Festive Turkey with Sage and Rice Stuffing

Barbecue recipe. Suitable for covered barbecues.

Ingredients

1 cup/125 g smoking chips
1/2 cup/125 ml brandy
1 turkey - weighing about 3 kg (neck and giblets removed, trimmed of excess fat)
1/2 cup/125 ml chicken stock (purchased or homemade)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sage and Rice stuffing:
60 g butter
1 leek, thinly sliced
4 spring onions, chopped
3 rashers bacon, chopped
1 cup/60 g breadcrumbs, made from stale bread
60 g pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried sage
1 1/2 cups/280 g rice, cooked

Method

1 Soak smoking chips in brandy in a non-reactive metal dish for 1 hour.

2 To make stuffing, melt butter in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add leek and spring onions. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add bacon. Cook for 5 minutes longer. Add breadcrumbs, pecans and sage. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until breadcrumbs are crisp. Remove from heat. Add rice. Mix to combine.

3 Preheat covered barbecue to a medium heat.

4 Place dish, with smoking chips in, in barbecue over hot coals and cover barbecue with lid. Heat for 5-10 minutes or until liquid is hot.

5 Spoon stuffing into body cavity of turkey. Secure openings with metal or bamboo skewers. Tuck wings under body and tie legs together.

6 Place turkey on a wire rack set in a roasting tin. Combine stock and oil. Brush over turkey. Position roasting tin containing turkey on rack in barbecue and cover barbecue with lid. Smoke, basting frequently, for 2 1/2-3 hours or until turkey is cooked.