Let's Talk BBQ
FORUM SPONSORS => Pit Barrel Cooker Co. => Topic started by: marty22877 on November 01, 2016, 02:41:16 PM
-
So with Thanksgiving coming up I'm sure a flurry of posts are going to pop up so I figured I'd be first. Do you guys stuff your bird before hanging it in the PBC? And is it even possible? I'll be doing a test cook here in the next week or two so any pointers would be great! Thanks.
-
I don't stuff my Turkeys because the stuffing causes uneven cooking. And you might overcooked the Turkey to make the stuffing safe to eat.
I like cooking the stuffing the putting it back in the Turkey at the end of the cook.
-
I don't stuff my Turkeys because the stuffing causes uneven cooking. And you might overcooked the Turkey to make the stuffing safe to eat.
I like cooking the stuffing the putting it back in the Turkey at the end of the cook.
Exactly what he said, well all most. :)
-
I will never stuff a bird. I really see no benefit. I only cook small turkeys so for the amount that would fit just isn't worth it.
-
I don't stuff or brine. If you can get a fresh never frozen one that's the best way to go. If I recall from some food Network Thanksgiving special they said the stuffing will pull a lot of the moisture and juices from the turkey
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
-
Fantastic Topic,
My Niece and I will be doing the turkey this year, should be fun ;D
Q; if get a freash never frozen turkey will it benift from a 12 HR brine? Also I won't stuff.
-
I've never brined and have no issue with the turkey being juicy.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
-
how long has it taken everyone for a bigger bird?
-
I saw one example where the chef lined the bird with cheesecloth then stuffed the turkey cavity. Half way through the cook, the chef pulled the stuffing out using the cheesecloth and finished the stuffing in the oven. He claimed you got the flavor of the turkey infused in the stuffing yet was able to cook the bird more evenly. I should add I have never done or even cooked a turkey on a PBC.
-
Fantastic Topic,
My Niece and I will be doing the turkey this year, should be fun ;D
Q; if get a freash never frozen turkey will it benift from a 12 HR brine? Also I won't stuff.
I don't think it makes a difference if fresh or frozen as it is the protein that is in play here. I always brine my turkeys overnight and it does make a difference. As this is my first Thanksgiving with the PBC (previously used my PK Grill) I am looking forward to see the end result.
To answer marty22877 about bird size, it is suggested sticking to around 12 - 14 lbs. The reason is safety factors concerning under-cooked poultry after so many hours. A large bird may not be in the safe zone so if you need more turkey, better off doing 2 smaller birds. In my experience a small turkey will be cooked in about 3 hours. By lightly tenting with foil, it will remain warm for many more hours
-
how long has it taken everyone for a bigger bird?
The times were similar to an oven. If I remember the ones I had around 20#s took about 4 hours.
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
-
He said "Smokin a bird" and oven times and smoking times are much different.
-
I know that's why I said similar. Smoking times are different than pit barrel times also
Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk
-
Apple smoked a 20 lb turkey at 250ºF in my MAK 2 Star 4 years ago and upon checking my notes I found that it took me 8 hours for the thickest part of the breast to reach an IT of 170ºF. There are ways of speeding up the process - for example: smoke the bird for say 3 hours with apple, hickory, etc ... and then bump the pit temperature to something like 325ºF until the IT reaches your preferred temp. Word of advice: The turkey will go through a stall during the cook.
Rested the bird for 30 minutes loosely under a foil tent before carving. Used a 16"x12"x3" Aluminum Non-Stick Roaster with “V” Rack for easy handling and capturing the drippings. Stuffed the cavity with Washington State Red Delicious Apples which were tossed after cooking. Only stuffed the apples loosely in an attempt to add some apple flavor. Didn't do much good but be sure not to eat them if anyone were to repeat my experiment.
(http://i854.photobucket.com/albums/ab105/papa_peter/Turkey/MAK20lbTurkey11242012/AppleTurkey8.jpg)
-
For a comparison the last turkey I smoked was 14 pounds and I smoked it at 275 degrees in my combo named Frank.
I open the door four times to spray for moisture which added about a hour.
Total time to reach 175 in the thickest part was 8 hours or about 30 minutes a pound when you discount the door opening time.
(http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh471/Savannahsmoker/Smoke%20Roasting/5-2.jpg) (http://s547.photobucket.com/user/Savannahsmoker/media/Smoke%20Roasting/5-2.jpg.html)
(http://i547.photobucket.com/albums/hh471/Savannahsmoker/Smoke%20Roasting/20.jpg) (http://s547.photobucket.com/user/Savannahsmoker/media/Smoke%20Roasting/20.jpg.html)
Will be smoke / roasting two 12 to 14 lb. turkeys in the Grid Iron or Royall 2000 this year.
-
Just FYI....... A lot of people buy turkeys that say "Fresh" and they are thawed but actually have been frozen and are thawed for convenience purposes. Most turkeys from major turkey providers are always frozen.
There's nothing wrong with a frozen turkey and in fact there's less chance of bacteria forming in a frozen and properly thawed turkey than a "Fresh" one.
Now if you have a local farmer that raises turkeys and slaughters to order that's a whole different bird(get it???? Lol........).
-
There's nothing wrong with a frozen turkey and in fact there's less chance of bacteria forming in a frozen and properly thawed turkey than a "Fresh" one.
I agree. This time of year (during the holidays) most stores will have their frozen turkeys on sale big time and in many cases they do or almost give turkeys away for free if you spend x amount of $$. I often see - buy one get one free also. I particularly like turkey breasts which I can pick up for around $10 each.
Since we love turkey year round I always stock my freezer with many birds to thaw and enjoy next year.