Made my first turkey on the PBC this afternoon. I was kinda scrambling and didn't have my act together, so I didn't try dry brining or anything in advance. My biggest concern was getting leathery skin - I got great color on my chicken the last couple of times, but the skin left a little to be desired.
Prep: Spatchcocked the turkey, patted it dry as much as possible, then coated with olive oil and my typical seasonings of garlic powder, Tony Cachere's, and italian seasoning. I also tried out my injector for the first time, and added melted butter into the breasts and legs. Added tin foil booties to the legs and the wing tips, then hooked the turkey under the wing pit and into the breast on either side.
PBC: used Kingsford Competition. Lit the chimney, waited 20 minutes, then added the chimney to the basket. Waited another 10 minutes and added a few small chunks of apple and cherry wood. Waited some more then added the turkey (along with some sausages and the turkey neck). Maintained my target of around 350 degrees throughout the cook, mostly by cracking the lid open about an inch. I find that Kingsford Competition helps me to get consistent, higher temps in my cooks. The briquettes don't seem to last as long as the blue and whites, but they last long enough for poultry cooks.
Cook: Hour and a half for what was almost a 15 pounder. Took it out of the PBC at around 155, and put it in the oven at 400 (which I subsequently raised to 500) to get crispy skin. Probably spent about 10-15 minutes in the oven before getting to 160-165. I wanted to avoid the leathery skin that apparently comes from cooking in a humid environment like the PBC, so after reading a post here with that suggestion, I went for it.
Verdict: Turkey was so juicy, one of the legs just fell right off. The breast meat in particular was ridiculously juicy. Legs were probably a tad overdone, but next time I might take them out of the oven and leave the breast in for a bit longer. The prep work and clean-up are so much easier with the PBC than in the oven. It was great to come out with such a juicy bird and not have to go through all the wet brine work that I used to do in the past.
We had a neighborhood picnic today, so I sliced up a breast and a half and added half of the pulled pork I made yesterday. I couldn't go, but my wife and daughter went and apparently my cue was a big hit. People were raving about it and it was all gone almost immediately.
Prep: Spatchcocked the turkey, patted it dry as much as possible, then coated with olive oil and my typical seasonings of garlic powder, Tony Cachere's, and italian seasoning. I also tried out my injector for the first time, and added melted butter into the breasts and legs. Added tin foil booties to the legs and the wing tips, then hooked the turkey under the wing pit and into the breast on either side.
PBC: used Kingsford Competition. Lit the chimney, waited 20 minutes, then added the chimney to the basket. Waited another 10 minutes and added a few small chunks of apple and cherry wood. Waited some more then added the turkey (along with some sausages and the turkey neck). Maintained my target of around 350 degrees throughout the cook, mostly by cracking the lid open about an inch. I find that Kingsford Competition helps me to get consistent, higher temps in my cooks. The briquettes don't seem to last as long as the blue and whites, but they last long enough for poultry cooks.
Cook: Hour and a half for what was almost a 15 pounder. Took it out of the PBC at around 155, and put it in the oven at 400 (which I subsequently raised to 500) to get crispy skin. Probably spent about 10-15 minutes in the oven before getting to 160-165. I wanted to avoid the leathery skin that apparently comes from cooking in a humid environment like the PBC, so after reading a post here with that suggestion, I went for it.
Verdict: Turkey was so juicy, one of the legs just fell right off. The breast meat in particular was ridiculously juicy. Legs were probably a tad overdone, but next time I might take them out of the oven and leave the breast in for a bit longer. The prep work and clean-up are so much easier with the PBC than in the oven. It was great to come out with such a juicy bird and not have to go through all the wet brine work that I used to do in the past.
We had a neighborhood picnic today, so I sliced up a breast and a half and added half of the pulled pork I made yesterday. I couldn't go, but my wife and daughter went and apparently my cue was a big hit. People were raving about it and it was all gone almost immediately.

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