Looking for BGE help/info

[stoneeyes317]

MY wife finally relented and let me buy a BGE 2 weekends ago. I am hoping to use it to do a Thanksgiving turkey and I'm looking for a little help. I am reading anything I can get from the net on doing a turkey on the Egg but I'm guessing that a few (at least) here have already done it. I bought a large Egg (really wanted the XL) and I'm thinking of doing a 12#-14# turkey. Do I need to do it vertically or can I just set it on the grate? Do I need a v-rack? How do I clean my plate setter (I cooked some BBQ chicken that dripped heavily on it [NOW I know I should have used a drip pan])? Do I need to soak chips/chunks at all or can I just mix them in with the charcoal?

I am sure that I will think of a few more questions but I will leave it at these for now. I greatly appreciate any help with this. I am trying to shorten my learning curve :>)

eyes317

[thirdeye]

Welcome to the world of ceramic cooking. I cook on BGE's, I have a large and a small. The hardest thing about cooking a whole turkey (in an oven or a BGE, which really acts just like an oven) is getting the white meat and the dark meat done to the proper temperatures. The white meat should be 165°, and the dark meat is best when it's close to 180°. The cleverest advice comes from Harold McGee and it is basically sitting the bird breast down on crushed ice for 90 minutes. This chills it 6 or 8 degrees more than the dark meat so when it goes in the oven the dark meat gets a head start. A very longtime Egghead named Mad Max has taken this ice concept and come up with the most widely known method for cooking a turkey on a BGE. Just Google search "Mad Max Turkey", you will find links to his write-up and some video's too. If this information is not complete enough... Max is so into Thanksgiving and his recipe he actually posts a cell phone number a couple of days before Thanksgiving and will take calls from folks with questions.

Another other option is to section your turkey, which is an idea I got from Julia Child. I use this method and it involves butchering the bird so you have the full breast in one piece, and the entire leg/thigh in another. This way when either the dark meat or the the breast is done, you just take it off the cooker. Each piece is cooked perfectly. This is a chicken (I cook them like this also) but you get the general ideal.

You can actually re-assemble the bird on a platter for presentation, and it looks almost as good as a whole bird.

A variation of this is to make leg/thigh quarters, then remove the thigh bone, season inside and tie it up. It slices really nice this way.

To give you an idea how much room there is on your Large Egg, here is turkey that I sectioned, it's cooking on my large Egg. These thighs are still bone-in.

Another decision is to brine or inject your bird. I like to buy fresh turkeys and brine mine (even injecting the breast with some of the brine). If you buy a Butterball or other bird that says "internally basting" or something like that on the label brining is usually not necessary.

Don't worry about your platesetter, the spilled drippings will stain, but you can scrape the crusties off. Like you said, just use a drip pan or at least cover the plate setter with foil.

[McGurk]

Nice wife-approved score! Listen to thirdeye; he has much to teach us. I wholeheartedly agree about cooking different sctions of the bird differently. If the people being served don't care about presentation, the method in his last pic is the one I would use. More prep, but a better tasting result. The breast first, followed by the thigh/drumsticks, and the wings last. I haven't done this, though, so I have no advice on timing.

Another option for a slow cook is to "spatchcock" the turkey before cooking. It involves cutting out the backbone of the turkey, and laying it flat so you don't have a cavity to slow down the cook. Some people cook it meat side down to crisp up the skin, and then flip it so it's bone side down to cook. You need some room to do it, I have had no problem with a 22" diameter grate and a bird about the size you are talking about. I don't know what size rack comes with a lg BGE, but I think you'll make it work.

Here's a pic of a turkey I did this summer using the "spatchcock" method. (Ignore the skewers, they are for an appetizer only)

[stoneeyes317]

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I have been following the Egg talk on here for a while in anticipation of my purchase so I recognize that thirdeye is someone to listen to. I have already done a search on the Egg forums for turkey so I read about the ice bag on the breast but sectioning or spatchcocking were not things I had considered, probably due to appearance/presentation. I always think of a Thanksgiving turkey as being the whole bird placed on the table.

I will mull over some things and probably get back on here in a day or 2 with more questions.

Thanks again guys,

eyes317

[McGurk]

Once they get a hunk of that smoked juicy turkey in their mouths, they'll forget what it even looked like on the platter! The sense of Taste trumps Sight as far as the dinner table goes.

[FlagsDown]

McGurk- where are the coals on that spatchcocked turkey-direct or indirect?

[BLACKJACK]

Some good ideas here on the turkeys, I'm hoping to pick up a few when they go on sale over the holidays. Interesting idea about putting the turkey on ice, here I'm always trying to get the bird down to room temperature before I start cooking. I could see where it would keep the breast a little more moist, which is always the big challenge on a turkey.

Whats the advantage of spatchcocking vs. just leaving it whole?

What purpose does taking the thigh bones out serve?

I was able to pick up some big whole chickens, 7-8 pounders, I always barbecue them whole to keep them more moist, I may try a few of these ideas on them.

[thirdeye]

As far as the ice goes, you are only trying to chill the breast and I do mine on the counter, so the breast is cooling at the same time that the dark meat rises a few degrees. Now don't laugh, because this is cooking science here.... but if you freeze a couple of ends of lemon, you can place them under the skin. It takes a while for them to thaw out (also slowing down the cooking of the breast meat) and it also imparts some lemon flavor to the meat. If you hollow out the lemon cavity and add some garlic butter and freeze, it really delivers some flavor.

Spatching a bird allows for more control in doneness and will allow you to crisp up the skin. They are also easier to cut up for serving since the backbone and some of the ribs are removed.

Boning the thighs allows you to season the flesh inside and some of the leg meat too. I usually season them with a spicy rub, just for a different flavor profile than the rest of the bird. Boning also allows you to slice them into little medallions, which look nice on the plate. This technique also allows you to show off your knife and tying skills. Heheee.

Practicing on chickens is a great idea, and you will find that a whole breast will be moister than doing split breasts and if you barbecue the entire dark half, it will be moister than just leg/thigh quarters. I can go either way on brining dark meat, but I do like to brine the white meat and when you remove the whole breast you can give it several hours of brining or even inject it.

[Ralph Wiggum]

That is one sexy bird

[bobbymalone]

hilarious

[Jim Almquist]

That's just too darn funny!

[BLACKJACK]

The Playboy centerfold for turkeys!!!

Thanks for the explanation thirdeye. I need to try a little more variety in my cooking and barbecuing. That deboning the thigh sounds like a nice way to vary the flavor. Can you use just any old cotton string?

With the chickens I normally just do the 'keep tuning the whole bird over and over' until its nice and brown, then make sure its done. I do like to to keep them whole though, it really keeps them more moist. With whole turkeys and barbecuing, I normally do them with a pan of water in the bottom of my Weber surrounded by charcoal, again it keeps them moister.

Now I need to go look at the local dealer for the Big Green Egg - again. I've lusted over them but never could get past the price...

[Jim Almquist]

Now I need to go look at the local dealer for the Big Green Egg - again. I've lusted over them but never could get past the price...

So I am not the only one

[thirdeye]

The Playboy centerfold for turkeys!!!

Thanks for the explanation thirdeye. I need to try a little more variety in my cooking and barbecuing. That deboning the thigh sounds like a nice way to vary the flavor. Can you use just any old cotton string?

With the chickens I normally just do the 'keep tuning the whole bird over and over' until its nice and brown, then make sure its done. I do like to to keep them whole though, it really keeps them more moist. With whole turkeys and barbecuing, I normally do them with a pan of water in the bottom of my Weber surrounded by charcoal, again it keeps them moister.

Now I need to go look at the local dealer for the Big Green Egg - again. I've lusted over them but never could get past the price...

I have a ball of cooking twine, but it just looks like ordinary string. Whatever you use, don't use any string that is coated or waxed.

I don't have my big Weber any more, but they are one of my favorite cookers for chicken, and using a water pan with coals on the sides works really good for an indirect cook. I do still have my little Smokey Joe Weber that I take camping or fishing for shore lunches.

In addition to Big Green Eggs another brand to look at is Primo. These two have the best reputation, warranty and have been around a long time. One way to get a discount BGE is to sign up for an Eggfest. They are sponsored by dealers and a lot of folks show up as volunteer cooks for that day. Brand new Eggs are used one time, then they knock off a couple of hundred off the price. The best thing is that you get to hang out all day, eat samples and visit with the cooks.

[stoneeyes317]

Well I tried out a whole brined chicken last night on my Egg; total disaster:(

I know now from looking @ Mad Max's pictures that I had my bird too high in the dome; however, I cooked it between 350 - 400 degrees for 2 hours (granted it was only about 33 outside) and it wasn't done. We got tired of waiting @ 9pm and I brought it in, rested it and then microwaved it so we could eat. I think I also opened the Egg too many times trying to check the temp. Any other suggestions/help? My wife is freaking out about cooking a bird on the Egg for her family's Thanksgiving...

Eyes317

[McGurk]

If you're looking, you're not cooking. Trust your egg, and leave it shut.

[stoneeyes317]

Yeah I kind of figured I'd opened it too often, but I had no idea how long it was going to take. How long should a brined bird take in minutes per pound?

On another note I want to say COOL HSOforum thirdeye!! I threw on a Jimmy Dean pork sausage roll with my chicken and pulled it off when it was 160 degrees, wrapped it in foil and brought it inside. Best sausage I've ever had, and my 5 year old had 4 slices. Between he, I and my wife it was gone in about half an hour and I'm going to do 1 or 2 more to put in the stuffing for Saturday.

eyes317