Borrowed my friend's large offset this week to do my own turkey, offered at work to see if anyone wanted their turkey smoked, and also to see if anyone knew a family that could use a whole Thanksgiving dinner. Didn't get any takers on that - I don't know if any of the churches or anything around here did a large public Thanksgiving meal, either, I didn't hear about it, if so. But no one was able to give me a family that needed a Thanksgiving dinner. Asked the folks at our church who would be in charge of that kind of thing, too, and never got an answer or a suggestion, either. Interesting - I really don't think we're SO prosperous a community that there is NO ONE around who could use a Thanksgiving meal, but as usual, it's always just about getting in touch or being connected with the right people sort of 'in the know', you know? Anyways...
I had some takers on my offer to cook turkey for coworkers. I had picked up a 20 pounder for my house, even though I knew it was WAY too big, I just wanted a big bird, and I thought we could have as many as 8 attendees, though you never know.
So I wanted to spatchcock the birds, it just makes a better product in the end, if you ask me. I got up about 5AM on Thanksgiving day and got the pit started with pecan wood. Well, I was actually UP around 2:30 (excitement? anticipation?) Got up to temp pretty quick, within about 30-40 mins, but I didn't want to get the first bird on until about 8, as the plan was pickup for the first batch around 11. So one gal gave me 3 birds, a 15lb, a 16lb and a 20lb. I went plain on the seasoning, spatchcocked and S&P over/under the skin with some Lawry's seasoning salt added to the outside, that's it.
Here are two of her her three birds completed:
I think things were moving fast at the time the 3rd one came off, so I didn't get a pic.
This nearly 16lber was for one of my partners' mother-in-law. He had taken a vacation - which is an ultra-rarity for him, first in about 2 years that I know of, 2nd in 4 years - and his MIL and her husband were housesitting for them. They have lots of animals, dogs, cows, horses, etc., so someone has to take care of these critters while he's gone, likely a contributing factor for why he never takes a vacation. Anyways, she came to pick up this bird around 1:45, but I had it done around 11:30 or so I think.
One of my other partners, the owner of this giant smoker, brought me his 20lber around 10AM, I put it on around 2, I think. He had already brined it and such, I thought he was going to season it, too, but he didn't and I didn't bother putting anything on the skin, so it was a more traditional style, too. My kitchen shears had gotten pretty dull by then, these WalMart specials weren't made to be spatchcocking 20lb turkeys. I'm gonna need to find a much better, heavy duty pair to use for the future. Anyways, he's the more traditional bird of the day:
Finally, I did my own bird at the same time as that whole bird. Mine, as I said was way oversized at about 20 lbs for our family. Turned out, neighbor lady and her roommate didn't come and my mom and step-dad came but ended up leaving as we were setting the table for dinner and just after I had carved the turkey. Anyways, drama, drama, some people can't live without it - whatever.
Mine was also spatchcocked, but additionally partially deboned as per the video by Chef Tom with ATBBQ and I removed the rest of the pelvis/backbone, blade bones and wishbone. This really does help with the carving in the end. Makes your turkey a bit more floppy and harder to deal with, especially a large one like this, but it it worth it in the end, I think. Same S&P over/under and additional Lawry's externally, too. I probably went a little heavier on the pepper on mine. If you got large pieces of skin, that might have been a little much, but most people just get a little sliver the way I carve it, and with that partial deboning it makes it easier to accomplish that.
Finished product:
I mentioned earlier I was looking for someone to help provide a full dinner to, and I had several people at work who offered to make sides, pies, etc., for this endeavor, but I didn't get the names of anyone we could provide a whole family meal to. However, on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, one of our patients came in and she was very distraught, apparently her home had just burned down. So I found out where she and her husband were going to be staying, at a specific hotel and I coordinated with them to bring just the two of them a full dinner. They preferred dark meat she said (when I asked) so for her and her husband I gave them a full leg/thigh quarter, probably 2 pounds of meat, plus all the trimmings. Just before we ate, I loaded up and took that over to them in the hotel.
When I got home, apparently my mom and step-dad had gotten tired of waiting and left just after I got back. I dunno, don't ask me, it's always some kind of drama with my mom, it is what it is, I've long since given up trying to please her, and I let her problems and hangups be her own. I don't let them drag me down, and I don't spin in circles for her, or spend time trying to validate he need to be coddled. Grow up, ma.
So anyways, you might have seen my other thread about the day after Thanksgiving.
Overall, I did about 105 lbs of turkey on Thanksgiving day, and another... 20-22 lbs or so on the day after? It was fun, though spatching all those turkeys was a bit of a chore, and I don't have a giant walk-in cooler to be able to spread them all out to dry a day or two in advance, sadly - maybe someday.
It was a fun cook. I'm actually starting to think about next year. Should have my own bigger smoker to use then, and I might see if our church would be interested in putting on a community turkey dinner. I think it would be fun, I could do 10 or 12 turkeys no problem, maybe 20 if I planned things right. Logistics would be the biggest issue, but I think I would enjoy it. And if we could get 100 or so people from the community to come out and have a free dinner, it would definitely be worth the effort!
Anyways, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving week, this is our big holiday for the season here at my house, over Christmas we'll be gone, heading off to visit The Wife's family in the Caribbean, so no more big deals here this year.
Our dinner here at the house ended up pretty tame with just the four of us - me, The Wife, The Boy (17) and The Wife's niece (18) who is living with us for a year for college before going off to Oklahoma State next fall. Personally, I was ok with that, no drama from the neighbor lady, who every holiday meal has to express just absolute shocked amazement at my wife's "cheater rolls", a tongue in cheek dig at using frozen dough for rolls, you know, after she used to spend ALL DAY making yeast rolls "completely from scratch" back when she was hosting, and blah blah blah. Nor any sullen competition between her and my mom as to who's the more important elder lady of the group, etc.,
<sigh>
Holidays... I'd much rather just cook up a bunch of birds for people and give 'em away. lol
So, again - hope ya'll had a great holiday with friends and family!
God Bless, and remember to pray for our country and our world!
I had some takers on my offer to cook turkey for coworkers. I had picked up a 20 pounder for my house, even though I knew it was WAY too big, I just wanted a big bird, and I thought we could have as many as 8 attendees, though you never know.
So I wanted to spatchcock the birds, it just makes a better product in the end, if you ask me. I got up about 5AM on Thanksgiving day and got the pit started with pecan wood. Well, I was actually UP around 2:30 (excitement? anticipation?) Got up to temp pretty quick, within about 30-40 mins, but I didn't want to get the first bird on until about 8, as the plan was pickup for the first batch around 11. So one gal gave me 3 birds, a 15lb, a 16lb and a 20lb. I went plain on the seasoning, spatchcocked and S&P over/under the skin with some Lawry's seasoning salt added to the outside, that's it.
Here are two of her her three birds completed:
I think things were moving fast at the time the 3rd one came off, so I didn't get a pic.
This nearly 16lber was for one of my partners' mother-in-law. He had taken a vacation - which is an ultra-rarity for him, first in about 2 years that I know of, 2nd in 4 years - and his MIL and her husband were housesitting for them. They have lots of animals, dogs, cows, horses, etc., so someone has to take care of these critters while he's gone, likely a contributing factor for why he never takes a vacation. Anyways, she came to pick up this bird around 1:45, but I had it done around 11:30 or so I think.
One of my other partners, the owner of this giant smoker, brought me his 20lber around 10AM, I put it on around 2, I think. He had already brined it and such, I thought he was going to season it, too, but he didn't and I didn't bother putting anything on the skin, so it was a more traditional style, too. My kitchen shears had gotten pretty dull by then, these WalMart specials weren't made to be spatchcocking 20lb turkeys. I'm gonna need to find a much better, heavy duty pair to use for the future. Anyways, he's the more traditional bird of the day:
Finally, I did my own bird at the same time as that whole bird. Mine, as I said was way oversized at about 20 lbs for our family. Turned out, neighbor lady and her roommate didn't come and my mom and step-dad came but ended up leaving as we were setting the table for dinner and just after I had carved the turkey. Anyways, drama, drama, some people can't live without it - whatever.
Mine was also spatchcocked, but additionally partially deboned as per the video by Chef Tom with ATBBQ and I removed the rest of the pelvis/backbone, blade bones and wishbone. This really does help with the carving in the end. Makes your turkey a bit more floppy and harder to deal with, especially a large one like this, but it it worth it in the end, I think. Same S&P over/under and additional Lawry's externally, too. I probably went a little heavier on the pepper on mine. If you got large pieces of skin, that might have been a little much, but most people just get a little sliver the way I carve it, and with that partial deboning it makes it easier to accomplish that.
Finished product:
I mentioned earlier I was looking for someone to help provide a full dinner to, and I had several people at work who offered to make sides, pies, etc., for this endeavor, but I didn't get the names of anyone we could provide a whole family meal to. However, on Tuesday of Thanksgiving week, one of our patients came in and she was very distraught, apparently her home had just burned down. So I found out where she and her husband were going to be staying, at a specific hotel and I coordinated with them to bring just the two of them a full dinner. They preferred dark meat she said (when I asked) so for her and her husband I gave them a full leg/thigh quarter, probably 2 pounds of meat, plus all the trimmings. Just before we ate, I loaded up and took that over to them in the hotel.
When I got home, apparently my mom and step-dad had gotten tired of waiting and left just after I got back. I dunno, don't ask me, it's always some kind of drama with my mom, it is what it is, I've long since given up trying to please her, and I let her problems and hangups be her own. I don't let them drag me down, and I don't spin in circles for her, or spend time trying to validate he need to be coddled. Grow up, ma.
So anyways, you might have seen my other thread about the day after Thanksgiving.
Overall, I did about 105 lbs of turkey on Thanksgiving day, and another... 20-22 lbs or so on the day after? It was fun, though spatching all those turkeys was a bit of a chore, and I don't have a giant walk-in cooler to be able to spread them all out to dry a day or two in advance, sadly - maybe someday.
It was a fun cook. I'm actually starting to think about next year. Should have my own bigger smoker to use then, and I might see if our church would be interested in putting on a community turkey dinner. I think it would be fun, I could do 10 or 12 turkeys no problem, maybe 20 if I planned things right. Logistics would be the biggest issue, but I think I would enjoy it. And if we could get 100 or so people from the community to come out and have a free dinner, it would definitely be worth the effort!
Anyways, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving week, this is our big holiday for the season here at my house, over Christmas we'll be gone, heading off to visit The Wife's family in the Caribbean, so no more big deals here this year.
Our dinner here at the house ended up pretty tame with just the four of us - me, The Wife, The Boy (17) and The Wife's niece (18) who is living with us for a year for college before going off to Oklahoma State next fall. Personally, I was ok with that, no drama from the neighbor lady, who every holiday meal has to express just absolute shocked amazement at my wife's "cheater rolls", a tongue in cheek dig at using frozen dough for rolls, you know, after she used to spend ALL DAY making yeast rolls "completely from scratch" back when she was hosting, and blah blah blah. Nor any sullen competition between her and my mom as to who's the more important elder lady of the group, etc.,
<sigh>
Holidays... I'd much rather just cook up a bunch of birds for people and give 'em away. lol
So, again - hope ya'll had a great holiday with friends and family!
God Bless, and remember to pray for our country and our world!
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