BigSlade 44 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Hello all, looking for some advice here. Did a dry run for Thanksgiving with a 13.3lb turkey on the KJIII and while it looks great, it was dry. I cooked it at 375 for a little over 3 hours and let sit for 20 minutes before carving. I pulled it off the grill with an internal temp of 156 according to the iKamand. Not sure if I put the probe too deep into the breast, or fi I need to pull it a bit sooner. The turkey was good, had good flavor, just much too dry. What can I do differently to have a better result? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jtemple 43 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Did you inject it with anything? I injected a truckload (probably about 3 sticks) of unsalted butter into a turkey breast I did a few weeks ago and it was darn near falling apart when it was done. It was the most moist turkey breast I have ever eaten. I cooked mine at around 350 over heat deflectors and pulled it off when the meat was at 160. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
KJKiley 100 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Injecting is definitely a good idea, and my initial thought was brining beforehand. Lot of great info here- Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BURGER MEISTER 519 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 Have you verified with any other instrument? Looks awfully brown on the skin for being 156 internally. I don't trust any thermal instrument on it's own. Partly because I'm not a trusting sorta person and also because I don't trust myself to insert the original probe into the correct spot. Good luck with the final run. CentralTexBBQ 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigSlade 44 Posted November 9, 2020 Author Share Posted November 9, 2020 Didn't inject with anything, but did put a bunch of butter and seasoning in between the skin and meat before putting it on the grill. I didn't put any other probe in the bird, I will do that next time to make sure that one isn't reading off. Would Brining help with keeping the bird moist during the cook? Also, I know it probably depends on how big the bird is, but how deep should the temp probe be pushed into the breast? I'm kind of wondering if the probe was pushed too far into the breast as it was probably about 3.5" into the breast. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JeffieBoy 870 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 I always marinade my birds for 24 hours prior to dropping them on the Akorn. daninpd 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DonBB 11 Posted November 9, 2020 Share Posted November 9, 2020 I always brine a turkey. Yes, that will keep it from drying out. I also don't just rely on the leave in probe. When the leave in probe is close I start checking various spots with my instant read. daninpd 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
SeaBrisket 187 Posted November 10, 2020 Share Posted November 10, 2020 I do mine at 325 and it takes about 2.5 hours for 14-16lb birds. Check it earlier and more often with an instant read instead of relying on the leave in probe. daninpd and BigSlade 2 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Grill_Boy 480 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 You don't need to wet-brine a turkey - I dry-brine mine and it turns out fantastic and not dry - First off - anything over 12 pounds will be a challenge - try for a 10-12 pounder. Dry brine it ( look it up ) Cook at 325 or so for about 1.5 ~ 2.0 hours and double check the probe - When done crank it up and let the skin crisp up too... Did this last year and I'll never cook a turkey any other way - wife is building me a Grill-House should be ready to break it in on Thanksgiving... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Marshall Law 0 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 Hey Grill_Boy... When you crisp the skin, how long do you leave it on the grill after cranking up the heat? Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BigSlade 44 Posted November 11, 2020 Author Share Posted November 11, 2020 I will brine, and I have an instant read thermometer on the way. Thanks for the suggestions! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lnarngr 254 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 I have exclusively wet brined for years and they're always "moist". I also spatchcock. I suggest cooking at a lower temp and brown it at the end, as suggested. You don't want to poke too many holes in the bird, but definitely check the temperature at various depths in the same location. Remember "carryover"! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
levic900rr 31 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 This is great, I need to do a dry run as well and this has reminded me to go get a bird! BigSlade and lnarngr 1 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
lnarngr 254 Posted November 11, 2020 Share Posted November 11, 2020 1 hour ago, levic900rr said: This is great, I need to do a dry run as well and this has reminded me to go get a bird! No doubt! Maybe before they Jack the price! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
james beal 2 Posted November 12, 2020 Share Posted November 12, 2020 Picked up two butterballs at Aldi yesterday, $1.15 pound BigSlade 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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