Big Easy Oil-Less Turkey Fryer

Prime Rib Using the Big Easy

This evening I will be using the Char-Broil Big Easy to cook our Christmas dinner, a 12-pound prime rib. The prime rib will be served with a green bean casserole, broccoli and baked potatoes. For dessert, I will be serving a pecan pie.

In our home, Christmas means beef. In this case, it is a prime rib roast. Although I prefer medium-rare, the rest of the family prefers medium. No problem.

I took the roast out about 30 minutes before putting it into the Big Easy. Always bring the meat up in temperature before cooking. I then seasoned it with rosemay, thyme, garlic, salt, pepper, onion powder and crushed red pepper. Then, coated it with olive oil.

After that, it went into the Big Easy with my wireless thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast at an angle. The tip of the probe should be close to the center of the roast.

Once done, let the meat rest for about 20 minutes or so.

Wireless Outdoor Cooking Thermometers

One of the best Christmas gifts I received was a wireless outdoor cooking thermometer. The one I have has 2 parts. The first part is the transmitter that has a temperature probe that is inserted into the meat. The other part is the receiver which looks like a big pager. The one I have talks and has LCD screen that shows me the current temperature and give me an estimate of the meat's doneness. If you cook outdoors year round like me, you don't want to stand outside in the freezing weather or the sweltering heat.

The talking portion is cool. It tells me about 5 degrees before the desired doneness that my entree is almost ready. When it hits the temperature, it announces that my entree is ready. I usually take the meat out of the grill or Big Easy at the almost done mark. Remember, carry over cooking will increase the temperature of the meat by 5 to 10 degrees.

The one I have came from Brookstones, but there are several on the market that do a fantastic. Here's a link to my list of wireless outdoor cooking thermometers. If you are looking for a last minute gift for someone who grills, barbecues or smokes, consider the gift of a thermometer that will a man's outdoor cooking experience wonderful.

Oil-less Fried Turkey and Chicken

I am absolutely amazed by the Char-Broil Big Easy. I have cooked a turkey in it for Thanksgiving, chicken for Sunday evening dinner and beef ribs for Saturday night.

The turkey turned out perfect. Moist and juicy on the inside and the skin crispy almost like fried skin. I had done a favor injection of the turkey and the meat was flavorful. My mother-in-law enjoyed it. If she enjoyed it, then I think even the pickiest eater will find this turkey delicious and succulent.

As for the chicken, I used Weber's Kickin' Chicken rub on it. The rub is spicy and adds a great flavor to the chicken. My wife ate the white meat and loved it. Once again, the meat was moist and juicy. The skin crispy. It took about 10 minutes per pound and it did a great job.

For Christmas, we always have beef. So, I will be cooking a prime rib roast for the family. This year I will be using the Big Easy. So, stay tuned to my blog for Christmas dinner.

Yes, You Can Cook Beef Ribs in the Big Easy

Yes, you can and it does a great job of them. Since my wife does not like sauce on the ribs, I left it off. I could have easily added the sauce to the ribs during the last ten minutes of the cooking process to give a nice caramelized and smoky taste.

The one thing I had to do was use bamboo skewers to hold the ribs up against the cooking basket. Make sure your soak the skewers for 30 minutes before using them. If you don't, they will burn and fail to hold the ribs up. I placed the ribs against the basket and then used the skewers pin them to the cage. I put 2 slabs of ribs in the basket which works out to about 6 pounds of beef rib.

For a Christmas party that is coming up at a friend's house, I will be serving these as appetizers.

Review of the Char-Broil Big Easy with Video

Well, I finally did it. I created a couple of YouTube videos for my blog. I hope you enjoy them.

If you would like to leave your comments, please do so.

Oil-less Fried Turkey

OK. I now have your attention. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't done it. I purchased the Char-Broil Big Easy to cook our Thanksgiving turkey. Using a new cooking method for a big family meal is not a great idea, but I did it anyway.
I purchased the Big Easy at Lowe's and got it home. It took me about 30 minutes to assembly it and 15 minutes to season the cooking chamber.
After preparing the 14+ lbs turkey for cooking, I placed it into the cooking basket and started the Big Easy. The controls are very simple. One knob is used to turn on the gas. There are only two settings, on and off. The second knob is the ignites the gas. Yes, it uses propane.
From the directions and information given, it takes about ten minutes per pound to cook a turkey. It took about two hours to cook the turkey to the proper doneness.
The skin was crispy like a fried turkey. I have had fried turkey and there is a difference between one done in a deep fryer and this one, but if you have a problem with cholesterol, I don't think you want to fry a turkey. Besides, the cost of oil has skyrocketed and it is dangerous to use 375 degree oil on a turkey. I have friends who have fried turkeys and they do a great job and haven't burned down their homes.
If you are like me, you might consider this method for cooking. Besides, it cooks chickens, beef, ribs, etc. For Christmas, I will be cooking a seven-pound prime rib roast with the Big Easy. I'm so impressed with the product that I added it to my online store. If you wish to purchase one, click here.
My daughter took some video of me assembling the Big Easy and cooking with it. I will be posting the videos shortly for you to see this great product in action.