High-flyin' Bird


 
C

ChadVKealey

TVWBB Pro
So, I decided to rotisserie atop my 22" WSM this year. Before we get to that, dessert!

This is "Almost Pumpkin Pie" from Lodge's Camp Dutch Oven cookbook (or this website). I made it 3 years back and was ordered to make it every year. I've found that my 12" cast aluminum DO is perfect for this as it heats and cools more quickly (prevents the cake part from overcooking). This year, my 11-year-old assembled it.


Baking:


And finished:


It tasted fantastic, but the wings were burnt to a crisp and some of the outer leg meat was overly carmelized.

Anyway, this is the 22 with the roti mounted up. The top handle was about nose height.


Bird on:


About an hour in (cooking a bit faster than I'd have liked; had trouble getting temps below 360-370):


And (slightly over)done:
 
that roti runs hot! Might have to protect the big birds (not chickens) in foil for the first hour, or maybe after they get the color you want. I've cranked out chickens that looked like that but still tasted good. My roti runs hot too....less coals might be the easiest way to control the temp, since mine has so many gaps that air can get through.

was there much sugar in your brine?

The almost pumpkin pie sounds interesting, & looks good too.
 
Clint said:
that roti runs hot! Might have to protect the big birds (not chickens) in foil for the first hour, or maybe after they get the color you want. I've cranked out chickens that looked like that but still tasted good. My roti runs hot too....less coals might be the easiest way to control the temp, since mine has so many gaps that air can get through.

was there much sugar in your brine?

The almost pumpkin pie sounds interesting, & looks good too.
Click to expand...

I used Alton Brown's honey brine, so, yeah, a pound of honey is a lot of sugar.

As for the heat, I actually used a charcoal ring made for an 18" WSM. I filled it about halfway and then topped with about 20 lit coals. While I was trussing up the turkey, I left all the vents open and at one point it hit 406 (the Mav probe was just poked into the grommet on the side). I backed the intakes all down to about 25% and it settled down to about 370.

I also didn't have anything between the coals and bird except the lower grate (just as insurance in case anything came loose). I think the grease dripping into the coals probably kept the temp from going any lower. Live and learn. For Christmas, I'll try the same setup except I'll include the water pan (foiled & empty) and a pan above that to catch the drippings. Really, if I had pulled it off an hour sooner, it would have been perfect. I think.

Oh, and the Almost Pumpkin Pie will ruin "regular" pumpkin pie for you forever. It's that good. If you don't have a DO, you could easily make it in a 9x13 casserole dish or half-sheet foil pan. It may not get as good a color on top, but it'd be edible.
 
That bird's got character Chad! Bet it was delicious. Thanks for that pumpkin pie recipe. Will definitely give that a go. Love cast iron cooking. Congrats to your daughter on a fine looking dessert!
 
Cliff Bartlett said:
That bird's got character Chad! Bet it was delicious. Thanks for that pumpkin pie recipe. Will definitely give that a go. Love cast iron cooking. Congrats to your daughter on a fine looking dessert!
Click to expand...

Thanks! It's my son, actually. He's in Boy Scouts, so I'm trying to teach him about DO cooking, but he's more interested in watching people play Minecraft on YouTube right now.
 
Chad, dessert looks interesting BUT, a couple of points are unclear.
1- what size yellow cake mix? Jiffy or full size?
2- The recipe says cut the pecans and butter into the cake mix and top. You show the butter being sliced over the top of the cake and (I presume) nut mixture.
Just wondering.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
Chad, dessert looks interesting BUT, a couple of points are unclear.
1- what size yellow cake mix? Jiffy or full size?
2- The recipe says cut the pecans and butter into the cake mix and top. You show the butter being sliced over the top of the cake and (I presume) nut mixture.
Just wondering.
Click to expand...

I used a regular size (16 or 18 oz?) box mix, Betty Crocker brand, I think, but any would work. I used to make it by cutting the butter into the cake mix with a pastry cutter, but on a camping trip where I forgot to bring that, I ended up slicing the butter into pats and spreading them out on top. As a happy accident, I really liked the way that turned out. Cutting the butter in would result in some of the cake mix not getting any moisture, but putting it on top, it melts evenly and you get a little caramelization to boot. So, I just mix the pecans into the cake mix, then lay out the butter slices on top.
 
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