Need turkey cooking advice please..........

GenesGrill · October 2006

Plan to cook my first turkey this Thanksgiving. What is the largest turkey (weight wise) I can put on a medium BGE?? Is brining one really worth the extra effort?? How does brining help???

QBabe · October 2006

GenesGrill,[p]The largest one I've done is 20 lbs. I'm guessing you could go larger.[p]Brining is one of those things that is personal preference. I think it helps to keep the meat moist, but it also adds some wonderful flavor. I wouldn't do mine any other way.[p]One thing I wouldn't suggest is doing your first one as the holiday meal, but then again, I don't try new recipes on guests. I do a trial run with something new, and then decide if I want to serve it to guests or for a special meal. Just my 2 cents...[p]Tonia
:~)

The Naked Whiz · October 2006

GenesGrill,
Brining does two things:[p]1) It denatures the proteins in the meat which allows the proteins to retain more moisture when cooking.[p]2) You can add flavors to your brine with sugar and spices and herbs. These will migrate into the meat and add flavor to the meat.[p]You should definitely try it and decide for yourself if you like it. Good luck![p]TNW

Unknown · October 2006

QBabe,[p]I'd like to add a question: What's the best position for the bird? horizontal in a roasting pan or vertical on a rack? If on a rack, which side up?[p]MM

QBabe · October 2006

mesamaniac,[p]Here's what I do. Click on the thumbnail for the full sized pic...[p]Tonia
:~)[p]
[ul][li]Maple Brined Turkey[/ul]

Unknown · October 2006

The Naked Whiz,
So your brine solution is something like equal parts of sugar salt and vinegar$ Seems to me I remember brining a salmon many moons ago. Never did that to a turkey. Sounds interesting.[p]Sincerely
Ern

The Naked Whiz · October 2006

grillin' ern,
Nope, when I brined some turkeys, I used AB's recipe which was water, salt, sugar, orange juice and some spices. I've never used vinegar. The salt is what denatures the proteins and makes it all possible.[p]TNW

Sundown · October 2006

mesamaniac,[p]Done them both ways and either way they will come out better than anything you've ever tasted. Be careful with the smoke it can overpower the meat if you use anything strong.

Rick's Tropical Delight · October 2006

<p />QBabe,
hey, is that a 20 pound bird in a medium bge on plate setter/pan/v rack? or did you use bricks?[p]nice website by the way. i love the photo page with the thumbnails....................

Unknown · November 2006

GenesGrill,
I did ours last year in a brine I made. 1C Kosher Salt 1C brown sugar, 2 oranges, 2 lemons. Brined it for about 10 hours. It was a 12 pounder. Smoked it with pecan wood, and towards the end I threw on some dried grapevines. Best looking turkey I've done. Must have been good my aunt brought over a 27 pounder and this year I've been told I'm doing ours and two others. [p]The only real problem I had was brining the large one. Had to use a 13 gallon trash clean (yes it was new and cleaned well). Just left it out in the garage with the top covered in plastic wrap. [p]Baby j

Need turkey cooking advice please..........

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