. Working as a ham radio consultant for the NASA Johnson Space Center during Space Shuttle mission STS-9 is his most memorable experience. Connect with him on LinkedInandbeBee, and for a look into his personal passions, follow his blog.