Ahhhhh, Thanksgiving on Vancouver Island. Arbutus RVers know there’s still a lot of fun to be had in their rigs, on the Island, before the short days and winter rain sets in. If you’re looking to enjoy a prime RV spot, a non-stop campfire and, maybe some Dutch Oven cooking this Thanksgiving then, here’s a recipe for you –
Thanksgiving Dutch-Oven Turkey
- 2 tablespoons canola oil
- Three large onions: two sliced into half-inch-thick rings and one quartered
- Six large sprigs of fresh rosemary (can substitute 6 tablespoons dried rosemary)
- Six sprigs of sage
- Six sprigs of thyme
- One 12-pound whole turkey, thawed, with giblets removed (size of turkey depends on size of oven)
- One apple, quartered
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock
- Parchment paper, as needed
- Select a turkey that will fit in your camp-style cast-iron Dutch oven. You’ll want to leave about 1-inch space surrounding the turkey when placed in the oven. (We used a rare 20-inch Maca Dutch oven in the video above.) If you’re having a hard time fitting your turkey within the Dutch oven you’re working with, consider using a spatchcock method to roast the turkey.
- Place the quartered onion and apple into the turkey cavity. Rub the turkey with canola oil.
- Prepare the Dutch oven by covering the bottom of the oven with two onions sliced into half-inch-thick rings. Fold rosemary sprigs in half and lay around the outside edge of the bottom of the oven. Sprinkle fresh sage and thyme across the top of the onions.
- Place turkey in oven on top of herbs and onions.
- Sprinkle top of turkey with salt and pepper.
- Add chicken stock and cover oven.
- Roast turkey at 400 degrees for 30 minutes to brown the skin of the turkey. (We covered the 20-inch oven lid with hot charcoals, and made a ring of 18 hot coals underneath.)
- After 30 minutes, remove coals from oven lid and add fresh coals, reducing the temperature to 350 degrees. (We made a double ring of hot charcoal around the lid of the 20-inch oven.)
- Using an instant-read thermometer, check the internal temperature of the thickest part of the turkey (breast/thigh) every 30 minutes. Rotate oven and lid in opposite directions and replace charcoal as needed. If one area of the turkey is browning faster than other areas, cover with parchment paper.
- When the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 160 degrees, remove all charcoal. Let the turkey rest for 15 minutes before serving to allow internal temperature to rise to 165 degrees. Total roasting time should be about 2 hours.
Special thanks to Leslie and Steve Lovett of texasironchef.com and boyslife.org
