Dry Rub Seasoning for Turkey or Chicken

[riverbee]

i meant to post this a couple days ago, but try this, it works for whole turkeys, turkey breasts, and any chicken.  i used this rub for the turkey we had on thanksgiving. i grilled it, but this rub will also work for the oven. on the charcoal grill, indirect heat (charcoal separated to the sides) pan of water underneath the bird. for a big bird, this recipe will make plenty of dry rub, 3/4 of a cup. if you are doing a turkey breast or chicken pieces, cut the recipe in half.

Dry Rub Ingredients:
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed  ~ (we use light brown sugar)
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika (not ordinary, either hungarian, or smoked paprika, smoked paprika is what we use)
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (can use less or more) (substituted this year with a mccormick's brand 'sweet and smoky' spice)
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
3 teaspoons mustard powder
2 teaspoons salt (ground sea salt)
2 teaspoons black pepper

Other Ingredients:
Olive Oil

Directions:
mix up above dry rub ingredients. rub olive oil on your turkey(and cavity) or chicken. then put the dry rub on, get it underneath the skin, and the cavity of the turkey.

the longer the rub is on, the better the flavor, so for example, i put the dry rub on the turkey the night before.  chicken pieces or breasts, bone in or boneless can be done hours before, like say the morning of grilling or oven baking. at least 6 hours. 

grilling; i don't let the temp on the charcoal grill get above 325 F. 300 -325 F that's it. low and slow.  aluminum pan half full of water underneath, turkey on a turkey rack. charcoal on either side. i only open the grill every hour to add charcoal if necessary, and only a few briquets at a time, and check temp. no basting, no chips.  when the turkey gets to an internal temp of about 160 F, i pull it off and let it rest, and cover or tent lightly with aluminum foil, don't cover it tight with foil. 

oven, same temp, 325......don't cover it, whether its a whole turkey, turkey breast or chicken pieces. with chicken pieces, i sometimes like to hit broil for a few minutes when almost done, and flip, to get the crispness of the skin you don't get from grilling.

enjoy!

[rrog13]

Yum! I’ll have to try this rub riverbee.  I normally use a Big Easy oil-less fryer.  It works great but, without the massive amount of oil to deal with afterwards.  I do a 14lb turkey and a 7lb ham every year, putting the ham on top at the right time for both to have the right cooking time.
 

[lazy shooter]

Is the oilless turkey fryer hard to clean after cooking?

[rrog13]

Quick and easy clean up.  SOS pad and five minutes of elbow grease...done. 

[riverbee]

hmm rrog, i have never seen one of those.....but i sure do love turkey in a fryer!  how does that thing work?  have to google it, might have to get me one of those!

oh and ps i forgot to add that the rub recipe makes 3/4 cup of rub. 

[Bakersdozen]

I saw an ad with one of those oil-less fryers and wondered how they worked.  I considered the oil-less fryer a lot safer.

[rrog13]

It's an infrared cooker.  Much safer than the traditional oil fryer.  I was skeptical when I bought it several years ago but have been very happy with its results.  I like not having to purchase all that oil an then having to figure out what to do with it afterwards.  Put a light coat of your preferred oil (peanut, olive ...whatever) on the bird, dash on you favorite rub.  It takes approximately 10 minutes per pound.  I love it!

[riverbee]

thanks rrog, think i am going to look into getting one of these to add to my cooking arsenal........does the skin on the turkey get crispy?  does it 'work' like a traditional fryer, just without the oil? sorry for the dumb questions

[rrog13]

no worries......ask away!  Yep the skin does get crispy.  Here's another picture of the turkey I did this year.

[riverbee]

okay i am sold on one of these! christmas..........hmmmmm!
wanted to eat the picture!...............

what did you use to season/rub the turkey with?

[lazy shooter]

@rrog:
Thanks for the clean up reply.  I love to cook outside, but I hate heavy duty cleaning chores.  Like the above posters, it sure looks a lot safer than a few gallons of rolling boil oil.  I love the look of the finished product.  It reminds me of the turkeys that I smoked on my grill for hours and hours without the grief of smoking for hours and hours.

@riverbee:
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons paprika (not ordinary, either hungarian, or smoked paprika, smoked paprika is what we use)
1 tablespoon cumin

The above ingredients go into all of my barbecue and most other outdoor recipes.  I get the chile powder from Camayo, New Mexico, as they have the best blend of chili powder that I have ever come across.  They blend their green chili pepper with ancho and hatch peppers and make a great chili powder.  I don't have the name of the chili powder with  me, but I will try to remember it to you in a PM.

[riverbee]

thanks lazy!

the chili powder, i use ancho or mix it with regular chili powder.  i would appreciate the info on the chili powder from new mexico.  we brought some back with us one year, it was the best!

[rrog13]

...riverbee

Poultry rub
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

This year I also injected the turkey with creole garlic butter.  I usually do a 12 to 24 hour brine instead of injecting it but thought I'd give that try.  I think I like the brine better but doing the injection was a close second.

I'm with you lazy.......I love throwing some Boston butts or some ribs on the smoker as well as anything on the grill!
 

[riverbee]

thanks rrog!

[riverbee]

i used this dry recipe on chicken pieces this evening, cut wings and legs.  rubbed olive oil on the chicken and rubbed the seasoning in. i used the broiler in the oven, and broiling rack and pan.  put water and a little beer in the broiling pan, set the peices on the rack. broil 8-10 minutes, flip, broil another 8-10 minutes.....

we had friends for dinner, it was a hit!