November 28, 20241 yr Popular Post Smoking the one 21 pounder today for the family. Assisted with smoking 150 turkeys yesterday for the community.
November 28, 20241 yr 3 hours ago, TwiceHorn said: Welp, it's in the oven now. Gonna slather the upper regions with butter when it comes out, kind of depending on the thigh/breast temp differential toward the end. Welp, the differential was not great Bob. After two hours the breast was at 160 and the lower thigh barely 130. Took another 40 minutes to get the thigh part up. But I basted and buttered every 15 minutes and quit taking the temp of the breast. I think I am fairly adept with the thermapen as far as putting it in, but I seem to get fairly variable readings.
November 28, 20241 yr I overshot my time-target by about an hour. Thankfully, everyone is running late. Moved from the smoker to the oven and am encouraging it at 425F. Breastesess just hit 160
November 28, 20241 yr Dinnertime is specifically set for everyone but the cook - flexibility is the cook's perogative.
November 28, 20241 yr Mine is on the Recteq at 225 with apple wood pellets after a 24 hr brine. Gonna pull it hopefully at 7 am, rest it in an ice chest and drive over to north of Baton Rouge.I slept 7.5 hours, and the Recteq temp never varied. When I woke up, I cranked it to 350 for an hour, pulled it, and it was perfect. That brine really seals in the juice.
November 28, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, Jerry Callo said: Dinnertime is specifically set for everyone but the cook - flexibility is the cook's perogative. That's my general principle when I'm at the smoker/grill, but It's harder to say "it's done when it's done", when there are 4 or 5 side dishes being prepared based according to your timeline. Traditional BBQ is much easier for me because sides are generally cold, reheatable, or non-existent. I just had to tap the brakes on my turkey, which is fine.
November 28, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, PittsburghTiger said: So, I sliced it up and the cook was a bit uneven. 85% is perfect and I will gently heat it up and take it with us. Because I was not certain how completely thawed it was, as others have mentioned, I will hold on to the legs to heat up later this weekend. The taste is very good. Overall, I am pleased but, I do a lot better on the smoker with beef, pork and chicken and veggies. Next time spatchcock. Got mine on now 325 for a while then I'll crank it to 450+ and crisp it up. Got another one I'm injecting with 2lbs of butter then frying. 2 12 pounders instead of a gigantic 20+ seems to be much better results IMO
November 28, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said: Welp, the differential was not great Bob. After two hours the breast was at 160 and the lower thigh barely 130. Took another 40 minutes to get the thigh part up. But I basted and buttered every 15 minutes and quit taking the temp of the breast. I think I am fairly adept with the thermapen as far as putting it in, but I seem to get fairly variable readings. Somewhat to my surprise, came out very well. Breast was nice and juicy. For the sheer hell of it I took a last reading of the breast once the thighs got done and it was over 185 without letting the probe run all the way up. Thought it would be dry as fuck, but was quite good. I basted and buttered pretty well the last 40 minutes of cooking, which may have dubious effects including making it greasy. But not a problem.
November 28, 20241 yr 2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said: Somewhat to my surprise, came out very well. Breast was nice and juicy. For the sheer hell of it I took a last reading of the breast once the thighs got done and it was over 185 without letting the probe run all the way up. Thought it would be dry as fuck, but was quite good. I basted and buttered pretty well the last 40 minutes of cooking, which may have dubious effects including making it greasy. But not a problem. Separate them mid cook next time. I had the opposite problem. Thighs legs and wings were done an hour before the breast. We just finished eating, my God it was good this year.
November 28, 20241 yr Headed to in-laws for dinner (with stuffing and a pecan pie), but smoking a boneless breast for the house at wife’s request. It’s getting close.
November 28, 20241 yr 6 legs down, 3 breasts down, 6 thighs in the oven. Two hams marking time. SOMETHING has to taste good.
November 28, 20241 yr No pics, but I crushed it this year. WSM always does a great job and I can set the BBQ Guru to hold temp while I spend the morning getting the sides in order. Lots of compliments from guests, including my niece who told me that my turkeys have completely spoiled her, and the Friendsgiving attempts this year were quite inferior. I need to add her to the will. Edited to add that I really think the orange wedges in the carcass do a great job at evening out the cooking between breast and thighs. It also contributed a nice flavor to the end product.
November 28, 20241 yr Popular Post Happy Thanksgiving, assholes. Edited November 28, 20241 yr by Dutch
November 29, 20241 yr 6 hours ago, immamac said: Next time spatchcock. Got mine on now 325 for a while then I'll crank it to 450+ and crisp it up. Got another one I'm injecting with 2lbs of butter then frying. 2 12 pounders instead of a gigantic 20+ seems to be much better results IMO Yeah, I'll definitely do it differently next year, or in between to practice. The 18-pounder was a bit too big for not being sure it was completely thawed. I thought about cutting it like you suggested here but, the weather this week has been not very great and my deck is not covered. I also had an airport run yesterday early evening and then Poker Night up at a buddy's farm, so I was pressed for time. I looked at some videos for what you said and it looks like it'd be much easier and consistent. Still, there was no turkey left of what I took up the river today. Edited November 29, 20241 yr by PittsburghTiger
November 29, 20241 yr This guy spent about two hours in the egg. Brined for about 20 hours and smoked with cherry and pecan.
November 29, 20241 yr Confession. My turkey had zero heritage. It was a 24 lb, solution-injected, Honeysuckle Rose I bought at WalMart for $0.88 per pound. And I do this every year. And on the WSM with the Franklin video method posted above (with oranges up its ass and no brine because it came with one), it kills every time. I always have to remember how to cook it because I only do it once each year. But those cheap-ass turkeys smoke up just fine (and many of my relatives are good cooks who wouldn't go this route on if it hadn't proven solid). Edited November 29, 20241 yr by dcbc
November 29, 20241 yr Smoked breasts on the WSM for 3 hours then 1 hour with each wrapped in foil with a stick of butter. Easy, breezy and delicious.
November 29, 20241 yr Smoked turkey is great anytime except for Thanksgiving. Give me an oven roasted turkey cooked in the oven in a bag all day. Been doing this for at least thirty years and the turkey is absolutely perfect and juicy plus you get incredible turkey broth in the bottom of that bag. I put chopped celery and onions (large chunks) below the turkey. I promise you that you will never fuck with brining one again if you try this. The leftovers are also very moist.
November 29, 20241 yr 19 hours ago, dcbc said: Confession. My turkey had zero heritage. It was a 24 lb, solution-injected, Honeysuckle Rose I bought at WalMart for $0.88 per pound. And I do this every year. And on the WSM with the Franklin video method posted above (with oranges up its ass and no brine because it came with one), it kills every time. I always have to remember how to cook it because I only do it once each year. But those cheap-ass turkeys smoke up just fine (and many of my relatives are good cooks who wouldn't go this route on if it hadn't proven solid). We usually do Shady Brook Farms turkey from Wal-Mart but went with Butterball this year, won't be doing that anymore as it was disappointing.
November 30, 20241 yr 1 hour ago, Underdog said: We usually do Shady Brook Farms turkey from Wal-Mart but went with Butterball this year, won't be doing that anymore as it was disappointing. Yeah, that Honeysuckle White brand has been solid for us. Cheap as hell too.
November 30, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, Steamboat1874 said: Smoked turkey is great anytime except for Thanksgiving. Give me an oven roasted turkey cooked in the oven in a bag all day. Been doing this for at least thirty years and the turkey is absolutely perfect and juicy plus you get incredible turkey broth in the bottom of that bag. I put chopped celery and onions (large chunks) below the turkey. I promise you that you will never fuck with brining one again if you try this. The leftovers are also very moist. My mom did this once when I was a kid. Most of what you describe was spot on, but she got no color or crispness in the skin.
November 30, 20241 yr 7 minutes ago, dcbc said: My mom did this once when I was a kid. Most of what you describe was spot on, but she got no color or crispness in the skin. I rub the skin all over with olive oil and then salt, pepper and sage. It browns just fine.
November 30, 20241 yr Just now, Steamboat1874 said: I rub the skin all over with olive oil and then salt, pepper and sage. It browns just fine. I'm not saying it wasn't user error on her part. While I prefer smoked turkey, I make a stunt turkey for stock, dripping, and vegetables two weeks ahead of time. I roast the stunt turkey. No bag, but water in the roasting pan and melted butter and a rub. It turns out well.
November 30, 20241 yr 4 minutes ago, dcbc said: I'm not saying it wasn't user error on her part. While I prefer smoked turkey, I make a stunt turkey for stock, dripping, and vegetables two weeks ahead of time. I roast the stunt turkey. No bag, but water in the roasting pan and melted butter and a rub. It turns out well. Good idea.
November 30, 20241 yr 2 minutes ago, Steamboat1874 said: Good idea. It saves a lot of time and effort on Thanksgiving Day
November 30, 20241 yr Wife jars up and freezes left over gravy to use at a later time if/when we do turkey sometime during the year or to use for today next year.
November 30, 20241 yr On 11/28/2024 at 5:44 PM, dcbc said: No pics, but I crushed it this year. WSM always does a great job and I can set the BBQ Guru to hold temp while I spend the morning getting the sides in order. Lots of compliments from guests, including my niece who told me that my turkeys have completely spoiled her, and the Friendsgiving attempts this year were quite inferior. I need to add her to the will. Edited to add that I really think the orange wedges in the carcass do a great job at evening out the cooking between breast and thighs. It also contributed a nice flavor to the end product. Ha! Just funnin’
November 30, 20241 yr 2 hours ago, dcbc said: It saves a lot of time and effort on Thanksgiving Day The gravy from the parts turkey was amazing. I don't get any drippings on the offset. I cook too hot. But the turkey tasted like ass. It was daf. I thought it was nearing completion by my instant read but then I probed deeper and was seeing 140 and got paranoid. Both sides, I wonder if I poked through the cavity or something. I waited until it came up to 160 in those same spots and the rest of the breast was reading 180. Yuck. Daf is pretty on brand for my wife so she had some and my son took some for his protein snack at school. The rest I'm going to pick apart and put into the stock with some veggies and egg noodles and make some soup.
November 30, 20241 yr 5 minutes ago, Baboontyme said: The gravy from the parts turkey was amazing. I don't get any drippings on the offset. I cook too hot. But the turkey tasted like ass. It was daf. I thought it was nearing completion by my instant read but then I probed deeper and was seeing 140 and got paranoid. Both sides, I wonder if I poked through the cavity or something. I waited until it came up to 160 in those same spots and the rest of the breast was reading 180. Yuck. Daf is pretty on brand for my wife so she had some and my son took some for his protein snack at school. The rest I'm going to pick apart and put into the stock with some veggies and egg noodles and make some soup. I don't get drippings on the WSM either. But with those oranges in the cavity and using the Franklin method and coating with butter at the end with it wrapped in a pan, you get some buttery turkey goodness in the pan, which I've added to gravy with good results. I still haven't cooked one on my offset. I needed to be able to ignore it (like another oven). Too many sides to tend fire. Edited November 30, 20241 yr by dcbc
December 1, 20241 yr Nope. I’m a cook by the numbers guy. This is meat church’s maple bourbon spatchcock turkey recipe. Brined it overnight in a poultry mix / maple syrup / bourbon brine. The rub is meat church’s texas sugar. Basted it every 45 min with maple syrup/ butter mix Cooked for about three hours at 275 with a pan of water in the traeger. Turned out really good.
December 2, 20241 yr 21 hours ago, GenXer said: This is meat church’s maple bourbon spatchcock turkey recipe. Brined it overnight in a poultry mix / maple syrup / bourbon brine. The rub is meat church’s texas sugar. Basted it every 45 min with maple syrup/ butter mix (j/k sounds delish) Here is one of my favorite parts of turkey day (which my sons and I celebrated today) - throwing the turkey carcass, various root vegetables and whatever seasoning suits you into a stock pot and let it barely simmer until the goodness infuses. My son, who cooks at one of the nicer up-and-comer New Orleans restaurants, is coming over Tuesday to make gumbo for his pops - and I should have enough stock left to make some kick ass cauliflower soup now that the temperature is dipping a bit at night. My oldest son* does not cook, but is a manager for one of the Brennan Clan Kingdoms, which helps me get a table when I screw up and forget a reservation. (*Neither of my sons are lawyers, which shows that I have a high degree of parenting skills.)
December 2, 20241 yr On 11/29/2024 at 8:03 PM, Underdog said: Wife jars up and freezes left over gravy to use at a later time if/when we do turkey sometime during the year or to use for today next year.
November 21Nov 21 If you’re smoking a turkey, would it better to inject or brine in your opinion? I’ve done both but can’t really tell a difference usually.
November 21Nov 21 42 minutes ago, Hook1997 said: If you’re smoking a turkey, would it better to inject or brine in your opinion? I’ve done both but can’t really tell a difference usually. I've always kept a food service "meat bucket". For 30 years, I have brined my Turkey. 1-cup Table Salt to 1-gallon water for 12 hours. And that's it. So insanely simple and seasons the meat wonderfully.
November 22Nov 22 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
November 22Nov 22 If you are willing to butterfly it, it will be done in 3 hours or less. Whole and stuffed I'm thinking you might be looking at 4-4.5 hours. Watch for color and be ready to cover.
November 24Nov 24 On 11/22/2025 at 8:54 AM, Baboontyme said: If you are willing to butterfly it, it will be done in 3 hours or less. Whole and stuffed I'm thinking you might be looking at 4-4.5 hours. Watch for color and be ready to cover. 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.
November 24Nov 24 God speed my friend. The 17 lb stunt turkey only took about 3 hours at 350, and I think it was still kinda frozen when I started it. I had to cook it for 45 minutes before I could remove the giblets and the neck. It turned out pretty good.
November 24Nov 24 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. Edited November 24Nov 24 by dcbc
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