Need set up for Mad Max Turkey on Adjustable Rig

JudyFoodie

It's our Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and I plan on using Max's recipe again. Only difference from last time is that I now have the adjustable rig and want to know how to adapt Max's instructions using the rig for a 20lb turkey on a large.

mad max beyond eggdome

judy

here you go . ..

start with your spider



pizza stone in the spider for the heat barrier



then the adjustable rig with the bars in the lowest slots



do a cold test fit with your roasting pan and a basketball to see how it all fits .. .




then do it with the real bird, in this case a 22 pounder







the adjustable rig works great for doing a mad max bird. . . i used it last year for both my thanksgiving bird and my turduckhen in january and i'll be using it again this year. ..

hey, exactly when is cannuck thanksgiving so i know what day to open the mad max hotline??

Jeffersonian

Nice photo essay, Max. I hadn't thought of using just the crossbars to support the bird pan. That'll work even better than the crumpled foil balls. Thanks for the idea, amigo. Shalom!

mad max beyond eggdome

no sweat. .. i hit on that last year in discussions with TJV. . .really works well. . . you get great airflow around the roasting pan. .. helps prevent any scorching in the pan ... .

Big'un

The mad Max turkey and the adjustable rig are an absolute winning configuration!!! max, are you finally gonna brine one?

mad max beyond eggdome

nope, i've never seen the need as my bird is alwasy moist, and it always tastes like turkey. ...why would i want to squirt full of something and make it taste like something else?

but to be honest, the main reasons i don't brine is

1. i don't have the space for it, and
2. i'm just too damn lazy and
3, circling back to my original statement, my turkey is always very moist and flavorful, so why bother?

Canugghead

hey mad max, canugg thanksgiving is monday oct 13

JudyFoodie

That's the ticket Max, thanks for illustrating it too! Canadian Thanksgiving is officially the 2nd Monday in October but any day of the 3 day weekend is celebrated with the big family meal. Lots of people I know eat on the Sunday so they can relax on the Monday but I'll be doing mine on Monday this year.

HungryNephew

My father-in-law and I are going to do a test run on a Turkey in prep for Thanksgiving the day after eggtoberfest. I have a rig but no spider (other than -get a spider!)? Any suggestions for a workaround?

mad max beyond eggdome

sure, set the bars in the lowest spot like i did with a pizza stone on the bars. .then put your little green ceramic feet on the pizza stone with your roasting pan on the green ceramic feet. ..don't have the green ceramic feet?. .. .use balls of aluminum foil, or 3 or four copper "ells". ...anything to create a space for airflow between the pizza stone and the bottom of your roasting pan ... .

Pdub

You could also set the normal grate below the rig and set the pizza stone on that, and then use the bars to raise the pan. Pdub

tjv

man, got to get me some of that.....nice description and thanks. T