Ok guys, last minute Turkey advice??

[twotonevert]

Cooking a 14 pound bird in a roaster oven. The roaster oven states 15 to 17 minutes per pound. Is this right? And.........Is there anything special I need to do beside clean it, remove the innards bag, and baste with oil? First time cooking a Turkey, bear with me please.

[Dino]

Originally Posted by twotonevert

Cooking a 14 pound bird in a roaster oven. The roaster oven states 15 to 17 minutes per pound. Is this right? And.........Is there anything special I need to do beside clean it, remove the innards bag, and baste with oil? First time cooking a Turkey, bear with me please.

Get a fryer while you still have time.

Very easy and as we have discussed VERY tasty.

[BusaPebbles]

Originally Posted by twotonevert

Cooking a 14 pound bird in a roaster oven. The roaster oven states 15 to 17 minutes per pound. Is this right? And.........Is there anything special I need to do beside clean it, remove the innards bag, and baste with oil? First time cooking a Turkey, bear with me please.

You need to put stuffing inside it....The time sounds about right. You will want to get up very early and get it in the oven. I am with Dino though...Frying the turkey is much faster and keeps the turkey moist.

PS...Make sure you thaw the turkey...some people forget that step.

[Mr Bogus]

James, if you are going to roast the bird... spend the first 30 minutes at like 500 degrees (I usually "butter" the outside first).. Then lower temp to cooking level..

I know it sounds strange but it will help seal the bird...

I also throw a light foil tent over the bird after the first 30 minutes until the last hour (to brown the guy).. (not sure if this is actually a good thing or not)

Time wise sounds pretty close (get a thermometer, bird comes out of oven when the temp is 165 at the thickest part of the thigh, do not touch the bone) and also let the bird "rest" for 20-30 minutes after coming out of the oven.. It will carry over (cooking) during this time as well..


I also am a BIG advocate of "brining" the bird for 24 hours.. It adds a nice dimension to the meat.. (1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar and enough water to cover the bird in a pot)

WTH is kml when we need him... am sure I am missing something here...

[BusaPebbles]

Originally Posted by Mr Bogus

James, if you are going to roast the bird... spend the first 30 minutes at like 500 degrees.. I know it sounds strange but it will help seal the bird... I usually throw a light foil tent over the bird after the first 30 minutes until the last hour (to brown the guy).. (not sure if this is actually a good thing or not)


I also am a BIG advocate of "brining" the bird for 24 hours.. It adds a nice dimension to the meat.. (1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar and enough water to cover the bird in a pot)

WTH is kml when we need him...

I also do the foil tent for the last hour....

[03busaman]

Heres what i would do --
Go to moms house sit down and enjoy

[twotonevert]

Well, the fryer is out, already purchasd the roaster to keep my over clear. So I need to cook the turkey in foil? Or cover it with foil the last hour to 30 minutes? Brining sounds easy enough, but it is not completely thawed yet, I put it in the fridge on Sunday, still pretty hard. Setting in the sink at the moment.

[Dino]

Originally Posted by BusaPebbles

I also do the foil tent for the last hour....

Like this......but in the oven

[twotonevert]

LOL, wheres my armadillo hat when I need it?

[BusaWhipped]

Like was stated above, you want to cook it high heat uncovered until the skin browns then lower the heat and cover. The crisp skin will keep the juices in.

[Projekt]

A little late but I usually roast my turkeys using the indirect method in a Charcoal Weber grill.. Cooks real fast and stays very moist with excellent flavor..

[Mr Bogus]

Originally Posted by Projekt

A little late but I usually roast my turkeys using the indirect method in a Charcoal Weber grill.. Cooks real fast and stays very moist with excellent flavor..

That is one I have wanted to try but have not yet (and I have a Weber Charcoal grill) ... have not even eaten one done like that yet...


this thread sux...... getting really hungry...

[Projekt]

Originally Posted by Mr Bogus

That is one I have wanted to try but have not yet (and I have a Weber Charcoal grill) ... have not even eaten one done like that yet...


this thread sux...... getting really hungry...

You're telling me.. It's dinner time and my relief is late as usual..

You ought to try it.. The technique exceeded my expectations and is not as full of peril as frying the bird.

[Mr Bogus]

Originally Posted by Projekt

You're telling me.. It's dinner time and my relief is late as usual..

You ought to try it.. The technique exceeded my expectations and is not as full of peril as frying the bird.

full of peril? awwww we ride motorcycles?

give me some more info on this... I can still do the neighbors birds in the fryer and do one like this too...

Time? venting? amount of coals to start with? restock the coals?

[twotonevert]

Bird is bagged and in the brine.

[Mr Bogus]

Originally Posted by twotonevert

Bird is bagged and in the brine.

Does Wendy's have "Turkey to Go" ? I am dying here... waiting for UPS (new pumps for the marine tank today!!)

[outlawbusa]

My last minute advice would be EAT IT~!~

Oh not quite that last minute...

[Projekt]

Originally Posted by Mr Bogus

full of peril? awwww we ride motorcycles?

give me some more info on this... I can still do the neighbors birds in the fryer and do one like this too...

Time? venting? amount of coals to start with? restock the coals?

It's really easy.. The approximately 14lb bird was cooked through with a crispy skin and at the right internal temperature within 90-105 minutes..

You need a rectangular disposable aluminum catch pan to keep the briquets stacked high adjacent to the two long sides as well as to catch the dripping juices which vaporize a bit in the pan.
I use regular Kingsford but you could substitute them with some other boutique hardwood variety. Once they are lit and ashed over, you set the cooking grate in place and center the bird above and in relation to the pan. I keep the meat thermometer in the bird while cooking. You might need to top up the coal so I position the grate so that the open areas near the handles are conveniently above the coal piles.

The first time I did it, I couldn't believe how fast it was in the fully cooked zone so I stabbed a couple of different areas to double check. The juices ran clear and were very plentiful. The breast meat was very moist contrary to the usual dryness of oven roasted Turkey.. Marinade or brine as normal. It comes out nicely browned without any extra tricks.

Venting will depend on the ambient temperature on the day.. I vaguely remember having the vents less than half open.

[Mr Bogus]

that sound you just heard was my dead body hitting the ground as I die from hunger...

crap... now I need a fried turkey, grilled turkey, smoked turkey and of course a "roasted" bird....

going to be turkey sandwiches for the next month...

[omslaw]

I'll carefully loosen the skin from the meat and then reach in there and GENEROUSLY butter, salt, pepper, and some other spices... Then roast like above: high heat for a bit then loosly cover with foil and complete the roasting. Every so often I'll take the baster and re-coat the bird with the butter/juices from the pan.

Projekt's Weber method works well, too! I've also done them in my smoker, too.