bigldevil20 Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Since I purchased my Akorn,I have given my family plenty of samples of what it is capable of doing, So naturally, I have been nominated to cook the Turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. I have made plenty of whole chickens and turkey roasts but haven't attempted a full Turkey. So on Saturday I decided to do a small test cook. I got the Turkey for 89 cents a lb so I got a 15 lb turkey for right about 15 dollars with tax. This helped with the decision to test out the turkey. I thawed the turkey in the refrigerator per the instructions. On Saturday, I made a paste of butter and diced herbs (Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme) and coated the skin and under the skin with the paste. I then quartered 1 small onion, 1 apple, and 1 lemon. I put them in the bird cavity with the remainder of the herbs. I heated my grill up to 325 indirect and put the turkey on the grill. I only snapped 1 picture of it and it was right about the 3 hour mark. I took the bird off at breast temp of 168 and let rest for 20 minutes before carving. Great bird. Everyone thought it was delicious. Mr Cue, John Setzler, gbreda and 2 others 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Cue Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Looks good, I hope mine come out just as well when I do a bird on the Akorn for Thanksgiving. Wife won't let me do a test cook because she doesn't want to be eating turkey for the next week as there is just us and our 5 year old son. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toe Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 That's about the orangest turkey I've ever seen! Did you use paprika or anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freddyjbbq Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Beautiful color on that bird. Turkey on the grill is one of my all-time favorites. your family sure is in for a treat! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigldevil20 Posted November 11, 2013 Author Share Posted November 11, 2013 No paprika on this bird. I forgot that I added a small amount of garlic seasoning to the breast skin but that shouldn't account for the orange color. Could be the lighting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toe Posted November 11, 2013 Share Posted November 11, 2013 Yeah, or it could be the way your camera white balanced the shot, if it wasn't that orange in person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzbert Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 How smokey was the meat? I would suspect that given the large size of a turkey that charcoal grilling doesn't impart as much flavour as say, ribs. Thx Bert Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigldevil20 Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 The meat was not very smokey. I added some applewood chips for some smoke but the smoke flavor was similar to any chicken I have done, which is not very smokey. There was a noticeable smoke ring but I'm sure with a little mesquite chunks you could get it as smokey as you want. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzbert Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Thanks bigldevil20. I am considering doing a bird on the Kamado for Xmas. It would be my first. Any recommendations, besides practice, which I will? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MWT4VGClassic Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Man that is one great looking bird, nice job, picture perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigldevil20 Posted November 12, 2013 Author Share Posted November 12, 2013 Jazzbert, My recommendations are make sure you can hold 325-350 degree indirect for 3-4 hours. Find a recipe that fits the taste you are looking for make sure you monitor the temps This is the main points that I took from hours of research for making the turkey. Good Luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted November 12, 2013 Share Posted November 12, 2013 Thanks bigldevil20. I am considering doing a bird on the Kamado for Xmas. It would be my first. Any recommendations, besides practice, which I will? If you are looking for more of a smoked turkey, I would keep the temp down to 300-325, a few big chunks of apple or pecan mixed with your charcoal, and extend the cooking time until you reach the desired internal temperature of 165° in the thigh. You can bump up your temp to 375° for the last half hour to brown the skin. This wilI give you a smoked flavor nearly all the way to the bone. If desire a more traditional roasted turkey, with a dark crispy skin, but lightly smoked, cook the turkey at 375° from the start. I've done turkey both ways, and I have to say, presentation wise, 375° gives great results. However, for smoky goodness through the entire bird, I prefer to cook it at about 300° with a good amount of apple, and I also cook it til about 175-180° in the thigh. This certainly isn't the norm, though... Just my personal preference. bigldevil20 and Jack. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzbert Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Thanks guys! Looks like I will be prototyping with chickens and then a turkey. Dirty job, eating all that fowl, but sombody has to do it! Will post what I learn. John Setzler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawsy Posted November 17, 2013 Share Posted November 17, 2013 Very nice looking turkey. I guess you passed the test. Now you get to do another one in less than 2 weeks! bigldevil20 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gunny90 Posted November 19, 2013 Share Posted November 19, 2013 Good looking bird. I'll be doing a 20 lber for Thanksgiving and hope it comes out as well as your's did. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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