Sanny

oooh aaah! What beauty, Jiarby! Glad you're here.

For those of us "out east," Hellmann's is the name of Best Foods mayo. Same animal. That said, BOY is that a lotta fat and calories in that recipe! Corn bread is rich anyway, but add bacon and drippings AND mayo? Call in the EMTs! Yah, yah. He's serving it with pork butt. What was I thinking?

Thanks, Saucy! But, alas, I fear Dad would go blind with your beautiful grinders. Way too colorful for him. Plain wood, I think, is the way to go. And, since I don't live with him and I spend the holiday out of town, I have Christmas with Dad a little after Christmas. That gives extra time. I do appreciate the offer.

YAY! I hope they cook in time for you. Two butts, in time for supper? Good luck with that... Looks like a great setup, though! Have fun showing off your magic.

Me next! I sent Cozy a check just yesterday. Ho ho ho, indeed! I hope I'm able to part with them, though, or else I don't know WHAT Dad's present will be!

But Deej, you're my favorite gremlin. You know that.

Deej has been moving posts again, huh? Much better place for the welcomes, but hardly as spontaneous.

Tish, I went fishing, and found it. I posted it on the forum, here. Hope you don't mind, Jiarby. If you do, Deej can delete it.

Jiarby’s Ginger-Orange Blossom Turkey Brine: 1 gallon water 2 cups apple juice 3/4 cup kosher salt ¼ cup soy sauce 1 cup orange blossom honey ¼ tsp ground cloves (about 5-6 crushed whole cloves, stems removed) 1 tsp ground ginger 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest, takes about 2 small oranges 3 bay leaves Yes... that much salt, look up the definition of "brining" if you are confused about what is happening here. http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00169.asp Combine all ingredients in a large pot and heat to 160°F. Do not boil.. you just want to dissolve the salt & honey. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Cool completely before putting in the turkey. This makes a little over 1 gallon of brining solution. ***NOTE*** There is no need to brine a turkey that is already injected and brined by the manufacturer. The bird can only absorb so much moisture. Look for a “naturalâ€, un-injected turkey. READ THE FINE PRINT. Brine the turkey for 8 hrs in the refrigerator or cooler (iced down), then remove, rinse, and pat completely dry inside and out. Let sit in fridge for 3-6 hours uncovered. One hour prior to cooking, remove from fridge, place on roasting rack, and place a 1-gallon ziplock bag of ice over the breast portion(thx, Whiz). The goal is to get the breast meat very cold, and allow the thigh meat to warm up a little. This will allow the thighs and breast portions to be done at the same time…no dried out breast while waiting for those pesky thighs to get to 180° like grandma says. Ignore that pop up thing! Smoke at 325° indirect with a pan catching the drippings. I like apple & cherry wood on poultry. A 14# bird will take about 2.5 hours. Remove and cover with foil. Let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. Resting upside down will allow juices to settle in the breast area, flip it back over before carving. Breast temp will be 160-165°, Thigh temps about 10-15° higher…175ish to 180. Using the ice on the breast allows them to both finish at the same time.

Jiarby! Lovely to see you.

Very handsome, Cozy! You've inspired me for Dad's holiday gift. (See your emailbox!)

Gotta love Cook's Illustrated! That's my "go to" place, too.

A little brine, some seasoning... It's got potential!

In progress...and finished. I'm about an hour and a half into a two and a half hour cook. It's beautiful! Apple brine, 350* indirect. There's a stone, and spacers, and another stone, with a drip pan. I did the double stones with spacers, in the hope that I'd have unscorched drippings for gravy. Hardly anything has dripped out! Imagine that. *** Ok, now we're 3 hours in. The old girl still isn't at 160* internal! I've got 142*. UGH! Guests arriving in an hour. On the other hand, it still looks beautiful. lol. *** Whew. Just in time! 3.5 hours and the breast temp was 162*. Took it off the grill, finished the muffins, and went to Mother's house in time for company to pull in the driveway behind me. The bird had about a 45 minute rest, then vanished. I think I must have measured the wrong spot on the breast. Seems to me it was a little drier than I would have expected. So, I must have been in a bad spot, reading a lower temp than was real. Delicious - don't get me wrong. But less moist in the breast. Dark meat was good. The skin was the best I've ever eaten! I stole a couple bits, acknowledging that it was sinful, and would cause clogged arteries. But I did it anyway. Don't know if I would go to the bother of all that brining again. Probably just an herb and salt rub under the skin would be enough.

I don't plan to use a roasting pan - except as a drip pan on the indirect setup. Last time I did a chicken in a roasting pan on the cooker, I drowned the bottom. Tasted good, but no crispies. Might do the double pizza stone set up, with the spaces in between. That could help keep the bottom of the drip pan from scorching, so I have drippings for gravy. Ah, experiments. Good thing these are close friends, whom I don't have to worry about impressing. Worst case, we order Chinese.

Wow, another triumph, Festervalve. Not bad for a secret agent. Thanks for the time estimate. Sounds like I'm good for about 2 hours, given an 11 lb bird. Way less than I thought. They're coming at 3, so get it out of cooker at 1:30 or 2. That means cooking at 11:30 or so, with a heat up at 10 or 10:30. I was thinkin I'd have to put it in at 9 in the morning! Jerky, indeed. I'll try not to make it imaginary.

Wow, buzzard on the cooker takes less time than I'd have thought. I have an 11 pound bird to do, and I was figuring 4 hours. Based on the numbers you are giving, I think that's way too long. Closer to 2.5, I bet. Wonder when the guests are arriving? Mother invited them - guess it'll be a surprise. But turkey is good even if it sits a while before eating. Ok, not so long a sit that "Sal and Bocci" take up residence, but a while. Still, I'll get the fire started early, and maybe get it on there by 9 or 10. Should be off by 1. Dunno if they're coming til 2 or 3.

Some of us get that privilege all the time.

Hey, Firemonkey, how long did it take to roast, and what temp did you use? I'm doing the same (ish) on Saturday, and need to know about when to put the buzzard in the baker. Thanks!

Wow! TWO?? His and hers? One for the wild boar, one for the beef? TWO? They look fabulous.

I might do the apple brine from weber virtual bullet page. I think someone posted a pic of that here last year, and it looks great! Or maybe a combination of the two. I don't know that 2 qts of apple juice - or even a gallon - will be enough to cover the whole bird. And I don't have more than a gallon. So, I'll improvise.

Ok, here goes. What did you do and how did you do it? I don't have to do mine until Saturday, so I will brine later today, dry tomorrow, and roast on Saturday morning. Oh my! I've been combing the boards for tips, but probably will go with a brined Mad Max type. Butter and herbs under the skin, after half a day of brining. I meant to do a turkey breast - quick and easy. But, the store had only "overprocessed" ones left. Might as well do a whole bird - the same price, too. Whole bird was $13, and the breast was $13! Imagine that.

From one little pecker to another?