How are y’all cooking your birds?

[kingdaddy3247]

Happy thanksgiving!
How are y’all cooking those birds this year? I have tried most of the ways that I know of to cook a turkey, oven roasted, smoked, deep fried, “turkey on a throne” or “beer can turkey” on a 40oz beer can, oil-less fryer, etc. I’ve never cooked one via sous vide but I plan to one day. I’ve done them wet brined and unbrined. This year I am really excited. I will be cooking a home grown turkey that we raised ourselves. We just processed him on Sunday and it came out to be a 12 pound turkey when done. It went into a very lightly salted ice bath to quickly chill the meat. Then I dry brined and air dried him in the fridge for the last 2 days. I’m going to rub with herb butter and truss it and then roast starting at 450 for 30 minutes then finish at 350 with breast covered with aluminum foil until the last 30 minutes. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. I hope i remember to get pics. I’ll let y’all know how it turns out.
So how are you cooking your bird? And let us see ‘em!

Some before pics

 

[dcline9163]

Looks good so far Adam. Let us know how she tastes.

 

[palmettomoon]

Our favorite Thanksgiving turkey cooking story: Has nothing to do with mom's turkeys.

My middle brother lived in an old farmhouse out in the Styx of SC. Him and my dad get the idea to try frying a turkey one year. It's super windy that day and cold. Brother decides to stand the fryer in a three-walled brick incinerator (long disused) to shield it from the wind. Dad "measures" the oil into the pot. Fire lit, gets to about 375 degrees and everyone's ready for the turkey to go in!

Dad's 'measure' of oil was too heavy. It bubbles and flows over the sides of the pot and onto the ground under the burner. Suddenly there was a tremendous BOOM! I mean a house shaking boom.
Under some leaves under the stand was a half buried can of hairspray from many years ago.

Everyone in the house ran to the back to see what had happened. Fryer sideways on the ground, pot 5 feet away, turkey uncooked on the ground, oil everywhere, flames licking the inside of the incinerator. Dad and brother covered in goop hugging each other shaking like crazy.

Happy Thanksgiving! Looks like a good bird!

 

[7pt62THOR]

Got three in the smoker now. Two garlic and herb brined and one Jamaica Jerk brined.

 

[karlvv30]

I'm a carpet bagging damn yankee so I'm going to make some kick ass stuffing and shove it up the bird's ass. She will be convection baked at 350 for about 5 hours.

 

[Nat]

Smoked 5hrs then slow cooked over night at 300.

 

[Blue bio balls]

We use the oven.

 

[41mag]

Smoking that bird !! (I just cant seem to fit it in the bong )
Really though, every year my MIL brings us a Trader Joes fresh brined turkey. Mmmmm !!!
They always are great! I put together a brand new smoker yeasterday, let the bird get room temp for about three hours, added a few spices and last touches to it....stuffed the crevices with red apples.... got the charcoal all going good....added some Jack Daniels oak barrel chips to the fire.....and put it on about midnight.

Around 4am i had to add some water and brush the ash off the coals.....added a little more charcoal and she has been going since. Im about to go check water pan again. Plan on taking it off about 11ish.

 

[Edog537]

I'm a carpet bagging damn yankee so I'm going to make some kick ass stuffing and shove it up the bird's ass. She will be convection baked at 350 for about 5 hours.

Yankee food sucks. Anyway wet brined a 7lb breast. Going on the smoker with some applewood. We also do ham - my wife's family eats like Yankees. They don't like Turkey. Nothing getting shoved in any asses here.

P.S. I can see karlvv30 standing there looking at 2 big bucks on the ground with a **** eating grin like a Democrat counting votes.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

[palmettomoon]

Stuffing? Like with chunks of stale bread? Man, you need to have dressing. Good dressing.