Welcome to the EGGhead Forum - a great place to visit and packed with tips and EGGspert advice! You can also join the conversation and get more information and amazing kamado recipes by following Big Green Egg to Experience our World of Flavor™ at:
Facebook  |  Twitter  |  Instagram  |  Pinterest  |  Youtube  |  Vimeo
Share your photos by tagging us and using the hashtag #BigGreenEgg.

Want to see how the EGG is made? Click to Watch

Egg Newbie and a not so good 20 lb turkey

Unknown
edited November -1 in EggHead Forum
I have gone thru the posts and not totally sure why my 20lb bird was dry on thanksgiving. (Picnic shoulder the next day was eggsellent - but still think I am having to cook too long)...in short, cooked 20lb turkey at 300 deg and took 13 hours - temp was 170 in breast. After 6 hours, lump totally gone and had to replace. Heat got way too high at that point and really had to work to get it lower. Left bird in egg during this process and I think this is what did it in. Leg and thigh meat not edible, breast somewhat dry. I concluded the high heat did it BUT - isn't 13 hours long? Next day, did the shoulder. Temp at 300, this time with apple cider in drip pan. Replaced several times, became brown. Took 10 hours for 10 lb shoulder. It was excellent but wasn't this too long? I am way confused about the shorter times I read in posts and in cookbooks. I am thinking I must not be doing something right. Also, after 10 min of lighting, temp around 300 and i put meat on. Should I wait longer? Thanks, Rhonda

Comments

  • MickeyT
    MickeyT Posts: 607
    Rhonda,[p]Wow,[p]I did a 20 lbs. bird also. 4 hrs right on the head @ 325.[p]My suggestion would be to "creep" into the desired temperature and you should be fine. 170 is about 5-8 degrees too high for the breast.[p]I'm sure we can help fix your minor problems.[p]Once you get it, you can look back and chuckle.[p]Mick

  • Bobby-Q
    Bobby-Q Posts: 1,994
    Rhonda,
    When you said the dark meat was not edible what did you mean? Was it underdone (doubtful) or was it just too overdone and stringy to chew?[p]300° for 13 hours is waaaay too long for a 20 lb bird. I'm wondering if the 170° temp you got in the breast was on the way down.[p]I'd say as a beginner that a 10 minute temperature stabilization period is too short. I've been egging for years and give it more time than that to stabilize.[p]Cooking shoulders and butts is another story. I usually do mine at 225° (at the meat) for anywhere from 12 to 24 hours depending on the weight and the plateau.[p]There is a bit of a learning curve for the egg, but it's not that big of one and you are well on your way to a lifetime of happy cooking if you can just eat your way through some possibly not great mistakes. (most will still be good, but just not what you will attain later...as in next week..lol)

  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Rhonda,
    That sounds way too long, seem's like the 7 hour range at 300° would have been more in the ball park according to the other temp. and times posted. Even at 30 min per pound I figure 10 hours should have done it. (hope I did my math right. LOL)[p]Have you checked your thermometer in boiling water for 212°. A slow rolling boil and don't let the tip hit the pan. There should be an adjusting nut on the back of it. I use heavy gloves and put mine through a piece of cardboard to keep the steam from burning my gloves. Other's will chime in. Ah, I see MickeyT is in already, they will get ya fixed up in no time. ÜÜÜ
    Good Luck,
    New Bob

  • WessB
    WessB Posts: 6,937
    Rhonda,
    I think your comments about the turkey pretty much answered your question with that....however a pork shoulder is typically cooked at around 250° for anywhere from 14 to 20 hours ( an internal temp of around 200° ) This is for "pulled" pork....And most importantly...your egg is NOT at 300° in 10 minutes, you are most likely reading the temp of the fire starter still burning, I am "assuming" you are using starter cubes. You need to let the starter burn out and the lump will begin burning. The dome temp temp will drop to around 100°- 150° range and gradually begin too rise again.....On the other hand, if you are using a mapp torch, I guess you might could get 300° in 10 minutes, but even that is pushig it.....HTH[p]Wess

  • Rhonda,[p]are you sure that your polder is accurate? 13 hours is way too long for a 20 pound turkey...I had a 19 pounder that I cooked at 325, and it took a little less than 3 1/2 hours for the breast to get to 165...it turned out nice and juicy!
  • New Bob,
    Wow - love your suggestion about the cardboard! We've been trying to hold our thermometer with tongs (ouch)! I'm telling ya - you learn something new every time you visit this board!

  • Bordello
    Bordello Posts: 5,926
    Eggsellent,
    That's great, I feel the same about the forum as you do. I used to check 2 at a time in the cardboard, made it just a little longer then the pan, wait for the water to boil first and use a nice heavy piece and you will be able to just save it for several uses until the steam takes it's toll.
    Cheers,
    New Bob

  • Sundown
    Sundown Posts: 2,980
    Rhonda,
    Lots of good info below and my two cents worth is on a little different line of thought.
    When you load your new lump load it to at least the bottom of the fire ring no matter how long you think your cook is going to take. When you put your fire cube (assuming you are using them) wait until the lump is burning. I usually wait until the white/grey smoke has stopped (Again, using fresh new lump). To me, that kind of means there's a really good fire going.Old lump won't have any smoke. Once you get through the learning curve and then you can play with things.
    One last thing, except for low 'n' slow, the rule of thumb I have adopted is whatever the suggested temp is for regular oven cooking use the same for the Egg and you've a great starting point. Good luck and keep asking questions you won't regret it!

  • Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. Yes i did use the fire cube, and the 10 min temp I saw must have been the cube, because the charcoal really doesn't look like it has a chance to burn yet. Also, I haven't checked my thermometer as I just bought everything but I will. Perhaps it needs to be regulated. I also just pulled max's detailed instructions on turkey and gravy and i see a lot of details I did't do. Basting....he mentions keeping a pot of water near the egg....is that all you need is water?
    Thanks again for your suggestions - I can't wait to cook some more! Rhonda

  • katman
    katman Posts: 331
    Rhonda,
    Way too long for that bird. About 4 hours at 325. I suggest you look at naked wiz's site on the minion method for loading lump. Two important things you will read is use big pieces on the bottom to maintain air flow through the grid. Second is put plenty of lump in the egg. When your cook is done and you close the vents your lump will go out so you won't be wasting anything. It will be there for your next cook.[p]Also, calibrate your dome thermometer, but I wouldn't rely on it after you have reached the cook temp you want and put something like a 20 lb bird on the egg. Personally, I think all that cool food mass influences the temp reading. If you have achieved a stable temp before the food goes on and you have plenty of lump to sustain your fire just leave everthing alone. The egg will maintain the correct burn rate for a long time. Eventually, as your meat warms, the dome thermometer will give you a more reliable reading.[p]You can't get a good stable fire in 10 minutes! It takes longer than that for the egg's ceramic mass to warm and for your lump to get evenly lit! These aren't gas cookers so be patient. I always let my egg warm for about two beers or at least a half hour to an hour if I want to achieve a stable, moderate temp for a relatively long cook. Sometimes it takes more than two beers.[p]good luck. it won't take long to master.

  • katman, thanks so much for responding. I definitely am stop stabilizing the temp first. So I will start doing that. One question I had...I've noticed that even tho the lump is pretty much gone, the temp stays stable after....I couln't help but wonder since the temp was there (and that is assuming my thermometer was right, which I will check) was the bird still cooking? or does it need the burning lump to really keep going?

  • katman
    katman Posts: 331
    rhonda,[p]once your lump is gone the egg will hold temp for a while because of the ceramic mass. How long will depend on outside temp, but once your fuel is gone temps will start to decline.