Turkey season almost

dublin

Turkey season is almost here or will be before you know it.
So todays question part A and B is...[p]A) Does anybody have a Turkey Vertical Roaster???
I am thinking of buying the one BGE has for sale. I need one for Saturday.How does this work, will it support a 15 pound Turkey???[p]B)Most of my guests are fussy and are picky about the seasonings i use soooo, I am going to brine the sucker (first try) and than put salt and pepper over it.
Does any other egger have any suggustions???[p]I am also going to smoke with Maple wood chips.[p]Dublin[p]

KennyG

Dublin,[p]Vertical turkey roasters work well but will restrict you to a smaller sized bird than the Egg can comfortably accomodate. A big Egg can can easily handle a bird approaching 20 lbs. or more but not standing straight up when you still have to close the dome. Consider instead the V-rack which is a more versatile accessory and can be used for a variety of cooks along with being inverted to serve as a rib rack.[p]Although brining is a good idea, maple chips for smoking might not be the best choice for turkey. I used a blend of pecan and apple.[p]Just my $.02[p]K~G

dublin

KennyG,[p]Thanks Kenny, I have a V-Rack but was worried about the bird sticking to it?[p]I can't get Pecan chips here in CT but i do have Apple chips so i will use them instead.[p]Whats best to go with Maple chips??

DavidR

Dublin,[p]To brine or not to brine? If you brine, how long do you brine, before it's overbrined. (too salty) What seasonings do you use, depending on whether you brine or not? (that's important) What temp and for how long? (again, depending on whether you brine or not) Vertical roaster or V-rack?[p]The thing to keep in mind, (to me at least) is that when it comes to preparing a holiday turkey for family and friends, I wouldn't go near it with a ten foot pole without doing at least 2 or 3 "test cooks" to see if in fact you want to cook it that way, and to get the procedure down, and mostly to reduce the 'trepidation' factor. [p]Besides, test cooks are a lot of fun, because you can throw caution to the wind.

KennyG

dublin,[p]Just lightly oil the V-rack and sticking should not be a problem when used with a drip pan. The 15 lb bird you mentioned might just fit with a vertical roaster, but would be pushing the limit. [p]The only cook I've done with maple chips is salmon. I'm sure there are other uses as well.[p]I currently have a glut of seasoned pecan, thanks to friends in Alabama and Georgia. Email me if you would like some.[p]K~G[p][p]

WooDoggies

Yo Dublin,[p]As always KennyG gives sound advice. You can also place the turkey on the grill extender with a drip pan underneath and it will work out fine. Trussing first will help.
You may want to rub the skin down with olive oil before sprinling with salt and pepper... the oil will help to crisp up the skin.
If you brine then check the label and make sure it is a fresh bird. A lot of grocery store turkeys are pre-injected with sodium broth solutions and brining will just be salty overkill..... take it from someone who has made that mistake before!
Good luck with the bird and your fussy guests, mang![p]WD[p][p]

Julie

Dublin,
I use a VTR for all my turkeys with or without a drip pan. I have had a 26 pound turkey on it. The only things you need to remember is to make sure your TP does not stick in your bird and that the bigger birds will need to be pushed down on the VTR most of the way so it does not plug the chimney. I also recommend using a DT to make sure your bird is done. I make sure my bird is 180 degrees. I spray mine with Pam or the like instead of rubbing butter on it. I have used hickory chunks (3 of them) and I have used apple chips. They are both good. I use no other seasonings. I will take about 3 hours for a 15 pound turkey a little longer for a bigger bird of course.

Bordello

Dublin,
If you brine the bird, rinse it well after removing it from the brine.
New Bob

The Naked Whiz

New Bob,
What I've read about brining says not to rinse the meat, just pat it dry. Alton Brown says not to rinse. The Virtual Weber Bullet says do what the recipe says, but the main reason is to rinse off any sugar that might be in the brine and burn on the skin. I have brined two birds, both using sugar and I didn't rinse, and I didn't have any sugar burn on the skin. So, I wouldn't rinse. Alton Brown also says to handle the bird gently after brining, I assume because rough handling could cause the meat to "squeeze" out some of the moisture it picked up.[p]TNW

The Naked Whiz

Dublin,
You probably don't have access to Alton Brown's episode "Romancing The Bird" where he brined a turkey. It had a fair amount of good info on brining. He also has some good info in his book "I'm Just Here For The Food" if you can sneak in a book store and read it. [p]I've only brined a chicken and a turkey breast, but I didn't have any problem with either one. The first time I used 3/4 C kosher salt and 3/4 C sugar in a gallon of water. Nothing fancy. The second time I used a recipe from A.B.'s book, 2 quarts of water, 1 quart of veggie broth, 1 quart of OJ, salt (don't remember how much), sugar (I think 1/4 cup?), 2 bay leaves an 1 Tbsp of pepper corns. I didn't really detect a big difference in flavor, so for your first brine, I'd go with the basic brine if I were doing it. Depending on the size of the bird, you obviously may need more than a gallon. I assume you know that the brine needs to be cold when you put the bird in. You don't want the bird sitting in warm brine for bacterial reasons.[p]When I do my turkeys, other than brining, I rub them with olive oil, sprinkle on some Montreal Steak seasoning and cook them with either apple or pecan smoke. I've read some people say that they thought the brining made the bird a little salty, so you might not want to use M.S. seasoning which has a fair amount of salt in it. You might stick with just black pepper.[p]Anyway you do it, good luck.
TNW

Bordello

The Naked Whiz,
I do not use normally use salt, I find that rinsing helps to remove any residue that may be on the product. Nothing is worse to me then having something that taste of salt.
I guess we will have to agree to disagree. We all have different taste. As for Alton Brown, well, again we have to agree to disagree.[p]Cheers,
New Bob

The Naked Whiz

New Bob,
Are you saying that your brine contains no salt? What do you use? [p]TNW

Bordello

The Naked Whiz,
Yes it has salt, it's the residue (if not rinsed) that "my" taste objects too. That is the thing about cooking,we all have a different view of what taste good or bad. I do not like garlic, most people would not think of cooking without it. I do not add salt after cooking and with the exception of brining or a rub, never use it. (only use it my beer,Ü)
New Bob

The Naked Whiz

New Bob,
Gotcha! When you said "I don't normally use salt", I thought you meant in your brine. I don't normally use salt either. I find many things in life (chips, soup) taste too salty. [p]TNW

Bordello

The Naked Whiz,
Here is another point of view. No one is right, it's a matter of taste.
Cheers,
New Bob
[ul][li]Link[/ul]

Bordello

The Naked Whiz,
Thanks, Amen to that. ÜÜÜ
New Bob

The Naked Whiz

New Bob,
Interesting. Not only does she say rinse, she says rinse thoroughly. And she advocates frequent basting. Another Alton Brown no no. Hmmm, maybe the two of them could hold a debate? :-)[p]TNW

Bordello

The Naked Whiz,
I guess it really comes down to: There are many ways of doing things, use what works best for your taste. Maybe if doing a short brine (time wise) the rinsing might not be needed, (I don't know) I always rinse thoroughly.
New Bob

Marvin

The Naked Whiz,
I was just going to add those very words. After brining - if done correctly - no further salt is needed. We use a rub of paprika, pepper, sage, and then spray with olive oil after brining for 24 hours.

BobbyG

Dublin,
Wow, looks like you have gotten a little advice here. That's what is so great about our egging family, lots of love. I will give my 2 cents and be quick.[p]My wife is not a big turkey fan, at least not until I started cooking them on the egg last year.
* Basic brine (sugar/salt/ice/big cooler/cover bird 12hrs)
* Put bird in frig for several hours to dry skin
* No smoke
* used vrack not vertical[p]You will get lot of opinions about temperature, I'd have to look at my notes, but don't cook it to USDA reccomendations.[p]You will love it...
See ya, BobbyG
*