Now you're talking Turkey!

[Surfah]

Whoa. What is that thing, Surfah?

It's the Orion Cooker. Basically it's a commercial version of the old backyard trash can cooker.

This is FN Phat lifting the can off:

[YOUTUBE]SO9TeOhhuoc[/YOUTUBE]

4 years ago we spent Christmas with FN Phat's family in Idaho and did a trash can turkey. It turned out to be one of the best turkeys we have ever had. As soon as we got back my dad went to work on designing a commercial version of the trash can cooker. Both me and my dad were researching things and sending each other conceptual drawings back and forth of what it should be like. Then one day my dad said he was at Home Depot and saw exactly what we had been working on and bought it.

Ever since my dad had the mishap with the turkey fryer we have used this thing to do our birds. It's like a super convection oven that also steams as it cooks. It's pretty unreal. The skin gets crisp and the turkey stays super moist much like frying it. But the amazing thing is the cooking time. 2 hours for a 20lb bird.

I'll try and snap some pics when it is done.

[pellegrino]

Bird's in the oven.

[Pheidippides]

Bird #1 went in the oven at 10. Bird #2 is frying now - typing this from my patio on my laptop. Bird #3 is fully injected and is waiting for its turn.

[pellegrino]

Bird #1 went in the oven at 10. Bird #2 is frying now - typing this from my patio on my laptop. Bird #3 is fully injected and is waiting for its turn.

wth? how many people are you feeding?

[FN Phat]

It's the Orion Cooker. Basically it's a commercial version of the old backyard trash can cooker.

This is FN Phat lifting the can off:

[YOUTUBE]SO9TeOhhuoc[/YOUTUBE]

4 years ago we spent Christmas with FN Phat's family in Idaho and did a trash can turkey. It turned out to be one of the best turkeys we have ever had. As soon as we got back my dad went to work on designing a commercial version of the trash can cooker. Both me and my dad were researching things and sending each other conceptual drawings back and forth of what it should be like. Then one day my dad said he was at Home Depot and saw exactly what we had been working on and bought it.

Ever since my dad had the mishap with the turkey fryer we have used this thing to do our birds.j It's like a super convection oven that also steams as it cooks. It's pretty unreal. The skin gets crisp and the turkey stays super moist much like frying it. But the amazing thing is the cooking time. 2 hours for a 20lb bird.

I'll try and snap some pics when it is done.

Your video is set to private.

[Pheidippides]

wth? how many people are you feeding?

Not enough to justify three birds.

Two of the three are quite small, in my defense. Also, I love turkey leftovers, and if I'm going to take the time to cook one, might as well cook three.

[Surfah]

Your video is set to private.

Try it now.

[jay santos]

The difficulty in cooking turkey is that for white meat you shouldn't go a minute longer than you have to for it to be safe (165 is recommended but some say 155--I go around 160), but dark meat is still tough at that temparature and is best around 180.

So you can cook it for the dark meat or cook it for the white meat or try to adjust your cooking method to do both. The best way to try to optimize it for both is to cook it upside down with foil around the breast. That won't give you good skin, but will give you great meat.

[pellegrino]

The difficulty in cooking turkey is that for white meat you shouldn't go a minute longer than you have to for it to be safe (165 is recommended but some say 155--I go around 160), but dark meat is still tough at that temparature and is best around 180.

So you can cook it for the dark meat or cook it for the white meat or try to adjust your cooking method to do both. The best way to try to optimize it for both is to cook it upside down with foil around the breast. That won't give you good skin, but will give you great meat.

If you put the turkey in a 500° oven for 30 minutes without the foil, then turn down the oven to 350 and put the foil on you'll get both good skin and great meat.

[Jeff Lebowski]

The difficulty in cooking turkey is that for white meat you shouldn't go a minute longer than you have to for it to be safe (165 is recommended but some say 155--I go around 160), but dark meat is still tough at that temparature and is best around 180.

So you can cook it for the dark meat or cook it for the white meat or try to adjust your cooking method to do both. The best way to try to optimize it for both is to cook it upside down with foil around the breast. That won't give you good skin, but will give you great meat.

155-165? I thought the number was 170 for white meat.

[Pheidippides]

155-165? I thought the number was 170 for white meat.

If you like sandpaper. 161, then you remove it from the heat and let it carry over under a tent of tinfoil.

[Donuthole]

If you put the turkey in a 500° oven for 30 minutes without the foil, then turn down the oven to 350 and put the foil on you'll get both good skin and great meat.

Thanks, Alton!

In semi-related news, my MIL is cooking her turkey in a bag with no aromatics in the cavity. No brining, no seasoning other than salt. Nothing. When she asked me to help her lift it into the bag (!), I asked her if she wanted me to cut up an apple and an onion and put it in the cavity. Her response was 'no, we NEVER put anything in the cavity!" She then proceeded to ramble on about how anyone could ever cook a turkey without help "because how could they get it into the bag all by theirself". She truly believes that the only way to cook a turkey is in a bag in an oven. She also believes in using the pop-up timer, so this thing will be cooked until it is dry. If we're lucky, it will be short of cardboardy, but no guarantees.

Luckily for me, this bird is just the leftovers bird. For the actual meal we get together with my wife's extended family, all of whom can actually cook. Our meal will be great. The leftovers, not so much.

[Pheidippides]

Here are the three birds. The darker one is not burned - that is the color of the marinade. The two outside are fried, the middle roasted.

[Drunk Tank]

The difficulty in cooking turkey is that for white meat you shouldn't go a minute longer than you have to for it to be safe (165 is recommended but some say 155--I go around 160), but dark meat is still tough at that temparature and is best around 180.

So you can cook it for the dark meat or cook it for the white meat or try to adjust your cooking method to do both. The best way to try to optimize it for both is to cook it upside down with foil around the breast. That won't give you good skin, but will give you great meat.

30 minutes before you are going to cook your bird, set it out on a sheet tray or your cooking rack, Fill a gallon size ziplock bag or two with ice and place them on the turkey breast. This lowers the breast temp while the other parts of the bird come to room temp. This will help both parts of the bird cook and finish at the same time without overcooking the breast

[Shaka]

Taken a few hours ago. The bird had been cooking for an hour at 400 degrees. I turned the temp way down and basted at this point and went ATV riding. Just returned, basted, and turned the temp up to 325. Bird is looking good so far.