My buddy Adam Fischler lives in Portland, Oregon. He loves to eat barbecue, especially with me, but he doesn't love to make barbecue, so he has to rely on restaurants and the kindness of his brother-in-law to get his 'cue fix. He's the guy on the far left in this photo from my visit to Portland last summer.
Adam sent me this write-up of his family's Thanksgiving holiday feast on the Oregon Coast, prepared by his brother-in-law Mark on a Weber kettle. He asked me to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it!
Best,
Chris
P.S. My only comment is that we need to get the brother-in-law a chimney starter...I see a bottle of lighter fluid in one photo.
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Thanksgiving at the Oregon Coast can be a tad sketchy weather-wise. Sure, there have been years where the sun was shining and we all broke out the shorts, but the really memorable times are the stormy, dramatic years. I like to measure the weather according to my brother-in-law Mark and his amazing smoked turkey which is always the centerpiece of our feast.
The preparation, logistics, weather forecasting and general trash talk are as much a part of our Thanksgiving tradition as the Jell-O salad. It usually starts with a healthy bit of grumbling about the wind/rain, then shifts to what location will be best to situate the Weber grill. I can remember one year where it seemed like we had to lash Mark to the deck for fear that the wind would blow him (and more importantly the turkey) out to sea. Most recently he’s been setting up in the garage with the door fully open, which allows him to quietly hide away, read a book and drink beer (a practice we call…self basting). Unfortunately, depending on which direction the wind is blowing the garage setup can be a tad deadly as far as filling the house with smoke and suffocating the 13 or so guest we have staying over. Small price considering that it’s a really good turkey.
This year Mark was back out on the deck (north side of the house). The wind/rain kind of came and went throughout the day, but I am pleased to report that both Mark and the turkey survived deliciously. Since I am a huge appreciator of the barbecued turkey, but not much of a pit master myself, I figured the least I could do was to photo document Mark’s process. Here goes…
Continued...
Adam sent me this write-up of his family's Thanksgiving holiday feast on the Oregon Coast, prepared by his brother-in-law Mark on a Weber kettle. He asked me to share it with all of you. I hope you enjoy it!
Best,
Chris
P.S. My only comment is that we need to get the brother-in-law a chimney starter...I see a bottle of lighter fluid in one photo.
--
Thanksgiving at the Oregon Coast can be a tad sketchy weather-wise. Sure, there have been years where the sun was shining and we all broke out the shorts, but the really memorable times are the stormy, dramatic years. I like to measure the weather according to my brother-in-law Mark and his amazing smoked turkey which is always the centerpiece of our feast.
The preparation, logistics, weather forecasting and general trash talk are as much a part of our Thanksgiving tradition as the Jell-O salad. It usually starts with a healthy bit of grumbling about the wind/rain, then shifts to what location will be best to situate the Weber grill. I can remember one year where it seemed like we had to lash Mark to the deck for fear that the wind would blow him (and more importantly the turkey) out to sea. Most recently he’s been setting up in the garage with the door fully open, which allows him to quietly hide away, read a book and drink beer (a practice we call…self basting). Unfortunately, depending on which direction the wind is blowing the garage setup can be a tad deadly as far as filling the house with smoke and suffocating the 13 or so guest we have staying over. Small price considering that it’s a really good turkey.
This year Mark was back out on the deck (north side of the house). The wind/rain kind of came and went throughout the day, but I am pleased to report that both Mark and the turkey survived deliciously. Since I am a huge appreciator of the barbecued turkey, but not much of a pit master myself, I figured the least I could do was to photo document Mark’s process. Here goes…
- This year it was a 26 pound turkey.
- For a 26 pound bird, figure it will take 3.5 to 4 hours to cook on the grill at a temperature between 275 – 325. Make sure the bird is completely thawed, somewhat warmed up (take out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking, and the bird usually spends about ½ hour in the oven at 325 before transfer to the BBQ.
- Mark loosely stuffs the inside with a combination of Granny Smith apples slices, cranberries, oranges, onions, seasoned lemon juice, cumin, ground chili pepper, and garlic powder.
- Use an aluminum tray under the turkey primarily to capture the turkey juices for making gravy. Need to have a tray that has a frame so that you can transport the turkey to and from BBQ. Also cover the bird with thick foil to keep the BBQ lid from getting the top of the bird at the start and then to keep from getting too black from smoking.
- The Weber is a 22.5" kettle grill. Get 30 or so briquettes fired up real hot, divide in half and move to each side (turkey is cooked on indirect heat). Need an oven thermometer in the BBQ to monitor temp (maintain between 275 – 325). Add charcoal to each side (5 or 6) every 30-45 minutes.
- Watch the temperature closely until you get a handle on it. There’s lots of variables with outside air temp, wind, air flow through grill, etc. You don’t want to let it get too hot or too cold.
- Use smoking chunks (combo alder, hickory, apple) soaked for a couple hours before adding to BBQ. A handful gets added on top of coals in between adding new charcoal. Also use some mesquite chunks if available. The smoking is most important first hour or two of process.
- The glaze is made from 4 ounces (more or less) of orange juice concentrate, 3 TBS chili pepper, 1 tsp cumin. The glaze is added in the last 45 min to hour of cooking…after removing the foil covering the turkey. Adding the glaze too early will burn black because of the sugar in the OJ concentrate.
- If you are out on the deck and a television is not available, routinely duck back into the house to get warm, watch some football and freshen your beer.
- As always, check the turkey with a meat thermometer to make sure it is ready (160 degrees breast, 180 for the thighs). Take the turkey off grill a little early and let stand (still cooking) before carving.
Continued...
