Just use a brisket knife. 12" scalloped slicer from Dexter Russel or Victorinox will do it all. But when it comes to turkey, I just use a German style chef's knife. On the breast, I'm not cutting long slices; I'm cutting medallions. An 8" chef's knife does great and I'm not worried about chipping it when I'm breaking joints in the leg quarters.
https://www.amazon.com/Dexter-13463-12-Inch-Sani-Safe-Scalloped/dp/B004NG98RI/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3LC28Z24HY4T&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.3K7nwZESRL2tPIe1BTEj9_WqlI9POMsDf3dX9qflItpVVh-0XOnRNPr7Jk7O95yOmkjNad4udkZ_TENuS5Zc9IPuNV3oKosBySenPxMdMP0yMaW7bt7pVIwK70aieX_jSqFlJwHXotZRTcru0Pqje7Mu1aXQhM3JG0Ho7KzY-aICwVJV7yiPdbdm1jJlUpRvCicY5d5CCwV1edW2VrG_pZAR7V4F7nth1h2XdWQQWqA.L6QCDvu410Kjk95Mtvb49SF9GJJmKBp82UU-NktDiNM&dib_tag=se&keywords=dexter+russel+12"+slicer&qid=1764034557&sprefix=dexter+russel+12+slic%2Caps%2C217&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.com/Victorinox-Cutlery-Serrated-Slicing-12-Inch/dp/B0019WZL4I/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3KU9ZJ0VLB8Y2&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.G__9ECfQvqlhEtR8w0Xt9VODB6an1JUyrXNorh8VH8SJyp5Kg4Vhog7WkqmO2GXHXv5_W86iXSn4KorY8bJxmVIF84FGEcDXhbdR5HiipwTkZNoFfuUFWAjO6rinI81S1EjxndU4C6oVH7iAkOTkZQZX3oeK0Rza2ahc0uVlBb51s2zit3tT2SOgdCMfRiyXDl-PKNVdm8d2uey3bQWDOY2WKyYDnupoFSUUoIuYzN663gmy7sZioASNXhkJsH6aSy6QhyYZ3heue0ZUDA5Z1rvC9ebWDruNvfzK2pqYbxs.nCi4ZFkOXxfc_MyGOs0QPba1udf84Bsi7hM6te4RVFA&dib_tag=se&keywords=victorinox+12"+slicer&qid=1764034605&sprefix=victori+12+slicer%2Caps%2C203&sr=8-6
Yeah, thinking about it, I'll probably not worry about butter over the skin since it will just end up in the pit. I'll wait to add the rest of the butter once I've got it in the pan so I can do some basting later. I may toss the oranges I usually stuff in the carcass in the pan so I can get that little bit of citrus flavor in the end.
I'm dry brining in the fridge for a few days with one of the goals to be to dry out the skin, then putting a compound butter under the skin, over the skin, and all zee way around.
That bird is straight-up Fall Guy! Switching up on my end. Since I have a pretty tight window with my mom's being able to be here, I'm spatchcocking the bird so I can have it done on time. Thankfully, I bought some robust poultry shears last week on a whim. I'll dry brine in the fridge for a day or two and may make a compound butter to put under the skin.
Side note: on my stunt bird, I followed the Bourdain recipe (since he was the inspiration for the stunt turkey): Bird on a rack. 2 cups of water in the roasting pan. Pour a stick of melted butter over it. Salt and pepper inside and out. Oven to 425F. Baste after 30 minutes and, then, every 15. Done in 2 hours. If I'm ever in a time pinch, it's an easy cook. Time will vary, of course.
I think I'm going to cook it whole. I don't have much else to do this year. So I'm going to sit outside with coffee, transition to bloody Mary, and tend fire.
Coffee geeks, beer geeks, BBQ geeks, the list goes one. They're geeks.
When I used to brew beer, I went to a couple of local brew club meetings. Most of the people there were so annoyingly hyperfocused on things. I was the type who worked out the process for what I liked and focused on that to get better than that. But the level of nerdiness and doing things for reasons other than a more satisfying swig of beer in the end were just annoying and why we ended up with SMASH beers and hazy IPAs.
I found a real runt this year.
For the main event, I've got a 23 pounder. I plan to cook it on the offset this year. On the WSM, wide open, I could get a 20 lb bird done in 4 hours. If I run the offset at close to 300 or more, are we talking 5 hours or so? I know the lid reflection on the WSM can help speed things along
We got the Google "Hello" (currently Nest) mostly because our doorbell chime was broken, we have the Google Home speakers, and that doorbell would chime the Home speakers when someone rings the bell. I've had to replace the button/camera once, but it was cheap, snapped into place, and was easy to set up as a replacement. Featurewise, it's been solid.
Last year, my son and his cousin took a walk after the meal. I smirked at them when they left. Unfortunately, that cousin won't be able to join us this year. But I'm sure he'll volunteer to walk the dogs. He's so helpful during the holidays.