@Speedster - I don't follow the lid temp too much when spinning on a rotisserie. I run with all the vents full open. I start with 50 lit briquettes (25 per charcoal basket) and add 9 briquettes per side every hour. Initial start up temp is around 350 degrees and each subsequent hour ran around 250 degrees. I dropped about 1/2 cup of apple wood chips on the first load of briquettes. I pulled the bird when the breast temp reached 157 degrees. That is the recommended temp on the Thermoworks Blog. I let it rest for 30 minutes prior to carving. After watching the Gordon Ramsey video that @MTW524 posted on his thread ( http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/happy-weber-day/msg343626/#msg343626 ), I am going to try resting my bird next time for a couple of hours prior to carving.
When you pulled it at 157 did it rise to 165 while resting? I pulled mine at 165 yesterday and it rested about an hour before we cut it up. It wasn’t dry but it also wasn’t juicy like I wanted.
Yes. The breast temp climbed from 157 to 165 degrees after resting. I use to pull my birds at 165 degrees. That meant the finished resting temp had to be around 175 degrees in the breast. Back then, I never actually checked it after resting since it was already at 165. Pulling the bird when the breast reaches 157 degrees makes the breast unbelievably moist.
Here is a quote from Thermoworks regarding turkey temps:
" Rest your turkey for at least half an hour up to a full hour and a half before serving. You can expect an increase in temperature during the resting phase, from 10°F to 15°F or more, depending upon the size of the bird. Larger birds will have a greater increase in temperature.
Your final temperature should be about 165°F for the breast meat and about 175-185°F for the drumsticks and thighs. Do you need to be exact? No, Keep in mind that the required time for the pasteurization of poultry meat at 155°F is only one minute. So if you are confident you’ve kept your bird at least 155°F for a full minute then you should be safe."
Although some of the information in this article will not apply to cooking a bird on a Weber, there is some really useful info it it.
http://blog.thermoworks.com/2010/11/turkey-temps/