Simple turkey question

slovelad

anyone ever done a turkey with just salt and pepper?

i bought a pre brined turkey and I want to give it a try, but not if someone else had horrible results.

Brisket_Fanatic

It's great as long as you get the S&P under the skin

blind99

No, but this year my turkey will be only slightly more complex.

Oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.  On the egg if I'm not at work.  No brines, injections, compound butter under the skin, just keeping it simple.  And just a regular Butterball, not a heritage turkey that was free ranged and on the honor roll.

slovelad

blind99 said:

No, but this year my turkey will be only slightly more complex.

Oil, salt, pepper, and herbs.  On the egg if I'm not at work.  No brines, injections, compound butter under the skin, just keeping it simple.  And just a regular Butterball, not a heritage turkey that was free ranged and on the honor roll.

I had a butter ball that was done in 2 hours on the egg that was 10 times better than a fresh turkey done for 5 hours 

Skiddymarker

if you are no going to spatch it, suggets you might want to try cooking it breast side down for the first hour or so. Mad Max ices the breasts to slow the cooking, I've found it is easy to flip the bird over even if it is stuffed with veggies and fruit. SWMBO likes sage and savory, S&P.  

SGH

This is one of those things that comes down to individual tastes and personal preference. With that said, here are my thoughts on the subject. Plain old salt and pepper will give good results on just about anything. However there are somethings (in my humble opinion) where more than just salt and pepper is needed to really make it shine. Turkey is one of them. The exception being if you are doing a truly "smoked" turkey. In this case salt and pepper is fine as the prevailing profile will be smoke. However the average egger doesn't truly smoke his or her bird. They add a whisp or hint of smoke if you will. For clarity I'm talking about whole turkeys, not boneless breasts. Salt and pepper is actually pretty good on deboned breasts. The birds like you have above (semi-brined) I like to shoot them up with either butter and cayenne or Cajun creole butter. It turns the plain Jane into a real treat. Again, this is not a must but I prefer it. For whole turkeys I always use salt, pepper and cayenne at a minimum. Usually a little something extra. Above brother Fanatic mentioned getting it under the skin. He is correct in his assessment and it applys to all rubs. Not just the salt and pepper. They work much better if placed on and under the skin. Again, salt and pepper will certainly work, but I much prefer to spice turkeys up. It's like anything else, you will get all kind of opinions on this subject as everyone likes something a little different. I hope that this helps my friend. 

slovelad

@SGH thanks for your abundant wisdom as always. Do you have a recipe for creole butter that you prefer? or do you buy it pre made?

SGH

slovelad said:

Do you have a recipe for creole butter that you prefer? or do you buy it pre made?

I just buy the premade. Tony Chacheries is so good that I use it instead of going to the trouble to make it. 

slovelad

SGH said:

slovelad said:

Do you have a recipe for creole butter that you prefer? or do you buy it pre made?

I just buy the premade. Tony Chacheries is so good that I use it instead of going to the trouble to make it. 

ever tried cajun injector?

SGH

slovelad said:

ever tried cajun injector?

Yes sir, they are a great one as well. The trick with any of them is to taste them before you inject with them to be sure that you like the taste. 

Hook_emHornsfan_74

@SGH I am calling upon your wisdom.  I as well like to inject my turkey with Tony's creole butter, but I usually fry them.  This  year I am going to give spatching it a try.  What temp would you suggest and for how long, and raised direct, or indirect?  Thanks in advance.  

SGH

Hook_emHornsfan_74 said:

This  year I am going to give spatching it a try.  What temp would you suggest and for how long, and raised direct, or indirect?  Thanks in advance.  

This is again one of those things open to much debate as to which is best. However for spatchcock I have had great luck with both indirect and raised direct. The raised direct is faster but the indirect gives a little bigger margin for error without scorching the bird. Both methods yield pretty similar results as far as the end product. If this is your first, I would recommend going indirect at 350-375 degrees. This will ensure a crisp skin and a reasonable cook time. For the indirect method, a good general guide is 12 minutes a pound at 375 degrees. Now there are many things that can effect this, but it's a good guide.  

Focker

Going to inject this years prebrined bird with a little bit of Cholula Lime and Kerrygold butter I caught on sale via a 10cc syringe and fill blunt needle.  

Whipped up a mayo today with some Cholula Lime and Plowboys Yardbird Rub to smear after trussing,before placing on the spit.  Will sprinkle some more Plowboys on as needed.  I'm with SGH on this one, turkey needs help. 

Found a unique cranberry sauce to try this year that includes bacon, and its grease!  Worth a shot.