Ain't She Purdy?!? A 2017 Thanksgiving Special

[Troutman]

Oh were you all trying to get a hold of me? Sorry I was indisposed. I was pooping.....pellet pooping Thanksgiving turkey that is ...... I chose to spatchcock, wet brined (yes I still wet brine my poultry) for 14 hours, injected with Tony C. Creole Butter formula and cooked it at 325* with apple pellets until breast reached 165* IT. Also smoked home made mac n cheese and yams on the upper rack. Family made enough food to feed an army, guess what we're eating for the next WEEK. Turkey sammies, turkey casserole, turkey pot pies, turkey ala king ..... well you get the idea.












SO...KEEP YOU PELLETS DRY AND YOUR SMOKE BLUE !!! HAPPY TURKEY DAY ONE AND ALL !!! TROUTMAN OUT !!

[Mr. Bones]

Forgot to ask, previous^
What kinda rub ya' got goin' on, there???

[6th Borough BBQ]

That looks great!

[Troutman]

Rub? That’s a secret, I could tell you but I’d have to kill ya!!! Only kidding !! Pepper, granulated onion, granulated garlic, dried Italian herbs, cayenne, anxho chili in a butter rub.

[jgreen]

Happy Thanksgiving to all my American pit buddies. You turkey pics are making me soooo jealous. Regular work days here in Canada. Enjoy the turkey, and the mandatory nap after.

[Reds Fan 5]

8 lb breast smoked on a 26" Weber with KBB and a chunk of apple wood. Turkey wet brined over night. Rubbed with an herb butter. 2-zone indirect cook over drip pan with Meathead's gravy. Temp was 335 for most of the cook. 2.5 hours. Excellent results. Just enough smoke, moist, tender, crispy skin. The gravy did not go as well. As I feared, not many drippings and no giblets from a breast. Used some chicken parts I was saving for stock but it just wasn't rich enough and the gravy was oversmoked broth. It did help keep the turkey moist in the cooker. Overall, very happy with the results.

[Troutman]

The butter gave that a glorious color....nice !!

[Berner9]

Done on the WSM and moved inside. First Turkey I’ve done.

[Troutman]

Gorgeous

[BloomHybrid]

Wait I was suppose to cook a turkey today? Woops! Stuffed pork loin for me.

[Mr. Bones]

Yummmy!!!!

[Troutman]

Not a bad substitute, I’m already sick of turkey 🦃

[6th Borough BBQ]

and I was thinking that turkey has way better color than mine! lol.

[Dadof3Illinois]

Some good looking food guys!!! I cooked up an 17lb bird and 3 chuckies. I’m not a big turkey fan so it was beef for me today. This plus 6 different sides and 4 pies, for 9 people...HA!! Figured what the heck, already had the cookers going right??
Brined the bird overnight in apple cider with salt, brown sugar, apples and some poultry seasoning. Then rubbed some butter and herbs under the skin and injected it with a mixture of butter, apple cider and poultry seasoning. Cooked at 325 to 160 in the breast. After today I’m a new born turkey lover. OMG, this thing was awesome...ha. I’ve cooked, roasted deep fried turkeys before but none have turned out this good. Even now, after it’s cold the white meat will drip moisture if pressed. I’ve gotta remember to write down what/how I did this today...😂😂😂.
Here’s some before and after shots.


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[Troutman]

Nice lookin bird, interesting injection and brine

[Dadof3Illinois]

And this was a pre brined bird too!! I was a little worried about it coming out salty so I used unsalted butter in everything. I let it soak for maybe a little over an hour in clean water just before I injected. I don’t know, maybe I got lucky this time but that breast meat was crazy moist!!!

[EdF]

Definitely write it down - you'll only have a vague memory of some magic you performed otherwise! Awesome looking bird!

[Huskee]

Attention all: I added some info above to Spinaker's top post about our annual Turkey Photo Shoot contest. Make these awesome pictures count as an entry by following the directions above (you can't officially enter here, this is just to show off to your fellow Pit members!)

You can win ThermoWorks stuff or a free copy of Meathead's book, or both! You must be an amateur photographer (not have been paid in the last year for a photo you took) and the bird must have been cooked outdoors this calendar year, any recipe counts. You have until Dec 31st, 23:59 CST to enter. USA residents only (sorry, another weird legal hoop)

4 winners each year. "Purdyest" turkey pics win, as judged by Meathead.

[6th Borough BBQ]

can't locate Spinaker's top post to fine the info...

[Huskee]

6th Borough BBQ The very first post of the thread, page 1, the blue one

[JTpellets]

smoked around 270. I broiled afterward to crisp the skin but forgot to take a picture as i was eager to eat. The family was pleased.

[Black99vette]

A turkey breasts and a couple of chickens, both on Webers with some apple wood.

[Nhorton]

Used a turkey wet brine mix, but didn’t wet brine it. Just blended up the spices and used it as a rub. Put it in the PBC for just under 3hr. Skin was crispy, 160 in the breasts and 173 in the legs! Nearly perfect except for the fact that we ate it all!

[TimmyR]

The smoke ring on it was gorgeous...I meant to take that picture too but forgot. Best one to date. The only hiccup was I killed the drippings...they were black and solid by the end!

[HouseHomey]

Very, very purrty.

[HawkerXP]

20 lb bird. Spatchcocked and hung in PBC. Dry brine, S&G under and over. Tried to inject some with apple cider.

[HouseHomey]

Nice tan!!

[HawkerXP]

Yeah, thank you HouseHomey can't say it wasn't done!

[HawkerXP]

Forgot to show appetizer ribs. Three different rubs.

[Fayettejim]

X I decided to smoke our turkey for the first time - an 11 pounder for the two of us on the RecTec. I followed Meathead's instructions to the T on a spatchcocked bird with the gravy fixin's' and Simon and Garfunkle rub. It took a bit of research to figure out how long to smoke @ 225. The time range was between 8-12 hours depending on size. I put it on at 10pm figuring ten hours. I checked it at 8 and it was at 160 degrees. Our meal was simple with mashed sweet potatoes and country green beans so moving meal time up to noon was no problem. My conclusions:

1. The gravy was just stupendous. What flavor! We used no flour or thickening agent. And it made several cups.
2. The meat - even the white - was warm and juicy with a mild smoke flavor even after the bird kept warm in the oven for four hours. Just serve it on a warmed platter. I sliced one breast the traditional way and the other the Meathead suggested against the grain.
3. The skin seemed overcooked but that's my fault.
4. And what a stock the bones and other pieces make. Full of the Simon & Garfunckle flavor.
5. Next time I'll plan on 8-9 hours smoke time.

Here are a couple of pics:

[Fayettejim]

Correction: I checked it at 10 hours, not eight, and I think was an hour or so too long. Also dry-brined with salt overnight.