Even people who have found a turkey recipe they are excited about and feel comfortable pulling off might still wonder which tools are needed to cook a turkey perfectly. At ATBBQ, we have cooked hundreds of turkeys for our family and friends throughout the years, so we are very familiar with the gear we just can’t live without when prepping, cooking, and presenting turkey for our loved ones. Here are the items we consider essential, as well as how to use them.
Essential Tools for Turkey Prep
The first essential task when prepping a turkey is brining it. Because the salt in a brine solution breaks down the cell walls in protein fibers, the meat becomes more tender and juicy as the muscle fibers loosen up, allowing the meat to take on more moisture. Helpful tools for brining a turkey include:
- Brine Concentrate - While you can make a brine solution from scratch, premade concentrates are accessible alternatives that will save you time. These solutions are available in several flavor profiles, like the ultra-savory Sweetwater Spice Apple Rosemary Sage Classic Holiday Turkey Bath Brine Concentrate or the brighter Sweetwater Spice Lemon Thyme Turkey Bath Brine Concentrate.
- The Briner Buckets - Available in three different sizes (3.5 Quart, 8 Quart and 22 Quart), what differentiates The Briner Buckets from other brining options is a built-in plastic plate that slides down and locks securely in place to hold the turkey below the brine liquid, ensuring a mess-free and reliable brining process every time.
- ATBBQ Premium Meat Brining Bags - A space-saving solution for brining turkey, these heavy-duty, BPA-free plastic bags feature a secure sealing system that prevents leaks, ensuring that your meats stay submerged in the brine without any mess. They can also serve as liners for briner buckets, adding to their practicality.
We recommend spatchcocking it, which involves removing the backbone and applying enough pressure to flatten the turkey. ATBBQ Staff Chef Tom Jackson has a handful of delicious spatchcock turkey recipes, including Honey Chipotle Spatchcock Turkey, Smoke Roasted Spatchcock Turkey with Sausage Stuffing, and Traditional Spatchcocked Thanksgiving Turkey. Helpful tools when spatchcocking a turkey include:
- ATBBQ Poultry Shears - With a sharp 4" stainless steel blade and slip-resistant poly handle, these shears provide a secure grip for precise cutting. When spatchcocking a turkey, use them to cut alongside both sides of the backbone, starting at the tail end.
- ATBBQ Nitrile Gloves - Wearing these food-safe gloves while handling raw meat can help prevent cross-contamination by creating a barrier between food and your bare hands. Make sure to change gloves before touching an object you don’t want to contaminate or one that may already be contaminated. And throw away gloves if they become torn or punctured.
Seasoning the turkey is the final crucial step in the preparation process, though some people also choose to inject the turkey with butter at this point to add just a bit more moisture and flavor to the deepest sections of meat. To do so, you may want to consider:
- Seasoning Rub - Cattleman's Grill Ranchero Seasoning is designed to be the ultimate poultry flavor enhancer. Garlic, salt, spices, sugar, onion, and lemon are perfectly blended in small batches to ensure vibrant, long-lasting flavor.
- ATBBQ Meat Injector with Pistol Grip - Well-reviewed, easy to use, and a breeze to clean, the pistol grip on this injector allows for maximum control and comfort, and the numbered dial makes it easy to control the amount of liquid injected from the 50cc barrel.
Essential Tools for Cooking Turkey
The most important constant factor for cooking a perfect turkey, regardless of which cooking method you use, is cooking it to an internal temperature of 165ºF. This requires pulling it from the heat source when it reaches an internal temperature of 155ºF to 160°F, as carryover cooking will cause the meat to continue to rise in temperature even after it’s removed from the oven, smoker, or deep fryer. To make sure you hit that perfect temperature where the turkey is safe to eat but hasn’t started to dry out, you’ll want to make sure you have thermometers:- ATBBQ Digital Thermometer - With a read time of under two seconds, this thermometer has features that make getting an accurate reading a breeze. Measure the internal temperature of a turkey in the thickest part of the breast, the innermost part of the thigh, and the innermost part of the wing. Insert the thermometer down until you strike a bone or joint, then back it off just a little to ensure you get an accurate reading of the meat temperature.
How Tools Differ for Cooking a Turkey on the Oven, Smoker, or Deep Fryer
While the meat thermometer is a must-have regardless of how you cook a turkey, some tools simplify the process for each specific method.
Oven Cooked Turkey Tools:
- ATBBQ Pan & Jerky Rack - With this pan and rack set, you can ensure that the turkey gets some air underneath it when cooking it in the oven. Large enough to hold a spatchcocked turkey, it’ll increase the evenness of the cook and prevent the turkey from sitting in its drippings.
Smoked Turkey Tools:
- Yoder Smokers YS640 Pellet Grill - A pellet grill that you’ll buy once and enjoy for life, the YS640 features an Advanced Control System with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Connectivity, allowing for convenient monitoring and control of your cooking process from your smartphone or tablet. Additionally, it comes equipped with the Yoder Smokers Heat Diffuser with Access Door, facilitating easy cleaning and an effortless direct grilling setup.
- BBQr's Delight Grilling Pellets - Available in hickory, apple, mesquite, cherry, and pecan, these pellets are made from 100% wood and free from fillers. They offer long burn times and will add a distinctive flavor to your turkey.
Deep Fried Turkey Tools:
- Bayou Classic 30qt Aluminum Turkey Fryer Kit - This all-in-one kit is perfect for frying turkey. The 30-quart aluminum stockpot has a flat lid, lift hook, and rack, allowing for smooth transfers in and out of the oil. It features patented self-supporting legs and high-temp black paint on the frame, which offers both durability and stability as it operates at 32,500 BTU/hour.
- ATBBQ Long Leather BBQ Gloves - Protect your hands and arms from oil splatter with these durable 16-inch leather gloves extending coverage beyond the wrist.
- Heavy-Duty Fire Resistant BBQ Grill Mat - This mat, made exclusively from recycled rubber, Adds safety and stability to your fryer setup. This material does not absorb liquid and will clean up like new with soap and water.
Essential Tools for Presenting a Turkey
Once the turkey is brined, seasoned, and cooked to an internal temperature of 160ºF, the final step is to make it look as good as it tastes and smells. When dealing with a whole turkey, that makes for many bones and joints to work around while trying to get attractive slices and chunks of meat to arrange. The ATBBQ guide to carving a turkey provides excellent pointers for making it all come together, as well as some essential tips for how to arrange a carved turkey. And you’ll want to make sure you have the following tools to make the entire production all that much more straightforward:
- Cangshan Helena Black 2pc Carving Set - With a 6-inch straight meat fork and an 9-inch carving knife, this set will have you carving with precision. Featuring a high-alloy German steel blade and polyoxymethylene handles, the knife is laser-cut, ensuring excellent balance and durability. At the same time, its ergonomic design makes it comfortable to use for extended periods.
- JK Adams Turnabout Reversible Maple Carving Board - This board features generous juice-catching grooves and a strategically placed indentation specifically designed to securely hold large cuts of meat like turkey in place, providing stability and precision.
Turkey Kits
Finally, make sure to check out ATBBQ’s turkey kits. These curated sets start by matching brine concentrates with seasoning rubs to help you easily nail the desired flavor profile of your turkey every time while ensuring it comes out extra juicy. Many of the items listed above are available as add-ons to our turkey kits in the event you’re looking to round out your kitchen tool arsenal. Some of our favorite turkey kits include:
- Classic Holiday Turkey Kit - This all-inclusive flavor package starts with an apple juice based brine, infused with a blend of paprika, black peppercorns, rosemary, sage, and citrus zest. Additionally, it includes Cattleman Grill savory Trail Dust rub to enhance the taste of your turkey even further.
- Savory Herb Turkey Kit - This kit combines a bright and citrusy brine infused with thyme and rosemary with Cattleman's Grill savory and garlic-forward Ranchero rub.
- Traditional Thanksgiving Turkey Kit - Combine the traditional flavors of the Sweetwater Spice Classic Holiday Turkey Bath with Cattleman’s Grill Ranchero Seasoning for a best of both worlds turkey experience.
- Cajun Turkey Kit - Spice things up with this flavorful twist on turkey. Cattleman’s Grill Cajun Fusion Seasoning and Pit Fire Hot Sauce add some zing to the savory juiciness provided by Cattleman's Grill Butcher House Brine.
Looking for more insights on how to prep an epic turkey dinner? Be sure to subscribe to our email newsletter, where we share every new recipe video, check out some of our all-time favorite turkey recipes, and take a look at our turkey kits and accessories. You’ll find plenty of tips and tricks that we’ve learned over the years and continue to use when preparing holiday meals for our families.
