Thanksgiving Turkey - Stuff with food while cooking or no

EggHeadQ

Hello all, this is more of a Ford v Chevy debate.  I am doing our first Thanksgiving Turkey this year on our egg and was wondering while cooking it, should I place other food, (lemons, oranges, garlic etc) in the cavity while cooking it. I have heard good and bad for both.

Thanks,

lkapigian

Stuffing it adds mass and cooks slower , not a fan of "dressing" stuffed in the cavity , but will do onions apple etc 

lousubcap

Another vote for loosely tossing in aromatics like small chunks of lemon, apple, orange etc.  FWIW- Been tossing them in for over 4 decades of Q ing the turkey.  (not all on the BGE).  Never have had any issues or complaints.  

Acn

lousubcap said:

Another vote for loosely tossing in aromatics like small chunks of lemon, apple, orange etc.  FWIW- Been tossing them in for over 4 decades of Q ing the turkey.  (not all on the BGE).  Never have had any issues or complaints.  

This is the way to go.  We usually do onion, apple, and some rosemary and/or thyme sprigs.

fishlessman

i do the bread stuffing in the oven bird, not in an egged bird.  the egg bird gets some smoke and some onion and apple quarters, and a bottle white wine, its about the gravy for me, i dont think it does much for the bird itself

fishlessman

with regards to bread stuffing in the bird or dressing done outside the bird, i have no use for dressing. jimmy dean and bread stuffing with onion and celery and bells seasoning stuffed in the bird, safety be damned.  makes for a better sandwich later on as well.

stv8r

nothing wrong with a few aromatics in the cavity.  Dressing should be cooked in a pan though.  Safer and easier to cook correctly.  

Yard Bird

Just make sure you chop the potatoes, apples, onions finely enough to fill the Turkey cavity with the fewest amount of voids.
This will keep the Turkey moist and cooking more evenly throughout the smoking process.
Also, a pan on the plate setter filled with your liquid of choice (I know what mine is!) set below the bird keeps the bird cooking evenly and retains moisture

marcdc

Not in the bird. But cook the stuffing with a full cup of schmaltz (rendered chicken fat) and it’ll be super moist and flavorful, just like it was in the bird. 

EggHeadQ

Yard Bird said:

Just make sure you chop the potatoes, apples, onions finely enough to fill the Turkey cavity with the fewest amount of voids.
This will keep the Turkey moist and cooking more evenly throughout the smoking process.
Also, a pan on the plate setter filled with your liquid of choice (I know what mine is!) set below the bird keeps the bird cooking evenly and retains moisture

What’s your liquid of choice?

Mark_B_Good

In the method I used ... slightly altered Mad Max Turkey method ... cavity is stuffed with apples, onions, carrots and lemon ... but then given a good dose of white wine.  I think the white wine is probably the most impressive addition and influence on flavor.

EggHeadQ

ohhhh lordy.  Sorry finally getting back to writing to everyone!  The Turkey on the egg turned out perfect!!  I stuffed the cavity with some rosemary, lemons and oranges.  The drip tray consisted of more lemons, oranges, some miller lite and some bourbon.  I refilled the tray probably half way through just to make sure there was enough moisture in the egg.  I absolutely loved doing and will do it again.  Thank you all again!

lousubcap

@EggHeadQ - great news right there.  Way to bring it home.  But even more impressive is circling back and letting all know how it went.  
The great majority of queries become a one-off with many valuable responses but never a return serve as to what was done/used and how it went.  
So, many thanks and appreciated.  

Mark_B_Good

I think it needs to be mandatory that if anyone posts a thread on thanksgiving turkey, they need to follow up with photos.