Turkey Question

Jeepster47

I smoked a spatch cocked turkey (Butter Ball) this week end.  It was good, but not great.  You have to almost wring out a spatched chicken before eating it, but not so with turkeys off the egg.  Darn. Did a little research (actually I was doing something else and stumbled upon it) and found an article in Cook's Illustrated from Nov/Dec 2008.  The article is about experimenting with a lower cook temp than normal.  The downside was non-crispy skin, but I'd trade that for great turkey meat.  Oh yes, instead of spatch cocking the turkey, they used a breast and leg quarters.



If I don't care about the perfect Normal Rockwell turkey with perfect crisp skin, do you think this approach has any merit?  Remember that I'm lazy ...

jak7028

Seems like it could, but I don't know for sure.  Others will have time chime in on that one.  Personally, I have better results at higher temps with turkey and chicken.

As far as turkeys, that is the one thing on the BGE i use a drip pan full of liquid on. I cook mine whole, on a roasting rack, legs up.  Cook 350-400 degrees until you hit 155 in the breast, then let it rest and the carryover will take it to 160.  I have gotten outstanding results.  People that do not like a traditional Thanksgiving roasted turkey (because it is dry as hell), have made it clear I need to let them know whenever I roast/smoke a turkey.  

As far as spatchcock, I am huge fan of it also, and that is pretty much the only way I cook a whole chicken.  I just haven't had as good of results with a turkey.

SGH

@Jeepster47
Brother 47, if the skin is of no concern to you, then yes, the low temps work great. Ever had great pulled chicken or turkey? If yes, chances are it was smoked somewhere between 200-250 degrees. All the danger zone nonsense aside. Ever see Franklins turkey breast method? He removes the skin and runs 275 degrees. Not everyone is fanatical about skin. If you are one of them, there is no particular need or reason to run the high temps. One of my favorite ways to eat chicken is pulled. Ever had pulled chicken cooked at 350 or higher? The texture is off by miles for the reasons stated in your above pictorial. With the above said, if the skin is irrelevant to you, turn the smoker down and enjoy some great slow cooked pulled poultry my friend. 

fishlessman

the texture is different than roast turkey but is still very good. heres how to do everything wrong with turkey and get great results
https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1142418/low-and-slow-turkey

Tbent

Low temp turkey worked out well for me on Christmas Day. I cooked this behemoth bird at 250 until it hit about 145, basting every once in a while to help get crisp skin. Then moved the turkey to the kitchen and brushed with butter, S, & P while I opened the vents to get to 475. Put it back in for about 10 minutes to finish and get a little more crisp on the skin. Definitely turned out good and juicy. This was a method from Chef Steps and I'll do one again this way for sure. I only took one picture during a baste though. No finished pics. 

blind99

Sounds good.  Kenji what's his name wrote something similar about a beef roast.  cook it low, then pull and crank the temp of the oven up high, then throw it in for a few minutes to brown the outside.  like a reverse sear but in the oven.

i think you could do the same thing on the egg for a turkey or a chicken.  go indirect at 225 to IT of 140ish, take the bird out and raise the temp to 500, and cook it indirect another 10 minutes or so to crisp the skin.  i bet someone's done this.  @fishlessman 's bird looks pretty spot on!

edit: looks like @tbent has already figured this out

SGH

@blind99
I have done the method you mentioned above but in reverse. Start the bird in a 500 degree BGE to set the skin and then finish it at 225 in another egg or smoker. However if I'm not wanting the skin I just skip the 500 degree blast. 

blind99

@sgh work is killing me.  poor egg has gotten no use in a few weeks. these posts have got me anxious to get cooking again!

SGH

blind99 said:

@sgh work is killing me.  

I feel your pain my friend. Work has a way of getting in the way of everything. 

Legume

Sounds like most of you are describing either forward or reverse sear like this was a big chunk o'beef discussion.  The article makes sense to me and is basically making the argument for how to cook a prime rib roast - should work for turkey or any large cut where you want a consistent edge to edge done-ness.  

Why not just SV a whole turkey and hit it with a weed burner to crisp the skin. 

nolaegghead

The hotter you cook it, the lower the internal temp should be when you take it off (because of the temp gradient and carry-over cooking).  Cooking very hot (375F or more), cook until the breast center (coolest part) is just over 140-145.  A lower temp cook you can pull off around 150.  160 is ok if you cook really low, but you're right about the overcooking at higher temps.

poster

how big a bird did you do? I normally I do 10-12lbers 400 raised direct and they come out great. Better and juicier than deep fried IMO. Maybe the larger birds take so much more time to get the inside meat to 160? when I probe the smaller birds it seems to be no more than 10 degrees higher on the outside

Darby_Crenshaw

We get dry skin here at low temps

shrug

Jeepster47

@poster ... 14 pounds

Davec433

Darby_Crenshaw said:

We get dry skin here at low temps

shrug

I was in Wisconsin for Christmas and family there smoked a turkey I think in the low 200's but he placed bacon over the breast to help with the dry skin. Took him pretty much all day to get that big ole turkey to the dinner table.

Mattman3969

My last few Turkey breasts have been cooked at 250ish with a little cornstarch mixed in the rub and pulled at 160-170 and have turned out great. The texture of the meat is very juicy and skin is crisp enough to eat and not be rubber. This is actually my preferred method for turkey and chicken.  Chicken wings come out great this way.   

Jeepster47

@Davec433 ... did this one at 375* indirect and it took 2 hrs and 20 minutes to touch 160* in the breast ... dark meat was about 185*.  Will have to follow noalegghead's advice to quit before reaching 160*.

@Mattman3969 ... I also seem to do well on a parted out turkey.  Haven't cooked low-n-slow, but still they come out much better than when I do a whole bird.  Might just go back to cooking parts ... with only two of us, that's a lot better approach than eating one bird for a week or so.  Half of this birds in the freezer as it is.

Thanks for the feed back guys. I've got some new ideas to try now ... that's the real fun of the egg.

Steve76

Thanks for all the info... Planning on a slow cook / smoke turkey breast this weekend, and we'll hope for the best!!

Jeepster47

From the forum folks, you are most welcome.

Welcome to the forum ... please do post some pics of your cook this weekend.  Lots of details and how you thought it came out.