Hints on rotisserie turkey!

[morghill]

Well I'm going to attempt a 17lb turkey for thanksgiving on a 22.5 kettle.... Any and all info will be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

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[BBcue-Z]

I'm doing the same thing this year and I practiced with a couple of chickens so I could test the set up.
Here is what I learned:
-Placing a Whole lemon or orange in the main cavity prior to inserting the spit into the bird anchors the bird onto the spit and prevents it from wobbling. Also if you make few slits in the orange or the lemon, the juice would seep out and flavor the bird from the inside.
-Placing the coals on one side of the bird instead of 2 piles (one on each side) would prevent the skin from brining too quickly and yields much butter results.
- Keep the temp between 325-350
- Use unsoaked wood chunks to prevent darker skin
- Use oil or clarified butter on the skin and NO rub. Whole butter burns and rub burns and discolor the skin and does not impart any flavor. Apply the rub/spices in the cavities and under the skin where they can come in contact with the meat.
I brine my turkey and add lots of spices to the brine, so the bird gets evenly seasoned.
Good luck and I hope you come back and post pictures of your results

[1buckie]

@morghill  .......

Tremendous info right there from the "Z" !!!

That whole first block of info has numerous pieces that will help your cook go better

If you're like me & don't happen to have a rotisserie available (nevermind, just READ the title !!!), check into the threads in Kettle Cooking Discussions

some of the info is generalized enough to work for any style cookup......

Basic items of interest might be to keep the temp up higher for several reasons.....crispy skin, somewhat more even cooking, on larger birds, to keep from sitting @ an unsafe food temp too long.......

The rub & oil / butter stuff BBcue-Z talked about...........

For setups, check into the threads in the other section (Kettle Cooking Discussions), as there are a number of ways already laid out & pros & cons for each....including links to Aaron Franklin's  & Weber's methods....along with various ways we here at WKC have done them......

Also info on brines & other stuff from Smokin' Okie's that I put in there.....check those links......

[morghill]

That is exactly what I was looking for!!! Thanks.

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[morghill]

Well put it on at 8:30, and its now 11:16. Breast are at 155.... This is going to be done too early! Looks good though!

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