spatch vs fried vs roasted in oven

krobertsmsn · November 2012

Has anyone compared all these methods for turkey? I'm trying to decide how to prepare TG Turkey. What's the most flavorful way? I do not want a smoked one on the egg, so not considering egg unless spatch.

guyupnorth · November 2012

I live up in Canada, so our Thanksgiving was last month. I followed Alton Brown's Good Eats recipe to prep the bird, but cooked it on the Egg at 350 indirect, start to finish. Place the turkey on the grid with an aluminum pan beneath it on the plate setter to catch any drippings. Made a stock earlier with the innards and used the drippings to make the gravy. Best bird ever! Cooked much faster than I had expected, I think an hour earlier if I remember correctly. I let it rest a full hour before carving, in a covered roasting pan.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

Dave in Florida · November 2012

I have done oven, fried and spatchcock. I did my first spatchcock last year. I will be doing it again.

Mighty_Quinn · November 2012

I've done all three and spatch is my preference, and I'll roast a couple thighs along with the backbone in the oven for gravy and to get the roasted turkey smell in the house..

Austin Egghead · November 2012

Past 6 thanksgivings turkey has been cooked on egg. With four cooks in the kitchen it gets noisy and crowded. Tending the egg is my escape to silence. I mostly cook turkey vertical but this year I may do the cook in a roasting pan

Zick · November 2012

Love the fried turkey. It is an event!

SmokeyPitt · November 2012

What is the "OV-EN" of which you speak? Seriously though...even if you want to just roast it...roast it on the egg. Just cook at higher temps (325-350) and don't add wood using the same method you would in your oven.

That being said, spatch is still my preference. The only problem with spatch is you can't do as big of a bird because it is all splayed out. If I smaller bird will suit your needs I would go spatch. I'm sure fried is great as well...to be honest I have not tried it. Maybe try two smaller birds- one spatch and one fried?

Griffin · November 2012

We do one oven baked and two fired turkeys down at the ranch. The fried ones always disappear first, but Mrs. G's Mom insists on doing one in the oven. I thought about taking the large down with us this year and doing an oven baked, a fried and a smoked, but with all the stuff we have to pack for a week and two dogs and guns, there just isn't enough room. (But the MINI is going ;) )

Austin Egghead · November 2012

Turkey parts on the mini is good eats ;)

SWVABeanCounter · November 2012

Do one of each if you can and everybody can decide which they like best.

Griffin · November 2012

Austin Egghead said:

Turkey parts on the mini is good eats ;)

I can never find turkey parts. ONly whole turkeys. :(

krobertsmsn · November 2012

I will do a test on egg sunday and decide...that's what I really want-to use my egg!!!!

Little Steven · November 2012

Griffin said:

Austin Egghead said:

Turkey parts on the mini is good eats ;)

I can never find turkey parts. ONly whole turkeys. :(

Griff,

You guys get turkeys so cheap, why not get an extra one, cut the back out, take the wings, legs and thighs off and use the neck? Save the breast for another cook?

Skiddymarker · November 2012

Griffin said:

Austin Egghead said:

Turkey parts on the mini is good eats ;)

I can never find turkey parts. ONly whole turkeys. :(

Griffin, what no knife no freezer? Chop shop a full bird and use the parts as appropriate...

Us Cunucks drool at the price of US poultry, about 1/2 of what we pay.

DonWW · November 2012

I have fried. Oven roasted. Slow smoked (offset, not egg). Never spatched a turkey. Many a chicken, though. Oven is rock bottom on the list. It's good, traditional, fool proof, and bland over boring. I love a great fried turkey, injected with a nice cajun marinade. But, a turkey on the egg - spatched or roasted indirect with a nice light wood, would be the way to go.

lousubcap · November 2012

Just to change it up-check out Mad Max's recipe on the The Naked Whiz site for one more variable-but to your original inquiry-from my experience spatch wins-although I have been cooking the T'day turkey on some sort of outside cooker for 30+ years (yes, many laps of the sun). The 'ol Weber kettle charcoal set-up would beat the fried version which always topped the inside fire-box. That said, the level of effort for preps could have contributed to the outcome as I did not cook the oven or fried birds. FWIW-

Griffin · November 2012

Skiddymarker said:

Griffin said:

Austin Egghead said:

Turkey parts on the mini is good eats ;)

I can never find turkey parts. ONly whole turkeys. :(
Griffin, what no knife no freezer? Chop shop a full bird and use the parts as appropriate...
Us Cunucks drool at the price of US poultry, about 1/2 of what we pay.

Most of the turkeys I see are already frozen. Isn't it bad to thaw it out, chop it up and refreeze?

DocWonmug · November 2012

Comments based on looking at the USDA food safety site. As long as it was handled safely, and not left out of the fridge for more that two hours (not more than 40 degrees, or possibly still has some ice crystals), it is OK to re-freeze. The quality may suffer some however. In other words, keep it cold and re-freeze it right away.

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