Turkey: sand, dry, or no pan?


 
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Hi all,

I was planning to do a butterflied, brined, rubbed turkey on the WSM for Thanksgiving. I'm hoping to get a nice, crispy skin this time. Normally, I cook with sand in the pan but some posts have suggested cooking with a dry pan. I've also considered going without the pan, but I'm worried about burning the bottom of the turkey.

What are y'all's thoughts?
 
Go for the empty pan, foil lined for easyer cleanup.
The pan is needed to get shield from the direct heat.Sand would consume too much energy.


Don Marco
 
Although I am a newcomer, I have done this once with a dry pan and it came out great. I plan on doing 4 bone in breasts this week and will use the dry pan again. Good luck.
Lane
 
Use the pan, empty but well-foiled. Two chimneys of burning charcoal should let you keep 325 to 340 for the time you'll need for the breasts. If you're doing 2 on top and 2 on bottom, I'd reverse them after, say, an hour or so. I got a very nice texture on the skin of a turkey bird I did that way last week. I also had the lid off the WSM WAY too often, but my temps rebounded very quickly. I had let this turkey rest wrapped in several layers of foil breast side down for an hour and a half. That's why it looks so shiny - it soaked in turkey juice.

Keri C
 
I'm planning on doing a single bone-in breast on Thur for two people. I have a Performer, WSM, etc, but am planning on just using the kettle for this small job. I know I can easily maintain the 300 to 350 range with the kettle and also get some smoke by using wood chips. The breast probably won't take more than about 2 1/2 hrs. Is there some advantage I would gain by using my WSM for this cook ? I know I'll need to add a few coals after the first hour, but I've done this before without much temp flucuation.

Thanks

Paul
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Keri Cathey:
[qb] Use the pan, empty but well-foiled. Two chimneys of burning charcoal should let you keep 325 to 340 for the time you'll need for the breasts. If you're doing 2 on top and 2 on bottom, I'd reverse them after, say, an hour or so. I got a very nice texture on the skin of a turkey bird I did that way last week. I also had the lid off the WSM WAY too often, but my temps rebounded very quickly. I had let this turkey rest wrapped in several layers of foil breast side down for an hour and a half. That's why it looks so shiny - it soaked in turkey juice.

Keri C [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>Keri,that turkey looked sooooo good I went in the kitchen and got my chefs knife and tried to slice me off a bite!!! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Have a great turkey day! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
One of the keys to getting areat crisp skin is to let the turket air dry on a rack in the refrigerator overnight. The skin dries and with the less moisture a better crunch is developed. I learned this tip from Cook's Illustated and have used it multiple times with turkey and chicken. I love the skin as my plump belly and clogged arteries can attest. /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

Happy Thanksgiving
 
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