Turkey Questions


 
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Bryan Rockoff

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I just finished my fourth turkey and have a few questions for the experts. The first three I did were fresh, in the 10-14 lb. range and I used the Apple Brined Whole Turkey recipee. They came out great, full of flavor and done to prefection. This time I used the Shake's Honey Brine recipe (soaked it for 18 hours so it would not be too salty) on a defrosted 22lb. frozen bird because of the Tender Quick additive and the long cooking time. I just took the large one out of the WSM and have some questions for the experts here.

1) The cook time was about 15 hours at between 225* and 250* (with a spike once to about 275* when I opened a vent and got distracted about 8 hours into the cook) measured at the top vent with a Taylor candy thermometer. I used the semi-Minion method, starting about half a chimney and dumping it on top of a full ring of Kingsford. Air temp was in the 50's with a light breese at the start climbing to a windy 65* mid-day. I had problems getting the temp measured with a Polder in the thigh to crack 165* It hung there for about 4 hours and then finally got up to 175* in the last hour. What happened that flattened out the temp like that? What finally got it cooking again? I have had the same static temp thing on a brisket I did recently as well.

2) The first taste of the bird was much saltier than the other brine. It has the same amount of salt that the other Apple Brine had and that soaked in for almost 2 days. I figured that the Honey Brine for 18 hours would be less salty, not more salty. What have y'all experienced here?

3) My next foul may be a whole duck. Has anyone ever put Donald into a WSM? I read on the board that it takes forever to cook the fat out. Suggestions?

Bryan

P.S. I just checked out my Taylor and Polder thermometers. In boiling water, at about 1,500 feet, on a rainy day, the Taylor measured 205* and the Polder was at 208*. The calculator on the WSM site said it should be at about 211.5* so I run about 5* low on the thermometers.

[This message has been edited by Bryan Rockoff (edited 04-07-2001).]
 
Hi Bryan!!

I can't offer much advice on your turkey, but I can expalin the "plateau".

The meat will get to a temp of around 160?+. At that point the collagen fibers start to breakdown. As they breakdown, moisture is releasefd and this causes a gentle cooling effect. That is why the temp will stay in a very narrow range, sometimes for many hours.

Once the collagen breaks down, the temp will again start to rise.

I have 3 Polders and they all run exactly 5? off at the boiling point. They do test at exactly 32? in ice water, but get less accurate as the temps rise. That is a pretty small variance for me and I can work with it.

Stogie
 
Hi Bryan,

You said the first two turkeys were fresh, and the last one was a defrosted frozen turkey. It's common for frozen turkeys to be "basted" or "self-basting", meaning that they're injected or marinated with a solution of vegetable oil, broth/stock, spices, salt, and flavor enhancers. Brining this bird will result in a saltier flavor than a fresh bird that's had no such injection.

Of course, perhaps your fresh turkeys were "self basting", too, but most fresh ones are not.

Also, I think Shake's brine is a bit stronger. It's 1 cup kosher salt plus Tender Quick (which is mostly salt) to 4 qts water, whereas the apple brine is 1 cup kosher salt to 5 qts liquid.

Just a thought,
Chris
 
Originally posted by Bryan Rockoff:
I3) My next foul may be a whole duck. Has anyone ever put Donald into a WSM? I read on the board that it takes forever to cook the fat out. Suggestions?

Hi Bryan

I've never tried Duck in the WSM but I did have an exciting Christmas Duck a few years ago with my Rotisserie barbeque. After setting the duck rotating over some hot coals I went inside to grab another beer. Only to discover on my return a flaming duck, literally. I managed to put it out fairly quickly with a sand tray underneath and it still tasted OK. But you need to be careful with duck it has alot more fat in it than Chicken and will catch fire if you don't watch it.

-Skippy
 
Well, the bird was a complete success. In fact the end result was not as salty as I had thought when it was sliced. Maybe I had a chunk that was sitting in the bottom of the brine or a piece that was on the un-skinned part that got more exposure.

The 165* plateau information is very interesting. I'll just hold on and wait when the next brisket and butt go on since they have to head to the upper range of the cooking temps.

I did come up with a technique for gravy on a smoked bird. I started by making a medium-dark roux out of equal parts of butter and flour. You make a roux and then keep cooking it over medium heat for 30-45 minutes, stirring until it starts to turn darker. You can take this all the way to brown if you need the color like I did. Then I took a large can of low salt chicken stock and added a can of Turkey Vegetable soup (with all the stuff still in it. I then added roast turkey seasonings and used the "boat motor" to shred everything. I added all the turkey scraps and bits and boiled the heck out of it. At the end I added the roux for color and thickening. It was some of the best gravy ever, even from a traditional bird.

Anyway, once again thanks for the help.

Bryan
 
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