Cooking Turkey for Thanksgiving?

[Celie]

You know to butcher 3-7 days before thanksgiving to let the bird rest, right?

How do you usually cook a turkey?

I usually put the turkey on the barbecue grill with the heat down low, indirect heat. The bird is wrapped in foil and set into one of those disposable aluminum turkey roasting pans. When the meat is done, the turkey is unwrapped and some apple wood is put onto the fire for smoke and the bird gets smoked until it is gorgeous brown.

The disposable pan makes the bird easy to get off the grill and it also catches all the drippings to make gravy.

This sounds right up my ally, DH will bbq and we can bring the turkey to my brother's for Thankgiving. I am the oldest of 8 and we all have a holiday for getting together, so everybody gets a chance to have everybody else to their house and we all bring a dish or 2. With the kids(most are grown) and grandkids, it comes to about 50 or so plus a few in-laws and friends, so we can always use another Turkey or 2, My brother fries a few, others bake a few, others cook beef, deer, rabbit, duck and side dishes, but this year we can have BBQ turkey, too. How long do you think it will take to BBQ a 30-35 pounder? Do you brine it first?

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Thanks for the replies, guys! I don't have an exact weight on the turkey, but I've attached some images of the turkey. Just took the pictures 5 minutes ago. How big do you think it is? Is it a male or a female? If we fry him, how long in the fryer? Any other advice? Thanks guys!

How old are they?

 

[Oregon Blues]

I don't brine because we limit sodium intake in my family.

For the very best turkey, start cooking breast down and then turn it over to finish it off. The breast meat will be juicy because all the drippings run through the breast meat. However, that only works with a turkey small enough to turn it over while it is hot. It's too difficult to flip over a big heavy 325 degree bird in a hot pan.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Brining doesnt add that much sodium to the flesh. it does however add moisture through osmosis.

 

[Celie]

Thanks Guys !

 

[OldMcAndy]

I'd say the big one is about 5 months old, the little 2 are 3 months old.

 

[Reyort]

I soak mine in a brine for 24 hours or so. I then oil and season it with cajun seasoning. I cook it on 500 for 30 minutes, then cover the breasts with foil, lower the temperature to 350 and cook until the internal temperature is 165 degrees (a remote thermometer is handy for this). Comes out perfect every time.

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

Sounds like Alton Brown's turkey recipe lol good one to go by

 

[MarineCorpFarmr]

I soak mine in a brine for 24 hours or so. I then oil and season it with cajun seasoning. I cook it on 500 for 30 minutes, then cover the breasts with foil, lower the temperature to 350 and cook until the internal temperature is 165 degrees (a remote thermometer is handy for this). Comes out perfect every time.

Sounds like Alton Brown's turkey recipe for roasting turkey Good one

 

[Celie]

Sounds like Alton Brown's turkey recipe lol good one to go by

I think I saw that episode, too ! LOL Sounds good, thou !