I have a basic turkey on the egg question

NonaScott · November 2016

i will be cooking my first turkey on the egg this year. I have cooked many turkeys in my life in the oven, in a charcoal smoker, in an electric smoker and deep fried. I will be cooking this 18 pund bird at factory grid level at 325 degrees. My question is should I put the throw away foil roasting pan on the plate setter then the cooking grid and put the turkey on the grid or put the turkey in the foil pan and put that on the grid. Thanks for the help.

Hans61 · November 2016

I'd put the pan on the plate setter below the bird to catch dripping for gravy

Florida Grillin Girl · November 2016

Like Hans61says, drip pan on platesetter underneath grid.

Carolina Q · November 2016

And put some spacers under the foil pan to help keep the drippings from burning. Foil balls will do nicely.

lousubcap · November 2016

There are a few turkey recipes that have the bird in the pan on the grid above the platesetter but if your approach doesn't need that set-up then just make sure you air-gap the drip pan (if on the platesetter) so the drippings don't burn. And have fun with the cook.

cbmontgo · November 2016

Does anyone put a water pan under the grid to add moisture to the air?

jabam · November 2016

cbmontgo said:

Does anyone put a water pan under the grid to add moisture to the air?

I don't. I've never used a water pan for anything on the egg.

lousubcap · November 2016

@cbmontgo - first up welcome aboard and enjoy the journey.
The nature of the BGE lends to a very moist environment without a water pan as noted above. However, if you use a water/liquid pan remember that is acts as a heat-sink and will keep your temperature lower than for the vents setting if the pan wasn't there. Thus if the pan empties during the cook then your temperature will naturally rise to the equilibrium for the non-pan vent settings. FWIW-

seal · November 2016

I've always put the bird in the pan and placed on the grid, and put a few vegetables inside the bird for added moisture and flavor. Usually an onion, some carrots, and a couple of heads of garlic. Not sure if it adds to the moisture level of the bird since eggs don't really dry anything out, but it sure does make the gravy drippings extra special.

SoCalWJS · November 2016

I see that you are planning on cooking an 18 pounder at normal grid height - make sure you do a dry run first and make sure it fits (and make sure you don't puncture the bird with the thermometer stem). I've only cooked one that big a couple of times and found I needed to change the setup a bit to get the bird a bit lower.

Little Steven · November 2016

cbmontgo said:

Does anyone put a water pan under the grid to add moisture to the air?

Water will cause your temp to stay low. The bird will give off plenty.

keepervodeflame · November 2016

When cooking a bird as large as a turkey It is common have your temp probe come in contact with the breast of the turkey when you shut the lid. As one post above mentions in closing the lid you can actually puncture the breast meat with the tip of your probe. This won't hurt the turkey, but it sure will throw off your temp readings. Here is an old BGE trick that works well when cooking turkey. Step one in this technique in "open a nice bottle o wine" , heres step two. use a small drill bit and simply drill a hole through the length of the cork. Slide the probe through the cork and use the cork as a spacer on the outside of your egg to keep the probe from coming in contact with your turkey.

Image: https://us.v-cdn.net/5017260/uploads/editor/g1/y21w5xa0uc87.jpg

thetrim · November 2016

I'd also add that take a look at the Mad Max method for cooking a turkey. It's the bomb!!! Best turkey ever!!!

I have a basic turkey on the egg question

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