Cooking A Whole Turkey

Gloria · October 2002

Well, it's about time to be thinking and planning Thanksgiving dinner and I want to cook our turkey on the Egg. We like a BIG turkey as there will be about 15 of us to dinner. I would appreciate hearing from those who have cooked the whole bird and from those that have cooked a large one, e.g. times, direct or indirect, covered with foil or not, etc., etc., etc. I am especially concerned with the time it will take to cook. Thanks all.

Mop · October 2002

Gloria, I do them all the time on the egg.[p]Brined bird, cooker at 350º, bird in Vrack, in a drip pan on top of a pizza stone, or firebricks.
15-20 per pound.
Wrap the wing and leg tips in foil to avoid burning.[p]I rinse, pat dry and mist the bird with olive oil, light dusting of your favorite seasoning before putting on the bbq.[p]WHen the breast hits 165º I take it off, let it sit for 15 minutes or so, then carve[p]Doesn`t get a whole lot better than that.[p]Mop[/b]

WooDoggies · October 2002

Mop,[p]When the breast hits 165 and you pull it off, where do you normally find the temp of the thigh to be?
'preciate it.[p]WD

Gloria · October 2002

Mop,
Do I have to "brine" the turkey? Not sure I would have a large enough container to do this in. Thanks for the good info.

Unknown · October 2002

Gloria,
Although I haven't tried this it may work. Place your bird and brine into an unused trash bag (or other similar bag) tie the top up and then place it in the fridge.[p]Matt.

Julie · October 2002

Gloria,
I spray my turkey with Pam or the like. Using the VTR, a 20 pound bird will take about 3 hours at 325 degrees. I use a digital thermometer and done when it reads about 180 degrees. Have cooked it with and without a drip pan and had very little difference. Sometimes I use 3 hickory chunks or a small handfull of a fruit wood. Brining sounds really good but how much does the salt content increase? Also, I'm lazy and like the easiest way to cook; just put on and go. [p]Julie

Shelby · October 2002

Gloria,
Everyone swears by brining; one day, I guess I'll try. In the meantime, I inject my turkey the night before then season the outside. And since I'm going to inject with a seasoning mix that includes a stick or so of butter, I buy a store brand turkey.
I cook indirectly over a drip pan, directly on the grill. At 350, it's about a 3 hour cook on a 20 pound bird.
I tried a V-rack the first time but found the bird took on the shape of the rack after cooking in it for several hours. I simply place mine directly on the grill, over a drip pan.
Something you might consider, since turkey prices come down this time of year, do a "practice" turkey the week or so before.
Email me and remind me to tell you about the mix.

Tom Harmon · October 2002

Gloria,[p]Interesting thing about brining (Which I wholeheartedly endorse) is that the cooking time is reduced. Brining seems to accomplish 2 things - alters the proteins of the bird and the additional H2O appears to supply steam heat. I did 23 lb bird in 2'45" at 300 - 350 at XMAS last year.[p]One thing I have learned (Good Eats) is to mold aluminum foil over the breast and wings prior to cooking. Keep these molds handy - once the turkey has browned you can put the mold over the white meat to prevent overcooking while the dark meat catches up.[p]Take the bird off at least 5 degrees below your target as the carryover heat will continue cooking while the bird rests. Leave any temp probes in to avoid losing the juices

Tom Harmon · October 2002

Gloria,[p]I go to Home Depot and buy a Homer bucket (basically a new, clean 5gal paint bucket) and brine in it.

ColoradoCook · October 2002

Shelby,[p]Place some tinfoil over your v-rack to avoid making indentations in your turkey. A few holes at the bottom will help with the juice flow.[p]cc

Unknown · October 2002

South O,
Actually, trash bags aren't safe to put food in, you need plastic bags that are marked as being 'food-safe'. I've never found any that were big enough to brine a turkey in.[p]Regards,
Chuck Lane

Zip · October 2002

Chuck Lane,[p]20# and 40# ice bags work very well as long as they are not vented. Check with you local grocery store meat counter. Most grocery stores use these bags to store trimmings and such.[p]HTH!
Asholey

ColoradoCook · October 2002

Gloria,[p]I use a cooler (the one you use for beer, pop, food, etc.) it works great and it's easy to clean, I like to clean mine outside with the hose.[p]When making a brine, I bring mine to a boil in a big pot. The brine usually calls for a certain amount of water, seasoning and bringing this all to a boil, then cooling it off. What you do is cut back on the water and make a brine concentrate. Cool this a bit, pour into the cooler and add enough ice to make up for the remainder of the water the brine recipe called for. This should make your brine nice and cold. Now put your turkey in overnight (one hour per pound). Remove it the next day and set in frig for another night so the skin can dry out some, too much moisture in the skin will not allow it to crisp up. Brined turkeys are the best, everyone now volunteers me for turkey duty during Thanksgiving. I usually cook the turkey and bring it to a friend's house, this way I get all the credit but none of the hassle of entertaining a house full.[p]Good luck,[p]CC

Unknown · October 2002

Chuck Lane,
I hadn't considered that and I hope that no one tries it if it may be harmful. But on the same theory, one of those cooking bags should work.[p]Just my two cents.
Matt.

BlueSmoke · October 2002

Chuck Lane,
Check local delis and such: the 5 gallon buckets pickles, etc. come in are food grade and usually free.[p]Ken

Cooking A Whole Turkey

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