Multiple Turkeys on the WSM


 
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Mark Etheridge

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Can you cook a turkey on the top and bottom racks at the same time safely or could the drippings from the top rack introduce harmful bacteria into the bottom turkey?
 
Jim

It looks to me that I could fit two turkeys (one on top, the other on the bottom) if I laid them down as shown on the home page of this site. Do you agree?

Also, from your reply, I take it to mean that it's OK to let the drippings of the top turkey fall onto the lower turkey.
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
Mark
You know I've never tried but a 14 to 15 pound turkey's may work. Being that you have poultry dripping on poultry is no problem, the bottom may have some appearance issues with the drips leaving marks on the skin.

Jim
 
There is less than 8" between the two grates. After reading this thread last week, I looked at turkeys at the grocery store, and most seemed to be taller than 8". However, I saw some frozen kosher turkeys that were more flat than others, and it looked like those would fit.

So, we've learned two things:

  1. <LI>Measure the distance between the two grates, then take a tape measure to the grocery store when buying your turkey.
    <LI>Obviously, I have no life whatsoever, given that I was scoping out turkey dimensions at the store last weekend. /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif
Regards,
Chris
 
8" /infopop/emoticons/icon_eek.gif Is that all?! I've never measured the space between the grates but, in just glancing at it, I thought it was more than that.

Thank you both for your responses...and Chris, if memory serves, you work for HP right? Scoping out the dimensions of turkeys in the store is what one of the things that gives engineers their great reputation!! I should know...I'm one too. /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif
 
Yo Chris, I am glad to hear that I am not the only one who has gotten strange looks at the grocery store for using a tape measure to determine whether a turkey will fit on my WSM or kettle.

I guess it could be worse. We could have asked the butcher if he/she had any left handed briskets! :)

Beers to you,
 
Not having done a turkey... yet, presentation aside, could you not take a frozen turkey and apply a chain-saw to cleave the sucker in half? I'm guessing the halves would fit on a single grill, with a much less height requirement?

Again, presentation aside, you could cut the birds into various parts, legs, breasts, wings, thighs, and place on different grills, at different times to try to get it all cooked at the same time?
 
I've done 2 12-14 lbs turkeys at the same time without a problem. There will be no cross-contamination issues if the turkeys are brought up to the correct internal temp.

chris
 
Hey, Chris Hart - Hopkinton, eh? I live in Mendon. Almost neighbors!

You ever setup a BBQ booth and sell "stuff" in April when the big race is run?
 
Chris Hart,

Good to hear from someone who's actually done this. Come to think of it, I bet that a turkey is not as tall after thawing than it is while trussed up and frozen in the package, so it's good to know that two 12-14 pounders will fit.

Mike,

Maybe a butcher could bandsaw a frozen turkey? Last year, Cook's Illustrated magazine did a feature on butterflying a whole turkey, just like what we do with chicken, by cutting out the backbone and pressing it flat to break the breastbone. With a little more work, one could separate into two halves.

Regards,
Chris
 
What I seriously would do, would be to slice the thing in half after it was thawed out. Between a nice sharp boning knife, sturdy kitchen siccors, and cleaver, splitting a thawed out turkey isn't much of a challenge.

Although, if I knew I had the opportunity to watch someone go at a frozen turkey with a chain saw, I'd probably spend the few minutes to watch, from an enterainment perspective. ~smile~
 
Mike - we often get the heck out of town on Marathon Monday. It can be crazy.

I'm sure a pulled pork sandwich stand would do great though with all the out-of-shape spectators _watching_ those runners. /infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

Oh, one more thing on the 2 turkeys at once, it's a good idea to rotate the the birds between the top and bottom racks 1/2 way through the cook.

One thing I've always wanted to try is to cook a Turkey on a WSM "beer-butt" style. Maybe use one of those Fosters Oil Can beers...

chris
 
Just to let you know I too did two turkeys at once.Both were 12 LBS.I used the recipe from Smoke and Spice (worth the wait turkey).They came out great. We ate one on Sunday took the other to work for lunch on monday . My freinds at work couldn't eat it fast enough.So not to worry we are all still alive and well.
 
Chris Hart Why is it a good idea to rotate the birds between the top and bottom racks halfway through the cook?

Mike Rockwood I'm with you. I might even pay real money to watch someone take a chainsaw to a turkey /infopop/emoticons/icon_razz.gif On a syndicated morning radio show in Birmingham (Rick and Bubba) that I listen to, they have a "Turkey Toss" contest where the toss frozen turkeys like a shotput and measure the distance. Great stuff.
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
I would guess the suggestion of moving the turkeys from one rack to the other, is to even out the cooking times at different temps. The upper rack is at a higher temp than the lower.
 
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