Anyone cooking turkey this Thanksgiving?

yabba said:
this is a good way to go with any skin-on poultry. I'm lazy, so most of the time I skip the wet brine and "dry brine" (rub with salt/any spices and leave it uncovered in the fridge)
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I used to cook the entire meal (with some assistance from my wife) because I just loved to do it. Or have control issues. But I have since started letting people bring a dish so my only responsibility is turkey so I'm ok with the extra effort. Bought fresh turkeys so they needed the brine.

It's funny, every year I cook a turkey in a way that I never had before and it always seem silly to do on a holiday where the bird is the star but it seems to work out. I've cooked them on gas grills, crappy charcoal grills, smokers, caja china, and whatever source of fire I can find outside. I've cooked them on the kettle before but not this way and certainly a first on the ceramic. Most of those years I've done one in the oven just in case but I'm going with no safety net this time.

Can you put a tofurkey on the grill?
 
Johnny N. said:
I used to cook the entire meal (with some assistance from my wife) because I just loved to do it. Or have control issues. But I have since started letting people bring a dish so my only responsibility is turkey so I'm ok with the extra effort. Bought fresh turkeys so they needed the brine.

It's funny, every year I cook a turkey in a way that I never had before and it always seem silly to do on a holiday where the bird is the star but it seems to work out. I've cooked them on gas grills, crappy charcoal grills, smokers, caja china, and whatever source of fire I can find outside. I've cooked them on the kettle before but not this way and certainly a first on the ceramic. Most of those years I've done one in the oven just in case but I'm going with no safety net this time.

Can you put a tofurkey on the grill?
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I doubt it. I for one, will never put a tofurkey anywhere. The best I could describe the taste/texture is to compare it with vegetarian bologna.
 
Johnny N. said:
Both of my turkeys are in the brine currently. Trying something new this year. Taking them out of the brine today and doing the spatchcock thing. Then I'll sprinkle some kosher salt on the skin and put them in the fridge for a day uncovered. Supposed to draw some of the moisture out so it is easier to get crispy skin. I'll cook one on the Weber kettle and one on my new ceramic smoker. The ceramic will get some smoke wood. I'll cook them pretty hot though to keep them from drying out and giving me a better chance at some crispy skin.

First time I've tried the spatchcock deal but it makes perfect sense to try to get everything done together and quick. It took me a long time but I finally gave up on stuffing the birds some years ago. Just from a logistic standpoint it made it easier and I feel like I can get a better cook on the bird.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.
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We need a report of how this all turns out


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tiger roach said:
Careful with that fryer, Eugene.

There are lots of amusing videos out there with fryer/turkey mishaps. My favorite is the one where they are using an open campfire as the heat source, and they plopped a turkey in a vat that had been way overfilled with oil.
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We are seasoned pros. We know to measure the volume of the bird with water (we actually use broth) the night before and put a grease pen mark on the outside for oil levels.

Then we have a rig made from an aluminum A ladder with pulleys so we lower and raise the bird from 10 feet away and a tie off cleat. We also set this whole ordeal up at the end of the drive away from the building, cars, and people.

:)
 
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baimun said:
We are seasoned pros. We know to measure the volume of the bird with water (we actually use broth) the night before and put a grease pen mark on the outside for oil levels.

Then we have a rig made from an aluminum A ladder with pulleys so we lower and raise the bird from 10 feet away and a tie off cleat. We also set this whole ordeal up at the end of the drive away from the building, cars, and people.

:)
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I don't doubt you a bit... But I just can't hear any mention of turkey frying without thinking of the disaster videos. :lol:

Fried turkeys are delicious...
 
baimun said:
We are seasoned pros. We know to measure the volume of the bird with water (we actually use broth) the night before and put a grease pen mark on the outside for oil levels.

Then we have a rig made from an aluminum A ladder with pulleys so we lower and raise the bird from 10 feet away and a tie off cleat. We also set this whole ordeal up at the end of the drive away from the building, cars, and people.

:)
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tenor.gif
 
rickenvox said:
We need a report of how this all turns out


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They ended up being the best I've made. By cooking them spatchcocked I was able to cook them a lot hotter and faster so they stayed super moist. I did one with some smoke wood and a more aggressive seasoning and the other with just charcoal and a more salt and pepper seasoning. I injected both with a butter and seasoning mixture which I think made a difference because the flavor was just really good.

As far as the refrigerator trick goes, I think it did help render the fat and make the skin crispier but when I took it off to rest and put foil on it, the crispy went away. So unless you were going to eat it right off the grill it would be hard to enjoy crispy skin, but even after humidified by the foil tent, it was not rubbery.

Overall I'm super happy with the results.
 
Johnny N. said:
They ended up being the best I've made. By cooking them spatchcocked I was able to cook them a lot hotter and faster so they stayed super moist. I did one with some smoke wood and a more aggressive seasoning and the other with just charcoal and a more salt and pepper seasoning. I injected both with a butter and seasoning mixture which I think made a difference because the flavor was just really good.

As far as the refrigerator trick goes, I think it did help render the fat and make the skin crispier but when I took it off to rest and put foil on it, the crispy went away. So unless you were going to eat it right off the grill it would be hard to enjoy crispy skin, but even after humidified by the foil tent, it was not rubbery.

Overall I'm super happy with the results.
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I'll have to try that next year. Mine came out OK. The flavor was good, the smell in the kitchen was even better. It was moist, but not amazing.
 
Gary Blanchard said:
I doubt it. I for one, will never put a tofurkey anywhere. The best I could describe the taste/texture is to compare it with vegetarian bologna.
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I actually think the tofurkey is decent if you know how to cook it. I baste it with a mix of olive oil, soy sauce & spices. Cook with the a bunch of chopped carrots, celery, potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc. Cooke uncovered for the last while and baste some more.



OTOHM when I roast or smoke birds, I use a brine like this:
https://homebrewchef.com/BeerBrinedTurkey.html
 
rickenvox said:
I'll have to try that next year. Mine came out OK. The flavor was good, the smell in the kitchen was even better. It was moist, but not amazing.
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I had always wanted to try and it made sense, just hadn't done it. My ceramic was reading close to 400 which I would have been afraid to do before. Used a little bit of oak or pecan wood mixed in with the lump and it was money. Not too smokey.
 
micwalt said:
Dude, I ate nothing but Thanksgiving leftovers for four days, but that looks so damn good it makes me want more.
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Most Thankgivings I would love eating the leftover stuffing and potatoes but would only eat the turkey day of.

Now with the deep fried turkey, I had leftovers on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday.... Mmmmm.... :tongue:
 
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