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HERITAGE TURKEY
GRILLAHOLIC
Posts: 5
I'm cooking a Heritage turkey for the first time this Thanksgiving. I've read that they cook much differently as compared to the typical store brands. My plan was to cook it on the BGE so my wife wouldn't have me in her way in the kitchen. Looking for some pointers from someone who has cooked a heritage turkey on their egg. THANKS!!
Comments
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Seeing no responses, I searched round. Perhaps the following link will provide an answer.
http://www.localharvest.org/features/cooking-turkeys.jsp
Basically, just seems to be hotter and faster. I suspect "dry7 brining" might help too:
http://www.slashfood.com/2007/11/16/dont-like-the-mess-of-brining-try-dry-brining-instead/
I did that last year, followed by herb butter under the skin, and the results were quite good. -
Thanks for the response. The dry brining sounds interesting. I'm still hoping a fellow egger that has cooked a heritage turkey will give me whatever words of wisdom they gleaned from already cooking one of these. (They cost too much to risk screwing it up!!)
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i don't know anything specific about heritige turkeys .. .but a turkey is still a turkey... .that being said, i sure wound't brine it.. .the whole idea is that you've spent good money on that bird and you want it's flavor to shine through, not the flavor of the brine!! . . .but that also being said, i'd sure wouldn't be afraid to "mad max" that turkey. ..only thing i'd be sure to do is read the cooking times on the packaging that come with and adjust my times in the egg accordingly ... . here is a link to the mad max central. . .i'd still make sure to ice the breasts to insure they don't get overdone also ...
http://www.nakedwhiz.com/madmaxcentral/madmaxcentral.htm -
my guess would be to follow your directions and base times arourond 12 minutes a pound start monitoring around maybe 8 minutes a pound. i know the birds i get off the local farm cook way quicker than the storebought ones i cook, i dont even start prepping the egged bird til my oven bird is in the oven. i always cook two and the egged bird comes from the farm and my oven bird is usually from the store.fukahwee maineyou can lead a fish to water but you can not make him drink it
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Ahhh yes, the $200 turkey. AZRP and I went that route one year.... they don't cook any differently than a store bought bird, and prepare to be disappointed if you expect it to taste different.
It still tasted great - but you could save a bundle & just get an organic free range one from the grocery store. Anyhoo - cook it the Mad Max way and you will be pleased -
Well everything I read says they do cook differently. Even so, I wanted to thank you for your posting. I had to smile at your $200.00 turkey comment. Hey, I'll try just about anything once!! SO...... I'm still waiting to hear from someone that actually cooked one of these on their egg.
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I cooked mine on the egg. It wasn't any different than the turkeys I cooked before. The only ones that probably cook different are the true wild turkeys, but thats not what the heritage birds are.
I think both AZRP and I ended up with the broad breasted bronze ones - and again, it wasn't bad - it just wasn't different. -
Im pretty sure this was the heritage turkey.
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LOOKIN GOOD!!
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melissa...i'm glad you posted. i don't even think we have pictures of ours. Back to the good ole regular store ones for us. i don't think i've ever seen such a disappointed look on Randy's face.
have agreat one. -
you mean old sour puss was REALLY dissapointed!!! LOL . . .
you'll never see me spend more than $1.29 a pound for turkey. . .and EVERYONE at my table is always happy!!! -
Pooooooor Randy. I felt the same thing - Im not sure what I expected - like rainbows to shoot out of it or for everyone to start freaking out at the first taste.... but for that much money it was a letdown to find out that turkey is turkey.
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I did a lot of research because I didn't want to screw up a $200 bird. Most all articles on cooking them say to cook it to an internal temp of no more than 140-150 or they will dry out. I followed their instructions and after an hours rest I started to carve it, the dark meat still had blood in it and the meat was like eating rubber bands. I had to put it back in the Egg and cook the breast to 160 and the dark meat to 175. The breast turned out fine but no different than any other Turkey I'd cooked. The dark meat is pretty much nonexistent. Because they are free range the thighs and legs are all tendon. -RP
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The worst part was I had been bragging to my guests for weeks before Thanksgiving about this expensive bird I would be serving. -RP
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Now I'm getting nervous!! I better cook something else besides this (in case it comes out less than stellar)
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me too. I think my mom made a bigger deal out of it than I did, so that made it even more embarrasing :pinch:
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it won't be bad. Just don't expect a standing ovation - in fact, if you did a blind taste test with a grocery store turkey & a heritage one both cooked in an egg, I doubt you could pick which was which.
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i think the message here is, it ain't the bird, its how you cook it!!!!
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Well put. -RP
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