OVERVIEW

As a Big Green Egg owner, you already know that an EGG can draw the very best out of quality ingredients. If ever there’s a time for that, it’s Christmas Day.

Below is a running order for preparing everything on the day (bar the mincemeat, which you'll need to make ahead of time if you have chosen to make it yourself).

Although it’s possible to cook every element on the EGG, especially if you have more than one at home, the method below also includes some kitchen cooking to save you time and stress (because let's face it, no one wants to be stressed on Christmas Day!) Don't worry though, all the key elements that benefit from a hint of smoke are cooked on the EGG.

This recipe is designed for Large and XL owners who have an EGGspander (a helpful accessory that allows you to cook or reheat several sides at once while the turkey rests).

That said, if you own a different sized EGG or are not in possession of an EGGspander, you can of course cook all the elements one at a time or the day before. Just be aware that the timings below will be affected. If easier, you can find the individual recipes on our Christmas recipe page or by clicking on the dish names above.

at least 2 weeks to go

If you are making your own mincemeat for the mincemeat tart, soak the raisins, cranberries and currants in the brandy and lemon juice for 1 hour until plump, then drain and set the liquid aside.

Put plumped fruit, brown sugar, lemon juice and zest, suet, candied peel, nutmeg, apple, orange zest and mixed nuts in a pan and heat for 10 minutes. Mix in the reserved liquid and leave to cool.

Press into sterilised jars, to exclude any air. Cover and leave for at least a fortnight.

Alternatively buy the highest quality pre-made mincemeat you can find and skip to the next step.

5 hours 40 minutes to go

Remove the turkey from the fridge and allow it to get to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the sweet pastry for your mincemeat tart. Put the flour and salt in a large bowl and add the cold cubes of butter. Use your fingertips to rub the butter into the flour until you achieve breadcrumbs. Mix in the sugar then add the egg yolks and just enough water to bring the dough together. Knead gently on a clean surface then form into a disc. Cover with clingfilm, leave in the fridge for half an hour then move onto the next step.

5 hours to go

Take your sweet pastry out of the fridge and divide into portions of one third and two thirds.

Roll the two-thirds portion into a circle large enough to line your Dutch Oven lid or a fluted pastry dish. Line the lid or dish with the pastry and place in the fridge to rest, along with the other third of pastry.

Meanwhile, move onto the spiced nuts. Load and light your EGG then preheat to 110°C. You're cooking indirect with the ConvEGGtor legs up and Stainless Steel Grid and Perforated Grid or Skillet on top.

Add a handful of woodchips to a bowl of water.

Mix together the cumin, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper. Add the wet ingredients and stir then add the nuts. Coat well.

Add a handful of the pre-soaked wood chips to your charcoal.

Place in a skillet and smoke for 30 minutes

Place the nuts in the preheated Perforated Grid or Skillet and smoke for 30 minutes, stirring and flipping after 15 minutes, then move onto the next step.

4 hours 10 minutes to go

Remove the nuts, spread them on a baking tray and let them cool and harden thoroughly.

Meanwhile, turn the temperature of your EGG up to 160°C and prepare the mulled cider.

Add all the ingredients to a pan, stir well and heat for 30 minutes until just simmering. Set aside to warm through later.

3 hours 35 minutes to go

Sprinkle the breadcrumbs into the base of the mincemeat tart case. Now, spoon in your mincemeat evenly across the base of the tart and flatten the surface slightly.

Roll the remaining pastry out and lay on top of the tart, tucking in the edges. If you have a lattice pastry cutter or have great pastry skills, feel free to get creative here.

Once finished, crimp the edges of the tart, brush with egg yolk, and sprinkle with caster sugar. Put in the fridge to cook later.

3 hours 45 minutes to go

Raise the temperature of your EGG to 180°C. Massage your turkey all over with the butter and season heavily with salt and pepper.

Place all of the gravy ingredients in a roasting tray. Sit the turkey breast-side down on a Roasting Rack and place over the top of the tray. Place in the EGG for 1 hour. Meanwhile, move onto the next step.

3 hours 40 minutes to go

While the turkey is cooking, prepare your side dishes. We recommend you use all of that lovely space you will have freed up in your kitchen to cook the first three on your hob.

To make the bread sauce, bring the milk to a simmer and add all the ingredients except the breadcrumbs and the cream. Simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add all the red cabbage ingredients to a saucepan and leave to simmer gently until dinner is ready.

Come back to the bread sauce. Strain the milk, discarding the other ingredients. Add the cream and crumbs to the strained liquid and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Set aside.

simmer the red cabbage gently until dinner is ready

Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the cranberry sauce to a pan and cook for 15 minutes until the cranberries are just starting to disintegrate. Set aside to cool completely.

3 hours to go

Now it's time to prep your remaining sides. You'll cook them when your turkey is ready.

Make the pigs in blankets by wrapping the chipolatas in the bacon and placing them on a roasting tray.

Toss the carrots in the oil and star anise and lay out on one half of another roasting tray.

Toss the parsnips in the oil and mustard powder and lay out on the other side of the roasting tray. Leave the maple syrup for the end of the cooking time.

Mix all of the stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl and form into stuffing logs or balls – your choice! Place in a skillet or roasting tray.

Cut the pancetta into batons and fry until crisp. Mix all the ingredients for the sprouts together and place in a skillet.

2 hours 40 minutes to go

Your turkey has now been cooking for an hour. Carefully turn it over so that it is now breast-side up.

Well done – you've now got all the prep out the way. The spiced nuts, mulled cider, cranberry sauce and bread sauce are all done. The mincemeat tart is ready for later. Your turkey is cooking, your cabbage is simmering away and your other sides are prepped.

Time to take a well deserved half hour break. A good opportunity to tuck into some of those spiced nuts and sip on some mulled wine – fuel for the final stretch.

2 hours 10 minutes to go

Your turkey should now have been cooking for 1 hour 30 minutes. At this point, use a meat thermometer to take temperature readings at the thickest part of the leg at 10-15 minute intervals.

Once the internal temperature reaches 63˚C in the thickest part of the leg (this will take around an hour after you've flipped it over), remove the turkey from the EGG and rest on a wooden board, uncovered.

remove drip tray to crisp up the underside of the turkey

Remove the turkey and the gravy drip pan from your EGG and set aside in a warm place to rest. While resting, the bird's internal temperature will continue to rise; you're aiming for a final temperature of 63˚C in the breasts and 70˚C in the legs. You can cover the turkey with our Butchers Paper (foil will make the skin soggy) if you wish but we tend not to – it should stay hot for a couple of hours while you cook and heat the rest of the meal.

While the turkey's resting, move onto the next step.

1 hour 40 minutes to go

Now is the time to add the EGGspander to your EGG. Place the ConvEGGtor in the EGGspander's ConvEGGtor Basket and add the stainless steel shelves on top. The purpose here it to be able to roast several things at the same time.

Increase the temperature of your EGG to 210°C.

Peel and cut your potatoes into quarters. Parboil for 5 minutes, drain well then leave in a colander to steam.

Meanwhile, put the fats in a Drip Pan and heat up in the EGG. Once they are smoking, carefully add the garlic, rosemary and potatoes. Turn the potatoes in the oil to ensure they're all covered. Sprinkle with a liberal amount of salt.

Place the pan back into the EGG along with the pan containing the stuffing and the tray with the carrots and parsnips. Cook all of these for 20-25 minutes.

1 hour 5 minutes to go

Turn everything over and put them back in the EGG for another 20-25 minutes.

40 minutes to go

Add the maple syrup to the parsnips and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove the carrots, parsnips and stuffing, cover with foil and leave in a warm spot with the turkey.

Give the potatoes a good toss in the fat and leave in the EGG. Add the pigs in blankets and the sprouts to the EGGspander and cook for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, move onto the next step.

30 minutes to go

As soon as you put your sprouts and chipolatas in, strain your gravy and reduce it by half by boiling on the hob while everything finishes cooking.

When the sprouts have been cooking for 20 minutes, remove and cover with foil.

Turn over and cook the chipolatas for a further 10 minutes, remove and cover with foil.

The potatoes should by now be golden and crisp. Remove but don’t cover with foil as that will make them soggy. If they’re not quite there, don’t panic – just leave in the EGG while you carve and plate.

Dinner time

You can now heat up any elements that require it – the bread sauce and probably the carrots and parsnips. Don't try to heat up your turkey, but make sure that you have hot dinner plates and piping hot gravy and side dishes.

While you are doing this, you and your dinner companions can be tucking into any leftover nuts and mulled cider.

Congratulations! You've made it.

After a heroic effort, it's now time to sit down, pull Christmas crackers and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

While you eat

The final step is to bake the mincemeat tart in the EGG at 180°C for 35-40 minutes until golden, leave to cool slightly and sprinkle with icing sugar before serving – but you can send someone else to do that. You deserve to sit at the table, glass in hand, lapping up the praise.

Have a very merry Christmas!