What would you could a 46 pound turkery in?

[MeatKing]

I like the pit idea outside, except we need to start cooking it at night to have it ready for the next day... hmm will try to see if I can buy a used on at a cake store. I will also try Michelas, never thought of them.
would love a deep fried turkery, but don't think I want to tempt fate by useing a fire to boil grease... I'm chicken that way.. lol

I will take a pic, when hubby gets it out've freezer... and I will learn how to upload onto here

I wonder if we could rent something to cook it in? I will try the rent all place..never would've thought've that.

 

[bigmike&nan]

Quote:
This is probably the best way to go - split it down the middle, remove the backbone and lay each half flat on a sheet pan lined with foil. Cover the breasts with foil and slow roast it - include the backbone on the sheet pan, once it is crispy and golden into a stock pot to make a really amazing gravy. I REALLY discourage folks from stuffing birds - rather make a dressing and roast it in a huge aluminum roasting pan (the throw away kind). Any bird that big would be hard to fit into even a commercial oven. It sounds cool but the logistics are hard to overcome. You're gonna have to start that bird really early in the morning, even cut in half like I suggest, to have it ready at dinner time...

 

[MeatKing]

My mil, cooked a 50 pounder in her oven once, on a cake pan. She put it in at midnight. We will do the same, we just need a pan. She lives 15 hrs away, so we can't borrow hers. If worse comes to worse we will cook him whole.
Why not stuff the bird? I seem to remember something about this & food safety practices, but we've always stuffed, so I can't say what it was...?

 

[bigmike&nan]

Most of my life before chef school I stuffed my turkeys. Over and over in chef school and on most respectable cooking shows on tv you will be told, roast the bird empty so the insides can roast too - you take a big darned bird like that it's gonna be a job enough to cook it thoroughly - you really risk the inside not cooking completely and all those not fully cooked bird juices draining into your stuffing...

You need two ovens - one for the dressing, sweet potato casserole and green bean casserole - the 2nd for the bird...

 

[MeatKing]

Thank-you BigMike&Nan, I was wondering the reason. So if you stuff it, the inside doesn't roast as quick. Kind'v like the idea, the thicker/bigger the roast the longer you have to leave it in for? once it's stuffed it's thicker, therefor taking longer?

edited to add, when dealing with polutry best to not take any risk, especially when dealing with a bird this big?

Also to to add, mil may not be the best example of proper food care, she'll leave turkery on table overnight and make sandwich's for lunch with it... gross, I'm pretty careful about what I eat there, and am very helpful in meal prep to know what's going on.. No one there ever gets sicks, I think there used to it. I've been sick from her house!dh balmed it on the 3 beer I had, I think it was the food.. I can handle 3 beer! lol

 

[Raen]

Perhaps a stupid idea, but I'll throw it out there anyway:

Call around to local welders and see if they can weld you an appropriate sized shallow box out of scrap metal? I'd bet you could get this done a whole lot cheaper than $130, and you could get it the exact right size for your oven.

 

[MeatKing]

So not a bad idea.

hmm, my dh has a welder... I wonder if he could do something?

 

[CarrieW]

Do you know anyone with a big electric roaster? That is the only way I ever do turkeys, they stay so moist!
I also never stuff a turkey with dressing, I stuff the cavity with onions, carrots, celeryand whole cloves of garlic.

 

[goldenluver]

I used a roasting pan I bought fromthe store,it was a little small but I tucked the foil into the pan so it would drip back in it. it was 42.4lbs.

someday i plan on buying a pan the size my mother had when I was a kid, they sell them on line through resteraunt supply stores and they are very enpensive, but a cheaper version would be a steam table pan instead from them.

 

[Raiquee]

Why not just use your oven rack? Take one out, place the other and put the turkey directly on it? Place a few pans in the bottom of the stove to catch drippings and viola. Sure, it may be a bit more messy than conventional pan, but hey if it saves you $130 bucks!

I also wouldn't stuff a turkey. I never have no matter the size. A turk that big really needs that cavity to get airflow so you can cook it properly. My suggestion? Because it's so huge cook it breast down and foil it. Turn it right side up about a half an hour to an hour out to crisp up the skin. Foil it otherwise. Otherwise you may have a very dark bird, regardless of the temperature.

In the end I see you having to wash your oven rack, and if you place your pans just right on the bottom of the stove, only the pans!