Turkey in a Bucket


 
Phil S

Phil S

TVWBB Super Fan
I posted this method/recipe in another thread about brining Turkey and it was suggested that I move it to a seperate thread to a new discussion to organize feedback.

For a little razzle-dazzle I suggest Turkey In a Bucket . I do one of these every Memorial Day weekend by request. I've been asked to do one again this year so any one near Fort Wayne is more than welcome to come see it in action this Fri. Poultry is below fried Balogna sandwiches in my book but I have to say that I have never had a jucier, better tasting bird.

I think that the web-link pretty much explains the methodology so that part should be covered. I'm really interested in hearing from others who have tried this or are willing to, and find out what else works and doesn't.

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Wesley - very common in Boy Scout circles. Here is a link Turkey in a Trash Can For additional sites, use trash can instead of bucket in your search.

When I first read the the instructions, somehow I thought you were supposed to put the coals on the inside of the trash can, so I did. I drilled two 1" holes in the side of the can about 3/4 way up to let the smoke out, and propped one side up to let air in (I actually got to where I could control the heat by varying how much I propped it open), added some wood chunks for smoke and actually turned out some really good smoked birds.

Note: as an added bonus, I covered the top (actually the bottom, right?) with foil wrapped potatoes and set the lid over them. By the time the turkey was smoked, I also had a bunch of baked spuds to add to the menu.
 
I also find it interesting that the brine called for is 2 cups of salt to 1 gallon of liquid. That is more than 2-3x what most recipes on VWB site call for.
 
I have tried with both turkey and chickens. It is quick and fun but you end up using a lot of charcoal. The meat is super tender with a barbecue flair even though the charcoal is on the outside. The first time a tried this it was snowing so I overcompensated on time. It seems the lower times on various charts work best, but I have only done three times. No, I don't remember how long. I will have to review my information on times.
 
Have a friend who does one each Thanksgiving. Comes out pretty good and cooks very fast. I still prefer frying when it comes to turkey's though.

This next Thanksgiving, I'll likely be having trash-can turkey, fried turkey, rotisserie turkey, and smoked turkey.
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