It's that time of year again...

[JPP]

While at my Aunt Helen's 90th birthday party yesterday, I was showing off some of my better photos of my pbc cooks. Well her son's place (my cousin, of course) is where we usually end up on thanksgiving, and it was to him that I was showing these photos. Well as fate would have it, my wife (who *hates* turkey) volunteers me to do a pbc turkey this year. Of course this I've never done before. There promises to be somewhere on the order of twenty people there I expect. Needless to say I'm scared to friggin death because:

1. I've never done a turkey of any size!
2. It's a 90 minute drive down the mass turnpike at 3:00 am to get to my cousin's place!
3. It can be three times that amount of time to drive on Thanksgiving day!!!

​Sooooo.... when it comes to cooking the beast, advice PLEASE! Id like to gather opinions on what the bes approach is etc. What you guys can't help me with of course, and thus added for comic effect: Obviously 90 minutes in the faux cambro is no big deal but I'm a bit daunted in the sense that it'll be a nightmare drive using every trick and backroad that I know! I'm even thinking I might suggest driving down the night before with the barrel etc!

[Jerod Broussard]

I'd go down the night before with the barrel.

I'd hate to get stuck in traffic with any poultry product. I'd also give it a real nice dry brine if some folks dig crispy skin.

As for as the cook, I hung mine like a chicken. It is really just a big chicken, except domestic chickens can still breed naturally.

[vandy]

The last turkey I cooked on a grill/smoker I spatchcocked it and cooked it at around 325 degrees for around 2 hours and it turned out great. That cook was on a Traeger pellet grill. I now have a new Lang smoker and I am looking forward to trying a turkey on this thing if I can ever learn how to control the temp on the beast. As far as the faux cambro I have held a pork but in one for severl hours and when I pulled it out it was still so hot you could not touch it with your hands, not sure about a turkey though since I have never had to use that technique with one. As long as you wrap it up really good it should be fine though.

[_John_]

I take mine with me, they only take 2.5 to 3 hours and I certainly wouldn't want to cambro it. I recommend a couple practice runs.
I will try to detail my process better this year but here it is from last year.

[Voodoo]

Ditto the above good advice...Do some practice runs (dry rub and 24hr-ish uncovered in fridge), and carry your PBC with you. It will be much better served fresh from the cooker. Read Meatheads' treatise on turkey. It is like a chicken, but benefits from a little extra care (I inject the breast). If you nail this, it WILL be the best turkey those folks have ever had.

[_John_]

Oh and get some rolls of sausage and smoke those sucker too, whole, with the remaining coals for a breakfast that will blow them away. I smoke them the night before, let them cool a bit then fridge em, slice them in the morning for a quick sear in a pan and they are awesome, plus most of the fat rendered off in the smoke they aren't very greasy.

[Huskee]

Practice one NOW~!

Then you'll you'll know times, you'll know to add more of this or less of that. Feed 20 people a masterpiece instead of an experiment!

[JPP]

Thanks to one and all! Hopefully I won't "chicken out"!

[Danjohnston949]

JPP, DON'T CHICKEN OUT! You Big Turkey! All that begins well ENDS WELL! 👍👍🍀👍👍. Dan

[gcdmd]

The honor of the Pitmaster Club is on your shoulders-no pressure.

[Ernest]

Relax, it's just BBQ. Get a turkey and do a practice run. From seasoning down to PBC set up.

[David Parrish]

I drove my PBC down to a relative's house a couple of years ago and cooked on it 4 days straight. It was a real conversation piece and everyone had a great time. I vote go the night before! and definitely don't chicken out

[DWCowles]

A turkey is so easy that I nail it on the first try last year.

[Papa Bob]

I know this sounds weird but get some turkey leg & thigh quarter's three or four skin on boneless breasts and drive down the night before, nice relaxed cook, plenty of food easy to carve impressive to serve and like above mentioned a couple of practice cooks. good luck

[JPP]

Thanks for the encouragement everyone! Unless I'm overruled by the powers that be (and that won't be the wife this time!) I'm sticking to the plan... If I get a 6 am start I won't even have to go down the night before! Traffic shouldn't be an issue at that hour.