Share your Turkey Plan


 
Tyson

Tyson

TVWBB Super Fan
Anyone willing to share their plan on how you plan to cook your turkey this year? It would be fun to see the different ideas and methods.

Prep plan:
This will be my first time cooking a whole turkey. My plan is to wet brine in salt, pepper, and sugar for 24+ hours. Then dry rub under the skin (where possible) with Meat Heads Simon and Garfunkel rub and some OVOO. I might inject the breast with some butter and remaining rub.

Cook plan:
Smoke the bird standing vertically in the 18.5 WSM until done. I will start out low 250* and after a good smoke move up to 325*. I am testing some Maple wood on some chicken drums tonight. If I like the flavor I will use the maple for the turkey. If not, I'll use Hickory.

I do have a question:
Can I use the drippings from the bird resting in a pan to make a gravy instead of the drippings in the WSM from the cook? I ask because when I did this with chicken I didn't like the bitter smoke flavor in the gravy.
 
My plan is to drink beer while watching my son-in-law cook it on his 26.5 Weber:cool:. He is going to dry brine it and put a wet herb rub under the skin and inside the cavity. Says he's going to cook at 325 with applewood. We'll see how it turns out.
 
Meatheads plan with hivkory on my indirect on my wood fired grill/smoker.... They turned out so well last year the family nominated me to cook the turkey every year...

And for those that don't like smoke flavor, the other turkey is destine for the nesco roaster with salt and butter.
 
Tyson;618724 I do have a question: Can I use the drippings from the bird resting in a pan to make a gravy instead of the drippings in the WSM from the cook? I ask because when I did this with chicken I didn't like the bitter smoke flavor in the gravy.[/QUOTE said:
Yea sure or add some liquid ( stock ,water, beer or wine ) to the pan to keep the drippings from burning and having that bitter oversmoked taste.
I'm doing three this year. One in the oil-less T-fryer pumped with some Creole butter. A spatchcocked one with a dry brine on the OTG and a wet brined natural fresh turkey on the WSM. Both of the latter will have a compound butter/herb massage under the skin.
I love this time of year!:wsm:

Tim
Click to expand...
 
I'm cooking three this year! I'm smoking two of them, one on the WSM for the home crowd, one on the OTG for my niece and her family. The third will be done in the oven. My FIL was apparently very disappointed with the turkey the last few years, which I'd smoked on my old Char-Griller offset. The meat has always come out great (using my own variation on Alton Brown's honey brine), but the skin has been sooty and inedible. In my defense, I really didn't know what I was doing, so I realize now that I wasn't opening the chimney/top vent wide enough and generally not having good control of the fire, so I was definitely over-smoking the skin and causing some creosote buildup. I'm hoping to redeem myself this year with the WSM.
 
timothy said:
Yea sure or add some liquid ( stock ,water, beer or wine ) to the pan to keep the drippings from burning and having that bitter oversmoked taste.
I'm doing three this year. One in the oil-less T-fryer pumped with some Creole butter. A spatchcocked one with a dry brine on the OTG and a wet brined natural fresh turkey on the WSM. Both of the latter will have a compound butter/herb massage under the skin.
I love this time of year!:wsm:

Tim
Click to expand...
Try using some apple wood for the smoke. Its not bitter and helps to make a nice smoky gravy.
 
Bob H. said:
Try using some apple wood for the smoke. Its not bitter and helps to make a nice smoky gravy.
Click to expand...

Yea Bob, most smokewood's are not bitter if you burn em right. The OP mentioned a bitter taste on his drippings and that IMO is usually a result of burnt drippings.

Tim
 
I am going to do a cold pecan smoke on a whole bird and then vacuum seal it for 5 days. I will take it with me to my mom's house on Thanksgiving where my brother will then deep fry it. Best of both worlds.
 
Salt & pepper & stuffed & in the oven, just like every Thanksgiving :(
I can smoke turkey any other time I want and everyone eats it like crazy, but the Thanksgiving feast is off limits to any variations.
 
I'm doing mine same way I have for the last couple of years. My oldest daughter gifted me a Nuwave oven a couple Xmas's ago. Best turkey I have ever eaten! Moist and juicy, and the skin is perfectly brown.
This picture is just 25 minutes into the cook if I remember correctly.
 
I prefer applewood for turkey, the other woods mentioned except for Pecan are too strong for my poultry tastes. I save the hickory and mesquite for pork and beef. I recently tried a turkey horizontally on my 26.75" kettle and it turned out great. I just purchase a vertical turkey rack but I don't think that will work in the kettle, I'll check but I think it will leave not enough head room, so I'm thinking of going vertical in my 18.5" WSM. Any opinions on either method are welcomed!
 
I'll be watching my dad cook a bird early in the day on his Summit. Then, later in the day, I'll see my brother in law cooking one on his Big Green Egg.
 
Thanks for the tips. I'll try using a broth in the pan. The test chicken I mentioned in the OP came out great. I'll stick with the original plan for the most part. A lot of good ideas in here. Of course I'll have a beer along the way.
 
  • Brine turkey in my Jack Daniels and Maple Syrup brine for at least 36 hours
  • Air dry bird in fridge overnight
  • Wake-up Thanksgiving morning and make a pitcher of bloody marys
  • Start my stock by oven roasting turkey parts and veggies, then simmer most of day
  • Place ziplock bag of ice on breast and set on counter for 30 minutes letting dark meat warm while white stays cool - promotes even cooking of white and dark
  • Season cavity of bird with salt, pepper and stuff with celery, carrots, apple, onion and a pierced lemon at cavity opening.
  • Place bird on roasting rack in roasting pan with 1/2 water and 1/2 white wine in bottom of pan. Brush with olive oil and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder
  • Open a few beers
  • Let my cooker heat soak (I'll be using my ceramic) at 325 for 1 hour
  • Throw two chunks of apple wood on charcoal and put bird on at 325.
  • 1 hour in I cover my bird with foil so skin doesn't get too dark. I don't mind it but it can freak out guests. I don't tent I cover
  • Remove bird when leg/thigh reaches 175 (I think, I'll have to check my notes before the big day)
  • Remove my bird from the roasting pan, foil and let it rest for about 20 minutes.
  • Open a few bottles of wine
  • Drain fat from drippings in the pan and I make Mad Max's gravy - KILLER
  • Carve bird and serve!
  • I think that's pretty much it

Entire menu not including snacks the wife puts out:
Ham
Jack Daniels Yams (notice a theme?)
My grandfather's sausage dressing
Green bean mushroom casserole (Paula Deen hit this one out of the park)
Garlic mashed potatoes with the home made gravy I reference above

There you go
 
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How early do I have to get the turkey? I'd like to try LarryR's brine / method.... I'll get fresh if able but most likely it'll be frozen...

figure I'll get on it early this year since things sneak up on me.

I almost bought a bottle of Jack last time I was at the store....figured maybe I ought to wait so there would be some left :p
 
Clint said:
How early do I have to get the turkey? I'd like to try LarryR's brine / method.... I'll get fresh if able but most likely it'll be frozen...

figure I'll get on it early this year since things sneak up on me.

I almost bought a bottle of Jack last time I was at the store....figured maybe I ought to wait so there would be some left :p
Click to expand...
I buy my turkeys fresh from Costco on Monday and usually put them in the brine Tuesday morning and remove and air dry Wednesday night. If you're buying frozen I'd start thawing the Thursday or Friday prior to Thanksgiving.

Regarding the Jack, you know they'll let you come back and buy another bottle, right. Kidding of course.

Let me know how the recipe turns out or if you have any questions.
 
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