Sanny Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 I'm doing a brined Mad Max, using DJ's breast brine. Will pull it out of the brine in another hour or so, dry in the fridge for two or three, then on the grill about noon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 We are doing an evening Thanksgiving meal so I am about to start cooking mine. I boiled my brine 2 days ago (used the same recipe as I did on the turkey breast the other week), cooled overnight, strained it and place in the fridge. Early this morning I placed the turkey (fresh, non injected or prebrined) in the bag for a 10-12 hour brine. Shortly I will be cooking it Mad DJ style in a big ole pot of hot peanut oil! I have always injected my turkeys before frying with a mixture of strained Italian Dressing and finely ground pepper. This year I wanted to try frying a brined turkey; so I have my fingers crossed. Happy Thanksgiving folks! I am sure we all have a lot to be thankful for! -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 I did an adapted apple brine - not quite the one on TVWBB, not quite the apple cider brine all over the net. It took almost 3 quarts of apple cider, plus another gallon of water to cover my 20# bird. I used an office trash can, lined with a trash bag in case of leaks to hold it. The actual bird and swill were in a ziploc XL bag. The ones that are about 2 foot by 2.5 feet Smelled awesome, with clove, allspice, juniper berries, ginger and bay leaves in there. Soaked for about 30 hours. We'll find out soon if it was worth it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 I did an adapted apple brine - not quite the one on TVWBB, not quite the apple cider brine all over the net. It took almost 3 quarts of apple cider, plus another gallon of water to cover my 20# bird. I used an office trash can, lined with a trash bag in case of leaks to hold it. The actual bird and swill were in a ziploc XL bag. The ones that are about 2 foot by 2.5 feet Smelled awesome, with clove, allspice, juniper berries, ginger and bay leaves in there. Soaked for about 30 hours. We'll find out soon if it was worth it Man, that sounds really cool. You sure your not making a punkin pie turkey...hehe. Juniper berry is kinda tough to find around here; the Fresh Market is the one and only store I can get them from, but man they are worth it. Very curious to know how it turns out and hope you post the full recipe on it! -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 About 45 minutes to go... It still smells incredible. Cooked with a few apple and pecan chunks... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThreeDJ16 Posted November 22, 2007 Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 Hey, wait a minute. It is not dreary and raining there....no fair! I just spent 35 minutes huddled under an umbrella frying a turkey, smelling like I worked in a fry kitchen for days on end...hehe....yeah...lovely I know. But it is one beautiful turkey; pics later as I forgot to install my usb card reader since I had to build a new computer earlier this week. -=Jasen=- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 22, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2007 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! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Firemonkey Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 I cooked it at 340-350 for 3 1/2 to 4 hours - indirect (KK stone on the basket handles). I had the big KK provided 16" stainless drip pan on the lower grill to catch the drippings, which were a nice chestnut brown, but did not burn. made for some tasty gravy. Turkey was incredibly moist, but not mushy at all. The flavor was great, but I honestly cant say what came from the brine and what was the result of the apple and pecan wood I added to the cooker. There were no complaints, so i would call it a success When I added wood, and put the bird on the grill, i noticed my fire ignited on the right side more than the left. You can see in the pic above that the thigh end of the bird is slightly darker as a result. This actually worked out well for me, since the thigh hit 185 at the same time the breast was 165. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 I wish I could say mine went as well. I cooked a 15.5 lb bird for 5 hours, and the thigh still read 175. Checked the breast, and it was 180, so I pulled it out. The breasts were great, the drumsticks were done, but the thighs were far from done. I followed Mad Max's technique to the letter, including putting the bird in a v rack in a (shallow) roasting pan. Indirect, on the top grill, at 325, with a couple pieces of applewood. Everyone thought the bird was fantastic, but I'm disappointed in the failure of the thighs and breast to come to temperature at the same time. I'm ASSUMING that the missing instruction in his method is that the bird should be room temp before icing the breast, and mine was definitively at refrigerator temperature. I considered using the same setup as Firemonkey, and next time I try this, I will do that. I believe that the roasting pan really blocked a lot of heat from the lower part of the bird. I'll toss the bottom half of the carcass back on the grill tomorrow and finish it off. It was far too late when we discovered their condition today. And now the card reader won't read! I guess that this discussion is hypothetical until I can reboot and post the picture! Hope everybody had a very happy Thanksgiving. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 The three-finger salute worked its usual magic, so here now is evidence that it *did* happen! Cheers, Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tcoliver Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 I did a 20# indirect with a drip pan on lower level. 350 deg. for 5 hours. Came out awesome, only issue was I put the stuffing in the bird and it was VERY moist. Needed to put it in the oven for a few minutes to crisp it up. Bird was also very moist and everyone loved it. Its nice to do the turkey on the KK outside, leaves the oven for all the other goodies. Plus then I can say I cooked the meal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 ... Plus then I can say I cooked the meal. Some of us get that privilege all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 I wish I could say mine went as well. I cooked a 15.5 lb bird for 5 hours, and the thigh still read 175. Checked the breast, and it was 180, so I pulled it out. The breasts were great, the drumsticks were done, but the thighs were far from done. I followed Mad Max's technique to the letter, including putting the bird in a v rack in a (shallow) roasting pan. Indirect, on the top grill, at 325, with a couple pieces of applewood. Everyone thought the bird was fantastic, but I'm disappointed in the failure of the thighs and breast to come to temperature at the same time. I'm ASSUMING that the missing instruction in his method is that the bird should be room temp before icing the breast, and mine was definitively at refrigerator temperature. I considered using the same setup as Firemonkey, and next time I try this, I will do that. I believe that the roasting pan really blocked a lot of heat from the lower part of the bird....... Mike Wow, 5 hours on a 15.5lb bird and it's not jerky?!? I did a 17# in just over 4 hours @ 320 - 330 . I used all same methods you used, deflector and LARGE drip pan (on lower grill) bird in rack on mail grill. The bird was out of the fridge with the breast iced for approx 1/2 hour. Here's the pic: 15~ish hour brine, no dry time, just rinsed and iced the breast. I fired and stabilized about an hour before. Sanny, figure 10-12 mins a pound when brined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amphoran Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 The difference I see is that my roasting pan is about 2-1/2" deep, and your half sheet pan there is shallower. I think that the pan simply trapped cool(er) air and prevented good heat transfer to the lower 1/4 of the bird. I was confident about it because Mad Max's pictures showed him using an even deeper old aluminum pan. I'm sure the brining saved the breasts which were still nice and juicy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanny Posted November 23, 2007 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fetzervalve Posted November 23, 2007 Report Share Posted November 23, 2007 The difference I see is that my roasting pan is about 2-1/2" deep, and your half sheet pan there is shallower. I think that the pan simply trapped cool(er) air and prevented good heat transfer to the lower 1/4 of the bird. I was confident about it because Mad Max's pictures showed him using an even deeper old aluminum pan. I'm sure the brining saved the breasts which were still nice and juicy. Amp, the pan you see was only for the trip inside. I had a deep drip pan, however, it was on the lower grill with the fowl on the main grill. After your pan has come up to temp it should be re-radiating the same temp it is getting from the heat deflector. I don't understand how you could have had the trouble you describe. I also pulled it at 163 degree breast temp, I don't know how long it would take to get to the temps you were shooting for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
