Steve_A (Tatoosh)
TVWBB Super Fan
I made a couple of turkeys for Thanksgiving using my Weber 22.5 OTG and a Smokenator insert. They came out okay, the second being distinctly superior. But what grabbed my attention was the two rib racks I used. I had bought them after reading discussion here, thinking I could use them for smoking pork belly bacon sections. I was sort of regretting getting two of them, since I never use but one when smoking the bacon.
However, Thanksgiving showed me the wisdom of purchasing two of these wire racks. Since they are identical, their handles match up perfectly when you turn one upside down. And that is what we did when we wanted to let the turkey finish with the breast down for the last hour or so of the cook/smoke.
I have never had an easier time flipping a turkey! The rib rack turns over to become a roast or turkey rack. With a nice smaller to medium bird in it, when time came to flip, I just inverted the second one over the turkey and picked them both up where the handles met. A quick turn and it was done, minimum amount of mess, very little loss of juices, and it was back on the Weber in a matter of seconds!
I know some guys like to cook their birds "vertically" but I think that roasting it on its back until the last hour or hour and a half, then flipping it breast side down allows the juices to work their way back into the bird. Particularly with a Weber/Smokenator setup where the heat is not coming from below. Along with a injecting the turkey with compound butter, it really promotes a superbly moist breast.
I didn't have a working camera on Thanksgiving, but I will be doing one again for a Christmas party this weekend. I will try to photograph the sequence then and post an update to this thread next week..
As A Rib Rack:
Inverted to be a Turkey or Roast Rack:
Although the photos are not the same size, you can easily imagine how the handles match up when one is turned upside down. Given that a hot, slippery turkey is a pain to flip over, this is the best way I've ever run across, much better than the trying to pick it up with "turkey forks" or gloves.
However, Thanksgiving showed me the wisdom of purchasing two of these wire racks. Since they are identical, their handles match up perfectly when you turn one upside down. And that is what we did when we wanted to let the turkey finish with the breast down for the last hour or so of the cook/smoke.
I have never had an easier time flipping a turkey! The rib rack turns over to become a roast or turkey rack. With a nice smaller to medium bird in it, when time came to flip, I just inverted the second one over the turkey and picked them both up where the handles met. A quick turn and it was done, minimum amount of mess, very little loss of juices, and it was back on the Weber in a matter of seconds!
I know some guys like to cook their birds "vertically" but I think that roasting it on its back until the last hour or hour and a half, then flipping it breast side down allows the juices to work their way back into the bird. Particularly with a Weber/Smokenator setup where the heat is not coming from below. Along with a injecting the turkey with compound butter, it really promotes a superbly moist breast.
I didn't have a working camera on Thanksgiving, but I will be doing one again for a Christmas party this weekend. I will try to photograph the sequence then and post an update to this thread next week..
As A Rib Rack:
Inverted to be a Turkey or Roast Rack:
Although the photos are not the same size, you can easily imagine how the handles match up when one is turned upside down. Given that a hot, slippery turkey is a pain to flip over, this is the best way I've ever run across, much better than the trying to pick it up with "turkey forks" or gloves.
