1 Day 'Til Thanksgiving: Final Turkey Tips


 

Chris Allingham

Administrator
Staff member
OK, we're just T-Minus 1 Day 'Til Thanksgiving! Here are some final turkey day tips:

Use a good, sharp carving knife. It's safer to cut with a sharp knife than a dull one, and your slices will look better, too. Or, dig out that electric carving knife from the back of the kitchen cabinet. They do a great job of evenly slicing turkey breast. And brush-up on your kitchen knife safety skills with this helpful PDF.

Barbecue the turkey at 325-350*F. Don't bother with low & slow. Turkey does not contain the tough connective tissue found in brisket or pork shoulder. Your turkey will cook faster--about 15 minutes per pound--and you'll get better skin, too.

Don't bother basting. Before cooking, brush the turkey with 4 TBSP melted butter, sprinkle with salt & pepper or your favorite rub, and you're done.

The key to moist turkey meat is to not overcook. Use a good quality instant-read thermometer to measure internal meat temp. Cook to 160*F in the breast, 170*F in the thigh. Remove from the smoker and let rest uncovered for 20-30 minutes on the kitchen counter. Not only will this allow you to handle the hot turkey more comfortably during carving, but carryover heat will bring the internal temp up 5*F to a final reading of 165*F in the breast, 175*F in the thigh--perfect, moist turkey!

Don't carve the turkey on the bone. Remove the breasts completely, then slice across the grain. Remove the legs/thighs from the carcass as one piece, then separate leg from thigh at the joint. Slice dark meat off the thigh. Arrange all the slices and the drumsticks on a platter, garnish, and serve. This video demonstrates the process: http://youtu.be/Cjm_qxlp81s

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Turkey problems? Dry meat? Red or bloody at the thigh bone? Check-out our turkey troubleshooting tips.

Want more tips? Read TVWB's Countdown to Thanksgiving tips that were posted on Facebook and Twitter each day leading up to Turkey Day. And please like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter!

Want even more great tips? Read the transcript of the Twitter Turkey Chat from 11/19/2013 sponsored by @WeberGrills in which @KevinsBackyard and @VirtualWeber answered a lot of great WSM turkey questions.

Still have unanswered questions? Ask them in our Turkey Talk forum.

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Finally...please take time to relax, enjoy your Thanksgiving Day with family and friends, and give thanks for all the blessings and good people and good things in your life!

Best wishes,
Chris Allingham
TVWB and TVWBB
 
Great pre TD tips Chris!! You are rocking it this year!!

Thanks much!! I love how responsive and helpful you have been!!

Happy cooking!
 
Anyone else notice that this maybe a favorite time of the year for Chris?:)

Thanks Mr A for all you do, and have done, to help make everyone's Thanksgiving turkey the best ever!

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Thanks for the kind comments, guys! I'm just responding to what the people want. :) Huge spike in traffic this time of year, which tells me people really care about this topic and want all the good barbecued turkey info they can get their hands on.
 
Great to have all that info in one spot for reference Chris! Especially the troubleshooting link.

I also want to add my thanks along with the others for your dedication and expertise.
 
Did anyone notice at the bottom of the homepage that on 11-10-2013 at 06:12 PM, we had 1,686 people on the discussion forum--an all-time record, almost 4X the previous record? Unbelievable!!!
 
I love this place! Thanks Chris! BTW:first time turkey cook in my wsm! Will post in the photo gallery!
 
Thanks for the kind comments, guys! I'm just responding to what the people want. :) Huge spike in traffic this time of year, which tells me people really care about this topic and want all the good barbecued turkey info they can get their hands on.

Ya' know Chris, kind of funny you mention that. A lot of folks know this is one of my hobbies and I get emails and questions asking for advice on how to .. x,y, z .. a turkey on the grill. For years now I've been sending them here!
 
Looks like the forum is getting more and more readers and hits. Congrats Chris and thanks for all that you do.
Ray
 
Chris

Again thanks for all the great info over the years!!...putting a 22lb costco turkey on the wsm...do you still recommend top grate and back down (as I was debating about going vertical?)..also will try to keep temp close to 350 as everyone wants crispy skin...your recommendation on catching drippings?
 

 

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