Tips from a BBQ pitmaster: How not to ruin your Christmas turkey

Pitmaster Mike Jefferies at his home base, preparing for the busy Christmas break. Photo / Tom Eley

It is the most wonderful time of the year - and the busiest for Tauranga’s Big Smoke BBQ pitmaster Mike Jefferies.

The Weekend Sun caught up with Jefferies, as he sat down with the newspaper to offer his take on the classic Christmas dinner.

“Do a one or two-day brine beforehand to get a juicy turkey,” Jefferies said.

“I have seen too many people ruin a turkey.”

Pitmaster Jefferies is taking his big truck and big smoker around the North Island this holiday season.

Instead of turkey, Jefferies and his family will enjoy a leg of lamb with summer sides, including a potato salad and self-made tzatziki sauce.

One of Jefferies’ favourite summertime sauces is his blueberry sauce, crammed with more than 60 grams of blueberries.

“It is good on desserts and savoury items,” the award-winning barbecue king said.

Jefferies has recently returned from the Pensacola EggFest in Flordia, where he cooked for 600 people.

“I ran the kitchen and sent over a few recipes before I got there.”

Big Smoke BBQ owner Mike Jefferies.

The event hosted barbecue teams and backyard cooks from all over the United States, and Jefferies was the only Kiwi there.

He cooked alongside pitmasters Slade Douglas and “Big” Moe Cason.

But Jefferies does things his own way, departing from the traditional American pitmasters seen on YouTube, and cooking on aluminium barbecue trays.

“I like to do things differently,” he said.

In 2025, he plans to host a dinner featuring top American barbecue chefs for a meet-and-greet. The location has yet to be revealed.

A big stack of wood at Mike Jefferies' home base.

Ironically, Jefferies will take a break from cooking on December 21 and ramp up again in the New Year when he will host one of his barbecue classes on January 19.

“I like teaching people to be barbecue gods in their home.”

For those who might be smoking meat in a wood burner or pellet grill this festive season, Jefferies said the secret is to always cook in Fahrenheit for more precision. Good barbecue maintenance is also crucial. Jefferies’ pet peeve is when he goes to someone’s house and the grill is filthy.

“You don’t want to give someone a foodborne illness,” said Jefferies, who kindly shared his brine recipe with The Weekend Sun readers.

Brine recipe:

Ingredients:

200 grams of coarse salt

2 bay leaves

10 peppercorns

1 orange

2 Tbsp coriander seeds

100 grams light brown sugar

1 orange zest, cut into strips

Thyme

Method:

Fill a large container or stock pot with 1.5 litres of cold water and set aside. Ensure the pot is big enough to hold your turkey and 3 litres of water.

Weigh the turkey and place it in the container, ensuring it is fully submerged in the brine. Brine for one hour per 500 grams for succulent and flavourful meat.

Add the salt, sugar, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns, orange zest and coriander seeds, whisking until dissolved. Remove from heat, pour into the container, and let it cool completely.

- SunLive