CHAPTER 8
HOW TO COOK TURKEY
By Randy Dewberry
barbq@altamaha.net
This is the way we like our Turkey cooked for Thanksgiving. It
is easy and produces a beautiful bird that is as juicy as it gets. Melt 1/4 cup of butter and mix in 2 Tablespoons of
Worcestershire sauce. Prepare the Turkey for seasoning as you normally would
(remove the little bags of parts from the cavity and clean that
kind of thing). Rub the Turkey inside and out with the butter mixture, working
the mixture under the skin as far as possible without tearing
the skin and on top of the skin. Do this the night before if
practical if not just before you put the bird on works just fine. Now season the bird with lemon pepper per your taste. Just before placing the bird in the pit, thinly slice 1 Lemon and
1 medium Onion. Insert the Lemon and Onion slices into the
cavity. Run your pit up to 325 deg. (grill level temperature) and hold
using your favorite wood, I prefer Apple and Oak for this. Place the bird BREAST DOWN in the pit (or oven) with the legs
and thighs facing toward the hotter end. The cooking time will be the same as "oven" cooking the bird at
325 deg. Half way through the cooking time flip the bird over to breast
side up. Be careful not to spill the juices out of the cavity. Remove the Turkey after checking to be sure that it is done. Remove the Onion and Lemon slices and discard the slices. Your done, the skin will be perfect golden brown, not rubbery at
all, and really tasty. The higher temperature will not only
produce a perfect skin texture but will also not dry out the bird
and the cooking time is greatly reduced from say a 225 degree
temperature pit. TIPS 1. Get a pair of rubber coated cooking gloves for flipping the
turkey or handling any heavy meat. 2. Wrap the wings and the very end of the drum stick with
aluminum foil. 3. Do a practice chicken this week exactly the same way
(except cut the amount of the onions lemon and butter sauce)
It will come out great. A practice chicken will hone your skills
for the big day. |
