thawing turkey for saturday cook help please

[anderson143]

hmm never cooked in the basement...i cant see putting food on the charcoal grate

sorry for so many questions everyone

[edhead35]

A few ways:
1: you can cover the section of the grate in foil
2: put the chicken in a foil pan and have it elevated off the pan with a snake of twisted foil acting as a rack
3: prop it up with something
4: some cook cowboy style with taters or steaks direct on hot coals. Many ways to skin a cat.
5. hang it from underneath the grill rack

Another way, is redirect the heat, and cook the chickens over the coals. Firebricks over the direct zone, and chicken in a pan on a rack. This is an endless journey!
Edit to add: What I mean here is, rather than waste the space from where the heat originates, because we typically avoid it, use it, by redirecting heat. Even having done this it will still be more concentrated and cooking times may be different. If cooking over fire were perfect if would be called a GE convection oven.


Good luck!!

[anderson143]

the bottom side would be very rubbery sitting in a pan wouldnt it?

[edhead35]

the bottom side would be very rubbery sitting in a pan wouldnt it?

Yes, twist a foil snake and use it as a makeshift roasting rack. Restaurant trick.

[1buckie]

" i cant get a 15 pd bird and a chicken on the 22 1/2 kettle."..........can't or won't?

This is a grate set of choices ~~~>

A few ways:
1: you can cover the section of the grate in foil
2: put the chicken in a foil pan and have it elevated off the pan with a snake of twisted foil acting as a rack
3: prop it up with something
4: some cook cowboy style with taters or steaks direct on hot coals. Many ways to skin a cat.
5. hang it from underneath the grill rack

Another way, is redirect the heat, and cook the chickens over the coals. Firebricks over the direct zone, and chicken in a pan on a rack. This is an endless journey!
Edit to add: What I mean here is, rather than waste the space from where the heat originates, because we typically avoid it, use it, by redirecting heat. Even having done this it will still be more concentrated and cooking times may be different. If cooking over fire were perfect if would be called a GE convection oven.
Good luck!!

the bottom side would be very rubbery sitting in a pan wouldnt it?

That underside, in a pan, is the juiciest fowl you'll ever eat......

Here's another setup.......

Turkey, set on celery stalks short way across the bottom of a pan.....pan DOWN IN on the charcoal grate, coals all around, leg & wing tips & head of breast protected by foil......a 16# one will fit just under the regular grate, the two, count 'em two chickens on top.....the chickens will be done sooner (smaller) so that way you don' have to dance things around......

Not saying you should, or have to.....but it can be done..........

Don't have any turkeys or chickens in the icebox that I know of at the moment, but could demonstrate with the wife''s uncut watermelon & I don't know, some 1/2 gallon jugs, or dog toys or something.....

[cgaengineer]

This was a 12-13 lb bird and it cooked on my 22 kettle for about 1:45, didnt check the internal temp but the bird was juicy and had a great taste.




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[MacEggs]

hmm never cooked in the basement...i cant see putting food on the charcoal grate

sorry for so many questions everyone

Turkey in the WSM .... yardbirds on the charcoal grate (basement) of your kettle - beer can chix. 
They're done after about 2-3 ... beers. 

[edhead35]

Tin foil is so versatile, you can use it to lift, separate, block, divert heat, catch grease, etc.

[anderson143]

thanks everyone for all the advice. i should of listened to all of it too...i ended up last minute putting both chickens and the turkey on the wsm...quickly realized keeping it above 280 is hard....fired up the kettle and cranked it to 325 and transfered the turkey...the chickens stayed on the wsm. the chickens turned out very tender and moist like always...the turkey? it tasted like it was cooked in the oven with little to no smoke flavor and was some what tender but not moist. i will tackle perfecting a turkey another day

but my chickens come out amazing..minus the skin that taste like bacon but is tough as shoe leather and not edible. ive heard people taking them off the smoker at 160 and putting it on high heat on a gas grill for the last 5 degrees..is there a way to get "walmart rotisserie chicken skin" i smoke my chickens normally in the range of  230-270

[smokeyjoeuk-ray]

intersting reading, i have got to try this.