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The Turkey Thread


kevwun

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On 11/26/2020 at 6:11 PM, Anastasis said:

I roasted mine.  Didn't get the crispy brown color I was looking for, but meat turned out great. 

Anyways, on to the stock for T+1 gumbo.  And the bourbon. 

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I’ve become a fan of making really dark broth for gumbos, dressing and some soups.  I put the turkey (or roasted chicken or duck) carcass in the crockpot and cook it on low for at least 24 hours, sometimes more. 

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17 hours ago, HouTex said:

Frying a 20 pounder again this year. Damn near fool proof and the quality is hard to beat. I bought one of those turkey fryers that holds exactly 3 gallons of oil and a 20 pounder fits perfectly. It comes out just right in 70 minutes.


what time can I swing by to get a plate to go ?

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So, here's an easy to do a small turkey (10 pounder).  If you set charcoal on fire, you can do this.  This is what you need:  10# charcoal, 10# turkey, 10-gallon metal trash can, wood/other stake to hang bird on, aluminum foil, and small shovel.  Optional sufficient beverage of choice.

1 Drive stake in ground then use foil to lay around stake.  At some point during cook the bird may slip or become tender enough to slide down stake.  Most likely with leave burn mark in grass.  Be sure of your cooking location.  

2 Hang bird on stake and cover with metal trash can.  Do the math or at least eyeball.  Set trash can near the hanging bird; make sure there is 2-3 of clearance.

3 Pour all the charcoal on top of the inverted trash can.  Set to fire.  Once the coals are established (you know greyish to orange) use shovel or other transfer device to surround the bottom of the can with some coals from the top.  See pict.

4 Pay attention, now it gets difficult.  Wait 1 1/2 hours.  Watch football or scroll Hot or Not thread.  Drink, Football, Drink,....

5 Easy off with trash can, bird maybe laying up against the side.  It's best to use a spotter to take a peek to see where bird is resting.

We done at least 8 or so like this and never had one not pass muster.  It's great way to do one at the deer lease or fish camp. Oh, you say but wait the galvanizing will make me sick. Nope.  It will not get hot enough to gas off.  Save trash can for next time.

 

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On 11/11/2020 at 11:07 AM, Jerry Callo said:

I dry brined and roasted one and wet brined and smoked another last year.  Wet brined and smoked was by far the best.  I'm not sure if the difference was the brining method or the cooking method, though.  I ended up wet brining and smoking two more birds on Saturday following Thanksgiving.  I might try reversing the brining and cooking methods this year in an attempt to determine whether the brining or the smoke makes the biggest difference.  

What did you do on your Kamado heat/time wise?

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7 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Any thoughts on the need to brine a frozen/solution injected butterball? Was planning on it originally but second guessing myself now. 

No reason to do that (is my understanding).  It's basically already brined and may end up too salty.  I just defrost, rub, stuff the carcass full of quartered oranges, and toss on the WSM with an empty water pan and all vents wide open.  Turns out great with minimal effort.

Edited by dcbc
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6 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

Any thoughts on the need to brine a frozen/solution injected butterball? Was planning on it originally but second guessing myself now. 

I would brine anyway.  It will turn out much juicier.  Nothing they do to the turkey beforehand is as good as brinining.  I am bbqing a couple on Sunday and am going to brine them today after work.

Edited by kevwun
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23 minutes ago, dcbc said:

For all you fellow cheap bastards, if you haven't already moved your turkey from the freezer to the fridge, do it yesterday.

Pro tip, go to the grocery store the day after Thanksgiving (or Christmas) and buy a thawed turkey for pennies on the dollar. We do this yearly when my MIL cooks for Thanksgiving so that my family can have a proper smoked turkey over the weekend, and it costs me like $5. 

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5 minutes ago, LW Goatman said:

Pro tip, go to the grocery store the day after Thanksgiving (or Christmas) and buy a thawed turkey for pennies on the dollar. We do this yearly when my MIL cooks for Thanksgiving so that my family can have a proper smoked turkey over the weekend, and it costs me like $5. 

This was my plan for Friday.  Put a couple discounted birds in the chest freezer.

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43 minutes ago, LW Goatman said:

Pro tip, go to the grocery store the day after Thanksgiving (or Christmas) and buy a thawed turkey for pennies on the dollar. We do this yearly when my MIL cooks for Thanksgiving so that my family can have a proper smoked turkey over the weekend, and it costs me like $5. 

this is a fantastic idea and i am going to be doing it Fri AM!

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56 minutes ago, NoName said:

this is a fantastic idea and i am going to be doing it Fri AM!

I've done this for years, again because the MIL started cooking for Thanksgiving and nobody deserved that torture...I go the next day and buy those turkeys up. It seems over the years that either the grocery stores are refreezing or getting better on projecting demand. Either way, you can still pull this off but may have to visit a couple of stores.

I had two stowed away from last year but came back from vacation recently to find my deep freeze went out. Lost a couple of budget turkeys from last year, 40 lbs or so of axis meet, and some processed shit my family stored. Had to pull out 5 axis hides waiting for the tannery and rewrap/refreeze in my new chest freezer (which was hard to find). 

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44 minutes ago, Dr Fear said:

Y'all got a turkey (wet) brine recipe?

So I confess that I'm a kitchen snob and rarely buy any pre-made or pre-packaged things, but for a turkey brine I just by a jar or package of something. It's salt, herbs, and such. You can find different ones online, but they all have the same basic stuff and I don't think it really changes the flavor all that much.  Besides, since I have a lot of other things to worry about for Thanksgiving it's just easier. 

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