Big Bird is On!!! (UPDATED PICS)


 
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Larry Wolfe

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Just put Big Bird (20lbs) on the cooker at 7:30 this morning. Brined for 24 hours, in an old recipe I have been using for years. Using water for the first time since switching to sand because it is the way I have always done turkeys and they come out great! I also do them slow vs. the preferred higher temp "crispy skin" method. "If it ain't broke don't try to fix it"! I don't care about the skin cause I don't eat it anyways! Dogs love it though! Here is a pic of the bird in the beginning.
Notice the pop-up timer is still in the bird. I do not use it, I just leave it in during the cook because I don't want a hole for the juices to escape.

before and after turkey
 
Hi Larry,

I want to do a low and slow smoked turkey too ! What temp. do you use. And about how many mins per pound ???

Also, 24 hours for brining is longer than I usually do. Are you using less than 1 cup of salt per gallon ??

Thanks Al
 
That looks like a great bird. Be sure to give some pictures when it's finished. Also, just for those of us who wonder, how close is the pop-up timer to the actual temp reading you're getting off of a probe?
 
Al,
Don't really have a timeframe as to minutes per lb. I have had smaller birds (12-15lbs)finish as quick as 6 hours with a dome temp of 250*. I pull them when the breast reads 165, foil and let rest upside down in a cooler for abit. Then refridgerate overnight, that makes a HUGE difference. It kinda "matures" if you will.

Now about the brining, most people cringe when they see the amounts of salt in this recipe as I did the first time I saw it. But you MUST use a turkey that has not been enhanced at all to use the full amount of salt. If you can't find one that has not been enhanced adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly. Here goes,

10-15 lb Bird
3 Cups Table Salt
2 cups Sugar
2 Gallons water or more to cover the bird

I know I know it's alot of salt but it works and it's good. I couldn't find a bird that had not been enhanced, the one I am using today had a sodium content of 300mg, so I cut the recipe to 2 cups of salt and kept the rest of the recipe the same. You can also add whatever other seasonings you want to the brine. But do not put anything on the skin of the bird or in the brine that contains salt!
 
Hey Larry, looks like it's gonna be great! I'm grilling a couple of steak that have been in the freezer too long today. Oh joy. I'm envious of your dinner.

Have you ever tried breast down? I'm a big fan of that method for oven roasting and chickens on WSM . Dark over white, helps keep white meat moist I think. If you don't care about the skin even better.
 
Shawn,
Actually not for dinner tonight. For a luncheon at work tomorrow. No I have never tried breast down. Might one day, I hear it turns out really good that way.
 
Lucky co-workers ....

Only thing about breast down that some may not like is that you don't get the picture perfect bird (you know like some of Ms. Keri's poultry posts)... beatiful brown skin covering breast on top .... instead they could look like this.
 
Man Larry, that brid looks great...super color on that tweeter!!
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<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR> Man Larry, that brid looks great...super color on that tweeter!!
<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Great pics & great job Larry, turkey looks wonderful! <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

You guys are too kind! Hope it tastes as good as it looks! Will let you know how it turns out tomorrow!!!
 
Shawn W.
The bird in your pics look great. It doesn't look any different than Keri's to me. How did it taste?

Nick
 
Man, you guys have some great-looking birds happening here. I've never been brave enough to try a 20-pounder. After seeing yours, I may have to give it a shot some time!

Keri C, smokin' on Tulsa Time
 
Larry,
First off... I could look at your pictures at work! Yeaaaaa!
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Chris is a very happy boy!
Second, very nice looking bird. Job well done.
Third, couldn't see Shawn's pic(s).
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All: they were ~2lb birds
Nick: they tasted great, nice and juicy
Chris: try these links 2.jpg+-+3.jpg+-+6.jpg If they work, you are likely having trouble with the java applet viewer run from the initial URL I provided due to your Java permissions and security settings in IE).

You can read more about this cook in this thread if you are interested.

The only reason I posted the pics in the first place was to support my suggestion to Larry to try a bird cooked breast down and that it might look a bit odd.
 
Shawn,
I could see pictures with those links. I recently got a new computer at work with Mozilla installed, and I'm still working out the kinks. Most of the times that I can't go to people's pictures it is because of our mainframe, web-blocker (read: Big Brother). Some picture share sites throw up the flag... some do not. Thanks for the extra effort so I could see them.

ps. Those chicks had big butts.
 
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