Help - looking for best way to cook turkey?

Smitty · December 2003

My first option was to brine and smoke tomorrow, but brining is not going to happen. Any suggestions or recipes for my first turkey on the egg? Please post. [p]Thanks,
Smitty

Toe 49 · December 2003

Smitty,[p]Go to Recipes, Poultry and see Cathy L's recipe for butterfly mushroom turkey.....it is a bit of prep but worth ALL the effort. Put it in Brine now and it'll be fine for tomorrow morning....did this on Thanksgiving and it was a tremendous hit.....

[ul][li]Cathy Loup's Turkey[/ul]

Unknown · December 2003

Toe 49,
Coat it in and out with olive oil, kosher salt, pepper and garlic. Use a little rosmery under the skin and lots and lots of oranges. Squeez em all over and stuff the cavity for cooking with them (not for eating later). Baste with fresh orange juice. Add a little lime, but not a lot. The citrus is great.

mad max beyond eggdome · December 2003

Smitty,
i cook mine the traditional way, in a roasting pan, setting the egg up at 325 indirect, just like in an oven, then let the egg work its magic. . .at thanksgiving, my turkey came out great. ..i cut up an apple and insert it in the cavity along with a big bunch of fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme). . .i soften two sticks of butter, mix in some chopped herbs and coat the bird with it. ...finally, i pour half a bottle of white wine inside and all over the bird. . .[p]now, i've said this many times before. ..if roasting the bird, the best way to insure a breast that is finished at exactly the same time as the thigh, when all else is prepared, fill a gallon baggie with icecubes and lay it on the breast for 20 minutes. . .this will lower the breast temp to a point that it will take all day for it to catch up to the thigh and they will both be done at the same time. . ..[p]finally, the key to a really good bird is the gravy. . .here is the method, and it is great. . .testimony from nature boy and others after t-day found they had the same success i have, so here goes:[p]for the best gravy you ever had in your life:[p]first, when preparing your bird for roasting, throw a cut up apple in the bird, and one directly in your pan (you will throw both away when they're done). . i also douse my bird with about
1/2 bottle of white wine before i put it in the oven/egg. ...[p]set up a big pot of water on your stove. . .put in the neck, giblets, heart, liver, and that big wad of fat from the cavity of the bird, along with a peeled onion, celery sticks, and whatever
herbs (mainly sage/rosemary/thyme) you have sitting around. . .let that simmer the whole time your turkey is roasting, adding water as need to have some great stock. ...[p]when your turkey is finished roasting, tip it up to let all the juices from the cavity pour into your pan. . .now take your pan and drain it into a large bowl (or fat separator if you happen to
have one). . . get rid of the apple. . .let the liquid sit until the fat rises to the top. . .use a ladle to remove and get rid of that fat. . .[p]now, take your pan with all the crud in it, set it on your stove on a high flame, add one stick of butter, and about 1/3 cup of flour and start whisking vigourously. ..you want the butter to
start bubling, mixing smoothly with the flour (no lumps), and picking up the crud from your pan. . .[p]now, remember that half of bottle of white wine you didn't put in the turkey? (hopefully you didn't drink while basting the bird!). .. pour that in the pan with the butter/flour roux mix. .
.still on high heat. . whisk it all together. .. keep whisking until it reduces by about 1/3 to a 1/2. . .now start ladling in that good turkey stock you made all day. . .keep adding stock till
you get to a consistency you like. . .too thin, take some flour, mix it separately with some of your stock so that there are no lumps and then add it to the gravy to thicken it up. .. . to thick,
add more stock. . [p]as a final touch, take the turkey neck, pull all the meat off the bones (you'll be surprised how much meat there is) . .chop it up finely along with the giblets, heart and liver, and add that
to the gravy. .. .[p]salt and pepper to taste. . .[p]great gravy, i promise. . .

Ohio Boy in DC · December 2003

Smitty,[p]Cook traditional like everyone's advising over a drip pan...but a suggestion for a little twist.[p]Go buy a Foster's Beer Oil Can size and set it up like Beer Butt Chicken...I cooked 2 2lb's that way

Unknown · December 2003

mad max beyond eggdome,
I tried to get some help around thanksgiving by posting and noone answered. Apreciate the comments on the site as I will try tomorrow to make a 15 lb bird. My question is still why do you put the turkey in brine first? everything weve tried on our egg is already seasoned enhansed. Things taste salty when we dont salt. We found to go lightly on rubs as the salt really gets strong so why soak bird in salt first? Please answer as Im taking the plunge tommorrow one way or other thanks. Your recepie looks best

JSlot · December 2003

Merry Christmas, Kary. Brining is definitely not necessary. Do your 15 lb. bird just like you would in the oven. Season it as you desire. Put on the Egg at 350°-400° indirect. I did a 14 lb. bird yesterday and it took just under 2 hours. I try and keep the temp below 375°, but if it goes close to 400°, it doesn't hurt a thing and it helps crisp up the skin. Good luck and let us know how it turns out.[p]Morning Nogs to You!
Jim

mad max beyond eggdome · December 2003

Kary,
i must have missed your post at t-day, as i certainly responded to many others. ...but i have never brined a turkey in my life, so i'm not sure what it adds. . .i think its a personal thing, those that do swear by it, those that don't swear by their method as well. .. .[p]let us know how it turns out. . .

Help - looking for best way to cook turkey?

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