The Texas BBQ Forum

Just an informal poll, but how do you cook your thanksgiving turkey? I'm going to brine it for 24 hours prior to seasoning and injecting, but do you cook your turkey hot and fast, or low and slow? Either answer, why, and how long and what temps? Pictures are welcome.

Thanks in advance.

Tyler

What / why

Brine overnight / aids in keeping it moist
Spatchcocked or separate breast from rest / pull breast at 165 and rest at 185
400 degrees indirect / helps crisp the skin (but not a fan of turkey skin anyways)
Sugar cane on the lump for smoke / like sugar cane smoke on poultry

I cook to temp (not time) but takes about 1-1/2 hours

Good luck with it

I brine mine then air dry overnight in the refer.I cut mine similar to EH only I keep the thighs & drums connected with a piece of the spine and smear it with a seasoned mayo and cook a 325+

BluDawg wrote:I brine mine then air dry overnight in the refer.I cut mine similar to EH only I keep the thighs & drums connected with a piece of the spine and smear it with a seasoned mayo and cook a 325+

Blu do you spatchcock your turkey and cook it like you do your chickens? I am thinking about doing one like that!

I used to but I found IMO a better way. I cut through the ribs on each side of the breast then flip the breast up to expose the backbone and cut it on each side to remove the whole breast plate wings on. I am left with both leg quarters attached to the back bone. I cut the back bone off even with the top of the thighs( save spine for stock for gravy along with the wing tips). So now I have all my white meat separate from the dark. Since they cook at different rates you can cook each to perfection.

BluDawg wrote:I used to but I found IMO a better way. I cut through the ribs on each side of the breast then flip the breast up to expose the backbone and cut it on each side to remove the whole breast plate wings on. I am left with both leg quarters attached to the back bone. I cut the back bone off even with the top of the thighs( save spine for stock for gravy along with the wing tips). So now I have all my white meat separate from the dark. Since they cook at different rates you can cook each to perfection.

I need pics... I was lost at cut through ribs! LOL

BluDawg wrote:I brine mine then air dry overnight in the refer.I cut mine similar to EH only I keep the thighs & drums connected with a piece of the spine and smear it with a seasoned mayo and cook a 325+

That makes sense.

So the general consensus is hot and fast to get it done.

The Dawg and Egghead are experts I will back them up. There is another way too though.

I do mine whole bird and very simple. Rub inside and out with a good rub, that new Clucker Dust is probably a good route though in the past I got great results on Hoochie Mama. Then take yerself a fresh pear or a green Granny apple, peel it, and shove it on up inside of that bird. Lay it, breast up, in one of those cheap disposable aluminum pans. Crack open a Shiner Bock and drink it down, and celebrate being halfway home. Then crack open another, and pour it off in there in the bottom of your pan so's yer bird will have something to backstroke in. If you've a mind, dice up some of those big sweet Aggie onions and dribble into the beer bath. Then crank yer cooker up to run low and slow averaging about 225. Burning hickory works great on birds, BTW, in my humble opinion. Park Old Tom in the cool end kf yer cooker. Run that bird say 2-3 hours til you hit around 140 internal, then tent it in Super Duty foil, that stuff the recycle from the skins of B-52s and those old Bell Huey's they used to build over in Saginaw. Run it like 1-2 more hours til you've hit and maintained 180 internal for at least 30 minutes. As soon as you tent it and slam the cooker shut, drive yerself over to the Pack Yer Sack and pick up a good bottle of buttery Chardonnay like a Becker from Stonewall, not that really oaky stuff the PETA people in Mendocino drink. Drag that bottle home, crack it open, and ice it down in what normally serves as yer galvanized beer bucket. Rummage around in yer kitchen cabinet until you find a couple of wine glasses, and set then out with the bucket on yer porch. This will imply to Old Hyde (yer wife or equivalent) that her mother was in fact wrong, you do have some sense of class and taste about you. Triple Word Bonus score if you dice up some of that smoked Gouda cheese and serve her a glass with a plate of the cheese and some of them English "biscuits" (we call em crackers around here). And no BluDawg, Cheez Whiz on saltines does not get it romantically, even if yer significant other does think its cute that you can hip-squirt a two foot arc of Cheez Whiz over yer wine glass and into yer mouth.

Now, back to that bird... Once you've hit that solid 180 mentioned earlier, plate it up in a big platter (you got to have a big platter, it's regulation), and carve it up in front of yer family at the Thanksgiving table. Make sure to save that greasy thigh fer yer mother in law, just tell her "yeah, it really is white meat". Fer sides I am still a big fan of cornbread dressing with chicken broth, ground sausage, raisins, pecans, sage, and butter in it but drowned in brown gravy, garlic smashed potatoes with butter (drowned in brown gravy), grilled asparagus with butter, shallots, and kosher salt and cracked pepper, and some shooters of brown gravy on the side. Heck, on econd thought, let's just ditch everything else and just eat the gravy...with a loaf of fresh white bread slathered in warm butter.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

-Boots

I just got a Turkey Cannon that I am going to try for Thanksgiving this year. No not the one that you shoot the turkey out of, it's kind of like a beer butt for turkeys.

Sittin turkey ready to rock and roll

Egghead, you hit a big one!!

Boots wrote:The Dawg and Egghead are experts I will back them up. There is another way too though.

I do mine whole bird and very simple. Rub inside and out with a good rub, that new Clucker Dust is probably a good route though in the past I got great results on Hoochie Mama. Then take yerself a fresh pear or a green Granny apple, peel it, and shove it on up inside of that bird. Lay it, breast up, in one of those cheap disposable aluminum pans. Crack open a Shiner Bock and drink it down, and celebrate being halfway home. Then crack open another, and pour it off in there in the bottom of your pan so's yer bird will have something to backstroke in. If you've a mind, dice up some of those big sweet Aggie onions and dribble into the beer bath. Then crank yer cooker up to run low and slow averaging about 225. Burning hickory works great on birds, BTW, in my humble opinion. Park Old Tom in the cool end kf yer cooker. Run that bird say 2-3 hours til you hit around 140 internal, then tent it in Super Duty foil, that stuff the recycle from the skins of B-52s and those old Bell Huey's they used to build over in Saginaw. Run it like 1-2 more hours til you've hit and maintained 180 internal for at least 30 minutes. As soon as you tent it and slam the cooker shut, drive yerself over to the Pack Yer Sack and pick up a good bottle of buttery Chardonnay like a Becker from Stonewall, not that really oaky stuff the PETA people in Mendocino drink. Drag that bottle home, crack it open, and ice it down in what normally serves as yer galvanized beer bucket. Rummage around in yer kitchen cabinet until you find a couple of wine glasses, and set then out with the bucket on yer porch. This will imply to Old Hyde (yer wife or equivalent) that her mother was in fact wrong, you do have some sense of class and taste about you. Triple Word Bonus score if you dice up some of that smoked Gouda cheese and serve her a glass with a plate of the cheese and some of them English "biscuits" (we call em crackers around here). And no BluDawg, Cheez Whiz on saltines does not get it romantically, even if yer significant other does think its cute that you can hip-squirt a two foot arc of Cheez Whiz over yer wine glass and into yer mouth.

Now, back to that bird... Once you've hit that solid 180 mentioned earlier, plate it up in a big platter (you got to have a big platter, it's regulation), and carve it up in front of yer family at the Thanksgiving table. Make sure to save that greasy thigh fer yer mother in law, just tell her "yeah, it really is white meat". Fer sides I am still a big fan of cornbread dressing with chicken broth, ground sausage, raisins, pecans, sage, and butter in it but drowned in brown gravy, garlic smashed potatoes with butter (drowned in brown gravy), grilled asparagus with butter, shallots, and kosher salt and cracked pepper, and some shooters of brown gravy on the side. Heck, on econd thought, let's just ditch everything else and just eat the gravy...with a loaf of fresh white bread slathered in warm butter.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

-Boots

This was an epic post. I laughed pretty much the whole way through.

On a serious note, my only struggle will be that I have a narrow upright cooker, and i don't think I have enough room to lay the bird down in the traditional, breast up, configuration. I certainly don't have enough room for a large foil pan. So I think I will put it tail end down with breast meat up and cook it whole that way. Hopefully that will make sure there isn't a cold spot on the inside and it cooks thorough.

So even low and slow it looks like this is going to be a 5-6 hour cook. I was anticipating 8 or better, so this works to my advantage.

One last question. I'm thinking of injecting the bird with a white grape juice. Thoughts?

Thanks again guys,

Tyler

I smoked hotter and faster this weekend and did not like the result... did not have a good "smoke flavor."
I injected with melted butter, garlic powder, and sage... did not like the taste on that either.
Anyone have a good injection recipe?

Ask Egghead, I think he injects. I am with BluDawg and would brine it in a big tub or can until it hollers "uncle" and then smoke it.