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

Another Turkey question.......

reh111
reh111 Posts: 196
edited November 2011 in EggHead Forum
I didn't cook a turkey on my BGE for T'giving - my wife cooked it in the oven as she normally does - however, at some point on Thursday, I got a hankering (that's southern for "desire") to smoke one - so, I went to the store and got one I though would fit on the BGE - I have a medium - for those of you deciding which one to buy and thinking that you just need a medium because there are only two of you ------ buy a large!!!!!  Anyway, I love my BGE, even though it's a medium and I've had a lot of success with it re: brisket, port butt, cedar planked salmon, steaks, burgers, etc....... 

The turkey I bought was somewhere between 10 - 12 lbs - after I managed to get it thawed out I stuffed it with oranges, lemons, onions, garlic, fresh basil and fresh oregano -- rubbed the outside with olive oil and sprinkled provincal herbs and Cavendars salt on the top -- fired up the egg, soaked some apple chunks and, when the fire was ready, put the chunks and some dry cherry chips on the fire - let them smoke for a few minutes, then put the PS with legs up, a small pan on the middle of the plate setter filled with a white wine that I wouldn't drink, and the grill on top - put the turkey directly on the grill ----

Based on what others have said, I would have expected the the bird would have been done in about 3 hours - I was cooking in the mid - 300's range --- this Butterball had one of those pop-up thermometer timers and, after reading about them, they don't pop up until about 185 degrees which, again as I understand it, is too hot for a turkey - so I ignored the pop-up thingie -----  After 3 hours the breast wasn't to 160 yet so I let it go - it took 4 1/2 hours for the breast temp to get to somewhere between 165 - 170 according to the thermometer I stuck into the breast - (the pop-up thingie still hadn't popped up) - so I took it off - 

It was mid-afternoon so I wrapped it in foil and a towel and put it in a cooler - still hot two hours later but when I cut it, IT WAS DRY!!!! - not sure I can say it was overcooked but it was certainly dry - so, in the future, in smoking turkeys/chickens, how do I determine when to take them off the egg????  Apparently, I should have taken it off 30 min - 1 hour before but the temp gauges wouldn't justify it

What now????

Comments

  • DMurf
    DMurf Posts: 481
    Not sure about your bird. I spatchcocked my bird and placed it on the grill indirect at 400 over a drip pan and it was done in about 2 hours. This is a 15 pound bird after about 24hr in brine then pulled rinsed and rested to allow the skin to dry a bit.


    Turkey Prep 2011




    Here is the bird coming off the grill and resting.

    Grilled Turkey 2011

    This went a little long and the Thermapen registered 180 in the breast, I had rubbed the turkey under the skin with herbed butter and then gave the same treatment on the outside of the skin.


    David
    BBQ since 2010 - Oh my, what I was missing.
  • Squeezy
    Squeezy Posts: 1,102

    .... and how was the moisture & tenderness?

    I see the skin pulled back on the breast ... did that have much effect?

    Never eat anything passed through a window unless you're a seagull ... BGE Lg.
  • Was it really cold when it went on?

    Steve 

    Caledon, ON