Talking Turkey

[Lost Student]

Yes, I didn't mention breast, but this has crossed my mind as well. Anyone cook them on a smoker? I should look into this a little closer. I thought about ham too, and I'll consider that as well.

YSA activities needs to avoid mentions of breasts as much as possible, for the sake of the YM

[Pelado]

YSA activities needs to avoid mentions of breasts as much as possible, for the sake of the YM

Bo, if you do end up smoking the breasts, please ensure they remain properly covered throughout the activity.

[Bo Diddley]

Bo, if you do end up smoking the breasts, please ensure they remain properly covered throughout the activity.

As I get closer to this thing, I'm going to smoke a lot of breasts to make this less work. I'll get fancy with Thanksgiving.

[Non Sequitur]

As I get closer to this thing, I'm going to smoke a lot of breasts to make this less work. I'll get fancy with Thanksgiving.

If you're going to do several, you might as well wet brine some, dry brine some, not brine some and then report back with the results.

[Bo Diddley]

If you're going to do several, you might as well wet brine some, dry brine some, not brine some and then report back with the results.

Well that's an interesting opportunity. But I'm probably too lazy.

[Non Sequitur]

Well that's an interesting opportunity. But I'm probably too lazy.

Que lastima.

[Bo Diddley]

I think your per-person metric is off. 1-2 slices of turkey per person is plenty when it's a part of a feast. I would bet you could feed closer to 25 people with a 15 lb bird. JMO.

This. There was so much food tonight that there was a ton of leftovers. A true feast!

Sorry guys, I know I said I'd take pics, but I totally forgot. I was pretty busy all day.

i really wasn't happy with the three turkeys I cooked whole. They were OK, but nothing special.

The 12 3# boneless turkey breasts turned out really good. they were actually 2.5# breasts after removing the gravy packet. Then after cooking, they weighed 1.85#. They added a lot of liquid to these things ahead of time.

They weren't completely thawed when I started. I smoked them at 325 so I could get them all done in time. They took about 2:20 to cook. I pulled them at 160 just to make sure I didn't poison anyone. If I were cooking these for myself, I'd probably make sure they were completely thawed, and smoke on 250, and then pull after five minutes at 150.

For Thanksgiving, I want to use AA's process. The missus wants to roast one, so we'll see who wins.

[Donuthole]

This. There was so much food tonight that there was a ton of leftovers. A true feast!

I mean, I tried to warn you!

[fusnik]

Turkey is so bad.

We order a smoked turkey from a local BBQ joint and make tons of ham.

[All-American]

Turkey is so bad.

We order a smoked turkey from a local BBQ joint and make tons of ham.

True.

Thanksgiving is a hard holiday for me because the only reason a lot of adults pretend to be my friend is because I feed them well. Thanksgiving is the one day of the year where cooking high-quality meat is seen as a bad thing. And so nobody wants anything to do with us. "Sorry, psuedo-friend, I'd rather eat a cheap bird that somehow manages to be simultaneously overcooked and still give me salmonella than sit in the same room as you." It's hard not to take it personally.

[Bo Diddley]

Turkey Prepped.jpg
Got the turkey prepped. Now just figuring out the smoke time. I'm considering the reverse sear for 30 minutes.

[Joe Public]

I'm at the in-laws and am trying the foil triangle in the oven for the first time. Fingers crossed!

[BigFatMeanie]

I'm at the in-laws and am trying the foil triangle in the oven for the first time. Fingers crossed!

Alton Brown's recipe?

[Joe Public]

Alton Brown's recipe?

Yes, that's the one. I remember people mentioning it in this thread in years past, and I've had good results with other recipes from his Good Eats show.

[BigFatMeanie]

Yes, that's the one. I remember people mentioning it in this thread in years past, and I've had good results with other recipes from his Good Eats show.

Pro tip: When you open the over door after the 30min@500 degree roast to put the foil triangle on, be prepared for your smoke alarm to go off.

I've used Alton's recipe for probably a decade now. There are lots of others we could try but the Alton Brown method turns out consistently good and I know it well enough by now that I can just do it without really thinking about it too much.