Did a very basic roast turkey

jhoward82

Wanted to do a test turkey to see if Thanksgiving turkey on the Egg would be an option in my wife's eyes. She isn't big on smoked foods, so I did only charcoal, and it was mostly leftover from a previous run of doing a pork loin, so that the smoke flavor would be mild. Just a basic Harris Teeter Turkey (12 pounder), thawed, some salt and pepper on the skin, and that was it. I roughly followed the directions here: http://www.nytimes.com/2004/11/17/dining/172TREX.html but I added some water to the drip pan for extra moisture, and when I let it rest I let it sit longer than 10 minutes.

Took about 3 hours and came out pretty good. I notice that one side was done earlier than the other ( I am glad I pulled the probe and stuck it in the other side), next time I need to do a full chimney of coals and make sure they are well scattered, I think one spot caught first and got going hotter sooner which pre-cooked that area. (it wasn't by the hinge, it was front left).  My wife was happy that it was a "pretty" turkey and that it was moist without a ton of smoke flavor, so it is definitely a go at this point for Thanksgiving which frees up the oven for other things. May try the Mad Max method unless my wife finds some other recipe she wants to try more. 

jhoward82

Correction, I did do two melted butter bastings.

berndcrisp

I did Mad Max recipe last winter, all of it. It was good though I know it wasn't just right. It was a trying, long learning experience for my limited resources and ability. I may try it again this holiday season.

jhoward82

We have done a variety of turkeys over the years, from simple to complex, and I typically defer to her as to how she wants to do it up. I am personally hoping for something simple.  : )

freddyj

Direct or indirect?

The Cen-Tex Smoker

I like smoked turkey but i never add wood to the T-Giving bird. I do brine. do that and you will be required to do the bird from now forward.

dihtn

Do you prefer a fresh turkey over one that has been frozen?

jhoward82

Did indirect, I was aiming for a roasted bird, and while fresh has advantages, I am too cheap and buy frozen. The test bird was $.99/pound, and I am hoping for a sale this week or next to get the Thanksgiving one even cheaper.