We should have invited The Grinch. Celebrate Christmas in November and you don’t need to put the Elf on the Shelf if you’re done by Bonfire Night and before Mariah Carey has even cleared her festive throat. All I want for Christmas is Q.

Christmas at BBQ HQ will of course be celebrated with traditional cheer, gusto and giving. The BBQ message is simple: however bleak midwinter is, keep cooking outside. And, yes, it can be the Christmas turkey, or rather four turkeys and sides, across five fires – Weber Kettle, Kamado Joe, Ninja Woodfire Electric Outdoor Oven, Everdure by Heston Blumenthal FURNACE and Kadai.

Happy Christmas!

Turkey tips, tricks and thanks

Weber

• Make sure your charcoal is dry and not damp. It is easy to forget about barbecuing after the hot summer months and bags of charcoal can get neglected.

• Double up your drip trays. If you’re collecting the delectable fat and juice under the Christmas bird you’re roasting, be sure to place one Weber foil drip tray in another. This reinforces it slightly and makes it much easier to move indoors to make your gravy.

• Make sure you have a digital thermometer or probe. Official guidelines state that turkey should have reached 75°C before consumption. Remember, meat keeps cooking even when it has been removed from the barbecue. So take the meat out when it reads in the high 60s, foil it and allow it to reach 75°C while resting. This way it won’t overcook.

• Resting. Remember all meat benefits from a long period of resting after it has been cooked. This will ensure tenderness and succulence. I usually wrap my meat in foil to keep it hot. Whether it’s turkey, beef, pork or lamb, allow a good resting time of at least 45 minutes indoors in a warm place.

• Allow yourself extra time. Don’t be afraid to cook things a little earlier than planned. Winter grilling is usually all about tackling the larger joints of meat, such as ham, turkey and roast beef. Wrapping the meat in foil will help it stay hotter for longer.

Dan Cooper, head grill master, Weber.

Ninja Woodfire Outdoor Oven

• An electric outdoor oven – a high-heat roaster oven, a pizza oven and a BBQ smoker. The Ninja Woodfire Outdoor oven has eight cooking functions for smoky festive feasts.

• Crispy Skin. To achieve a crispy exterior when cooking your Christmas turkey, use the Gourmet Roast function, which starts high then finishes at a lower temperature for juicy insides. Great for large joints of meat and feeding that Christmas crowd.

• For extra flavour. Use Woodfire technology for a smoky taste. Pull the smoke box open, pour in pellets until filled to the top, then close the smoke box lead. It will not ignite if the box is not full. Press the Woodfire Flavour button.

Ninja Test Kitchen

Everdure by Heston Blumenthal FURNACE

• Brining is a simple process that adds flavour and helps retain moisture to proteins, especially turkey. When trussing the legs, don’t do it tightly, but leave a gap so the heat is able to get deep into the thigh joint and give even cooking.

• Rotisserie. Roast the turkey secured on the rotisserie at a constant medium temperature of 175°C Baste from above every 15 minutes. The turkey’s position will act as a shield and protect your hand and fingers from getting burnt while basting.

• Place the temperature probe deep into the joint where the thigh leg meets the body. When the temperature reaches 75°C the turkey is cooked right through. Increase the temperature and roast until the turkey has a rich, golden colour.

• Cover and rest in a warm place, for at least 20 minutes. Don’t fully enclose in aluminium foil as the steam from the hot turkey will turn the crispy skin soft.

Bart Beek, essencebbqLab, Everdure recipe writer

Kamado Joe

• Cook to temperature, not time. 75°C is perfect for turkey.

• Get your turkey out of the fridge half an hour before you start cooking. Doing this will prevent shrinkage.

• Add a bacon weave to cover the turkey. This will help the breast meat to stay moist – and you’ll get a bonus bit of crispy bacon.

• Cook your vegetables below the turkey so they catch all those juices as the bird cooks.

• If you like a bit of smoke, then add a chunk of fruit wood such as apple or cherry to your BBQ.

Ben Forte, international marketing director, Kamado Joe

The Turkeys

The free-range turkeys for the shoot were supplied by DukesHill. The turkeys are reared in Kent by third-generation farmers with 40 years’ experience. They roam freely in grassy paddocks and meadows and are fed a natural, cereal-based diet. DukesHill, based in Shropshire and founded in 1985, is an artisan food producer and a Royal Warrant holder.

The People

The Sussex winter weather did not disappoint; we should have put squid on the menu, so deep was the water on the patio. The Turkey Shoot was billed as an amateur home cook for an outdoor Christmas. We cheated by tailoring invitations according to BBQ talent, rather than family obligations.

• James Brace of Jimmy’s Smokehouse, keeper of many festival flames, king of coal and all-round Sussex fire cook.

• Ian Jones, events manager of BBQ magazine. The former pig farmer proved he can also handle turkeys and brought butchery skills alongside command of all barbecues.

• BBQ creative director Kelly Bates, As an Australian she grew up cooking outside, with Christmas her home summer. Rolled her eyes every time she was asked to ‘throw a shrimp on the barbie’.

• BBQ partnerships director David Taylor took on the kitchen porter role with aplomb, slicing and dicing vegetables, if resenting being called ‘the bit on the side’ as the turkeys took centre stage.

• BBQ editor Rupert Bates: Barman. For Christmas, be it in November or December, requires drinks pairings to be precision engineered in industrial quantities. We can however confirm, you can drink anything with brussels sprouts.