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 Thanksgiving 2002 Turkey Contest
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Richardj
Moderator
Post Number: 357
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Wednesday, November 06, 2002 - 7:23 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Announcing our 2nd annual Thanksgiving Turkey Contest. We will have three prizes. First prize will be a #5 Mosaic, second prize will be a #3 Mosaic and the third prize will be a #1 Mosaic. All will have stainless steel bands and grills. The winners can pick up their Kamados at our Sacramento Factory or shipped collect to any destination of their choice. Delivery will be after the first of the year.

The winners will be judged upon the following:
1. Your description in which you narrate, analyze and describe fully from beginning to end your special turkey.
a. Size and kind of turkey
b. Recipe
c. Preparation.
d. Details of the Cook on the Kamado. Including set-up, temperatures, controls, time and other unique information.
e. Serving.
2. Photographs (digital or other). Minimum of 5 pictures that visually show your technique and skill through preparation and cooking to the final table display.

Winners must be willing to allow the Kamado Corporation to publish (plagiarize, that is) the winner’s description and pictures on our website and cookbook.

Good luck
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Harry
Member
Post Number: 403
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Wednesday, November 06, 2002 - 8:15 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

C'mon, Richard. This cuts out Canadians who've "been there, done that" a few weeks before. Either Switch to Chrismas Turkey, or anounce several weeks earlier, eh.
Harry
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Henry
Member
Post Number: 142
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Wednesday, November 06, 2002 - 9:21 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

when is the cutoff date for photo submissions?
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Glenn
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Post Number: 119
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Thursday, November 07, 2002 - 8:50 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well,
I guess since it's the SECOND annual, you knew it happened last year?
What about our Brit friends? Do they have turkey for Thanksgiving? How about our Japanese friends (home of the Kamado), can they do a BBQ tuna? What about us poor folks who are tired of turkey and want a rib roast for Christmas.

I am not very organized (about this kind of stuff) so even though I will be cooking a turkey, I am not sure that I will get around to putting it all together.

I would, however, like to thank Richard and crew for their generosity. I think that it's fun to have contests, we should have more...how about a baking contest or a dessert contest?

Glenn
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Joy
Member
Post Number: 30
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 12:05 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Your right Glenn,
Not only do we not have turkey for Thanksgiving - we don't have Thanksgiving. (Well we do in our own way - mine is for finding out about kamados to start with and then buying one!)

The other problem in England is no one sells turkeys much at this time of year! I'll have to order one especially for next year and start saving my pennies for shipping in case I manage to win anything. (unlikely!)

BTW at the risk of sounding too ignorant - what date is thanksgiving?

Joy
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Glenn
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Post Number: 120
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Friday, November 08, 2002 - 12:38 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hi Joy,
Thanksgiving is on the 28th of November. The date changes from year to year however, it is the last thursday in November. Canada is a little earlier,must be that French influence ;) Strange that turkeys are hard to come by in the U.K. It is my understanding that they came to England from the Americas, by way of Turkey, hence the name "turkey bird". My understanding is that at that time the only big bird on anyones table was a Swan and, if it wasn't the queens table, you could lose your head! There are turkey ranches near where I live, that produce millions of turkeys each year. The chicks (what do you call a newborn turkey?) are hatched and then moved to another part of California to be raised. At Thanksgiving, around here, you can buy a 24 pound turkey for about 7 dollars.
Glenn
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Beesquare
Associate Member
Post Number: 16
Registered: 7-2002
Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 11:04 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

In Canada, Thanksgiving has been proclaimed in the past for many reasons and during many different months of the year....for reasons as varied as; to celebrate the recovery of The Prince of Wales (later King Edward VII) from a serious illness (April 15, 1872), to glorious victories over our enemies (April 21, 1814..we were at war with the United States at the time), to the restoration of peace with Russia (June 4, 1856). One year it was even moved because of a general election on the day that had been originally scheduled for thanksgiving (1935). We now celebrate it on the second Monday of October then hunker down for winter (except Harry who tends his Kamado during blizzards).
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Harry
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Post Number: 405
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 1:09 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

It's cold job, but it beats parboiled ribs, eh :-)
Harry
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Dub
Member
Post Number: 71
Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 6:40 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Glenn-
Newly hatched turkeys are called 'poults'
Newly hatched chickens are 'chicks' and baby peafowl are also called'chicks'
Ducks hatch 'ducklings'
Geese hatch 'goslings'
Young guinea fowl are called 'keets'
Swans hatch 'cygnets'
Pigeons hatch 'squabs'

dub(end ornithology 101 lecture)
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Husker
Member
Post Number: 52
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 8:15 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Dub,
What about pheasants?
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Guillermo
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Post Number: 104
Registered: 3-2002
Posted on Sunday, November 10, 2002 - 8:37 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hunker down for winter? Not me! Only hail stops me from grilling or Q'ing. For winter, I just pull the cooker within 5 feet from the back door of the house. This will be my first winter with a Kamado and I know things will be much easier with it, already got well over 200lbs of maple leaf lump to burn!

Guillermo
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Dub
Member
Post Number: 72
Registered: 12-2001
Posted on Monday, November 11, 2002 - 2:44 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Husk-

Young pheasants are known as 'appetizers'

dub(squawk!)
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Big_o
New member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Monday, November 11, 2002 - 1:59 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Richard, We need information on when and how to register. Do we post through the Forum? Can we mail pictures and descriptions to your US mail? When is the deadline? Thanks.
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Boiseguy
Associate Member
Post Number: 11
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 2:18 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

My entry in the recipe/photo contest is fairly extensive, so I've placed it on my website. You'll find it at the following URL. The link opens in a new window.

http://www.webpak.net/~rescyou/turkey/turkey.htm

Hope you all find it interesting and useful. I welcome any comments about the recipe, the description, or my ham-handed HTML.
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Henry
Member
Post Number: 146
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 1:47 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Ok, I screwed up, I posted to the wrong thread. I put it on last years... so heres the correct link.
If possible, can you move it here Alan Z.?
Thanks
Henry


http://www.kamado.com/discus/messages/1/534.html?1038709277#POST9352
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Henry
Member
Post Number: 145
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Friday, November 29, 2002 - 10:51 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here is my entry for the Kamado Turkey Contest...

I Cooked up two turkeys, one on the Kamado, and one Deep Fried.
both were 12lb birds, Frozen, Thawed and Injected with a "Homemade" solution ( see below )and put into the refrig. to marinade for 12 hours.
NOTE: no birds were brined!!!
both were cooked at aprox. 350' F.
The Kamado bird took 3hrs. the Fried took 45min. pics below....
Here is the raw birds, Notice the Needle poking out of the bird!Ouch! :{)


turkey1

Here is a pic of the Fried turkey.....
fryturkey

Here is a pic of the Kamado turkey just before being pulled.
kturkey

Here is a comparison of both birds. the Darker bird is the Fried bird.

compareturkey

The results of taste tests (12 inlaws) were that the non brined Kamado turkey was better tasting than the Deep Fried one. the meat was moist, and the flavor very good.

Heres the recipe for the injectable solution...

2 TBSP. Worcestershire sauce
1 TBSP. Zatarans Concentrated Crab and Shrimp boil
1/4 Cup Apple cider
3/4 Cup Honey
1 (120z) Beer (I use abita amber)
1 TBSP. kosher salt
1 TBSP. ground allspice
1/2 Cup Creole seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground Cayenne

Mix all ingredients in blender for 5 min. and inject into Birds.
note: this is enough for 2 turkeys.

Thank you Kamado,
I hope you enjoy it!
Henry in Gulfport, Mississippi
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Boiseguy
Associate Member
Post Number: 12
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 2:22 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I don't want my contest entry to be overlooked, so I'm posting this message in this thread and in the thread Richard started when he announced the contest.

My entry in the recipe/photo contest is fairly extensive, so I've placed it on my website. You'll find it at the following URL. The link opens in a new window.

http://www.webpak.net/~rescyou/turkey/turkey.htm

Hope you all find it interesting and useful. I welcome any comments about the recipe, the description, or my ham-handed HTML.
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Labenson
New member
Post Number: 4
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Saturday, November 30, 2002 - 6:21 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Kevin (Boiseguy),

Great entry for the contest. Very Thorough. I'm sure it will be hard to beat.

One thing, the photo for Step Three does not show. Looking at the properties, it is referencing a file on the C Drive. You might want to correct that.

Lars

(Message edited by labenson on November 30, 2002)
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Alanz
Moderator
Post Number: 420
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 5:19 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I renamed last year's topic and this message thread to reflect the year of the contest. I moved posts from Henry, Boiseguy and Lagenson into this thread and locked the old thread.
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Henry
Member
Post Number: 147
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 8:18 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Thanks Alan, I would be lost in the back archives without you!
:{)
Henry
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Dms
New member
Post Number: 1
Registered: 12-2002
Posted on Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 8:41 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hi all! We received our K a few months ago, and we decided to smoke our turkey this year. While lurking, I saw that there's a contest going on. That was good enough reason to register and post :^) I hope this link qualifies as entry into the contest:

DMS Thanksgiving Entry

dave
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Bobinfla
Member
Post Number: 156
Registered: 2-2002
Posted on Sunday, December 01, 2002 - 10:15 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

The family is changing our schedule for Thanksgiving. The only thing that is remaining constant is that I am providing the turkey. I'll have to smoke it on Wednesday, so I started brining it on Tuesday.
The turkey was a 12 pound "Fresh frozen, contains no artificial ingredients and is not more than minimally processed."
Bucket wouldn't fit in the refrigerator, so I put it in a cooler with 15# of ice. Temperatures were *not* the Canadian type, so it was cooler inside with the air conditioner running.


1 qt of water
about 1/2 cup Kosher salt
boil water 'til most of salt is dissolved
about 1/4 cup Morton's Tender Quick
stir 'til you can't dissolve any more
add 1/2 gallon water and stir
most of the solids are dissolved, but it's still too warm
add ice to make slightly more than 1 gallon liquid
add juice from 6 large oranges and the orange peels and pulp
add juice from 2 lemons and the pulp and peels
add juice from 3 limes (fresh from the tree) and the peels and the pulp
add 1 chopped red onion
about 5 cloves of crushed garlic
"this much looks good" chipotle powder (2 Tbs?)
grind in black pepper 'til it pretty much covers the top of the liquid
pour it over the turkey in the bucket
figured about right, it covers the turkey by about 3/4 inch


I found these chunks of Lump in the top of my bin. I think that they will make a nice bed of coals to cook the turkey. In the first picture, that is a quarter on the charcoal.


The drip pan I was going to use got punctured, so I had to modify another to fit on the lower bracket. I have a steel plate on the lower bracket as a heat deflector.


I think I'm ready for the turkey!



To continue the citrus theme, I stuffed the turkey with oranges, cut into eighths, lemons and limes, quartered, minced garlic, and chopped red onions. Next, I rubbed the skin with olive oil and put it on a turkey stand.


Nice smoke coming out of the damper. The temperature was 400*F for the first 45 minutes, then lowered to 300*F for another 45 min. Then it went down to 250 while I was on the phone, but the thermometer said the internal temp was about 145, so I just left it alone until it reached 152.
Opened the top and look what I found in there:


The skin was nice and crisp, on the right side of you can see that it split a bit. In the third picture, you can see the beginnings for the gravy.


After letting the turkey rest for about half an hour, I started to slice it just for a taste. The meat just fell apart. The wings and legs fell off, and fell apart. A knife was useless, so I just used two forks and pulled it off like pulling pork. It was the juciest turkey I have ever eaten.


The dark meat tasted sort of like ham, probably the Tender Quick had a little to do with that. The smoke flavoring was just about right, not too strong, but definitely there.
The problem with smoking a turkey on a Kamado is that there are no leftovers. I'll have to remember this for next time, and will probably smoke 2. The 12 pound turkey is about the right size for a K5, but 16 to 18 would probably work just as well.

(Message edited by bobinfla on December 01, 2002)
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Banjodave
New member
Post Number: 8
Registered: 10-2002
Posted on Monday, December 02, 2002 - 8:07 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Man, just look at all these fine K'ed turkeys. It's a real pleasure reading about (and seeing) these turkey cooking techniques. A big thanks to you folks for going to this trouble. My K hasn't arrived yet but I'm smartening up on K cooking by these. Good luck all in the contest.

Dave
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Bonnies
Member
Post Number: 170
Registered: 8-2001
Posted on Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 8:41 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hi! Finally got the pics back and scanned them. Here's my entry in the best use of space catagory.

Plan B Turkey.

Plan A was to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey on the meat hanger with one or two stainless steel S hooks to provide the needed length. Murphy was living at my house, Thanksgiving Day!
While letting my youngest daughter pick the turkey didn't seem like a challenge, it turned out that way! The bird weighed in at 16.44lbs. My largest K is a #3, so the fit was tight, even though my daughter gave it the 'hug' test and declared it skinny enough. I tested things out with the bird still frozen; good thing too. It was skinny enough, but it ended up being too long to hang in the grill -- the K3 wouldn't close! So onto plan B.

After thawing in the frig for several days, I put the bird in a brine made of 2T Lemon Pepper mix and 1T garlic powder. Because the bird already had 'water' added, I left out the salt I would usually add to poultry brine. The whole thing, went back into the frig for 24 hours.

Bird In Brine

At 5am on T-Day, I fired up the K. I'm using Cripple Creek lump right now. My fire setup in the #3 includes a lumpsaver+ sitting on the opening where the fire grate should be (I've removed it for better air flow). I filled the lumpsaver + and surrounded it with smaller chunks of lump. After the fire was going to coals, I put the lower bracket in. The grid in the picture below is the grill from my #1. It's a perfect fit.

Grill Shot

While the grill was coming up to cooking speed, I tested out the bird arrangement. Below is a shot of the turkey, stuffed with a large onion, sitting in the roasting rack above a Pampered Chef baking dish, I intended to use to catch drippings for gravey and the lower rack. All fit, so I knew the bird would fit the grill. Unfortuneately in actual practice, the PC baking dish cracked in two as soon as I put the Roaster in it, so I used a double strength foil wrapped around the bottom to the roaster rack to shield the bird.

Bird in rack

Just to prove a 16lb+ bird will fit in a #3.

Beginning

Cooked without basting at 375ish for 5 hours. Only interruption was to unload the bird and reload the lumpsaver + about halfway through the cook. Here's the finished and ready to come off the grill shot. The internal temp was 170 at the breast. I took the popout timer out of the turkey and used that spot for my remote.

Almost Done

I let the bird rest in a warm oven (200ish) for an hour, while I got the other fixin's underway. Then I took it out. Here's the final picture prior to taking the meat off the bone to serve, buffet-style.

Ready To Eat
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Bonnies
Member
Post Number: 171
Registered: 8-2001
Posted on Tuesday, December 03, 2002 - 9:11 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

One other thing. I rubbed the bird down liberally with olive oil, prior to cooking. The skin came out crisp. The meat was tinted pink from the smoke and was absolutely wonderful. The legs and wings fell off the bird and the breast was tender, but firm enough to slice. I think I want some leftovers.....
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Boiseguy
Associate Member
Post Number: 16
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Thursday, December 12, 2002 - 9:45 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Richard, when does this contest end? It's been over a week since the last entry was posted.
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Deborah
Moderator
Post Number: 38
Registered: 6-2001
Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 12:40 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Boiseguy, the contest ends after Christmas (so holiday turkeys are included. We receive entry by email all the time.
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Bobinfla
Member
Post Number: 171
Registered: 2-2002
Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 2:59 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

But Deborah,
The subject line reads "Thanksgiving 2002 Turkey Contest"
Did Christmas become part of Thanksgiving this year? (<'
(I'm running and ducking for cover hare)

If we have already entered the contest for Thanksgiving, can we enter this same contest again for Christmas? What if I already entered a turkey, can I enter a goose for Christmas? Boy, changing the rules sure opens up a whole bunch of possibilities.

Bob
who does realize that I did read somewhere in another thread (probably) that the deadline had been extended so that others receiving their Christmas Kamados could compete.
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Guillermo
Member
Post Number: 116
Registered: 3-2002
Posted on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 3:09 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Whoa...hold it right there for a minute.....! if they allow you to also enter a duck for Xmas, may be they can extend it a bit further to October/03 so Harry and myself can enter our Canadian thanksgiving turkey also :-) :-)

Feliz Navidad....to everyone, BTW

Guillermo
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Mstewart
New member
Post Number: 5
Registered: 9-2002
Posted on Monday, December 23, 2002 - 11:56 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Here's my 2002 Turkey Contest entry:


Christmas day Turkey (actually on 12/22/02 due to several places to go)

I Received a 22.5lb Turkey (5% solution added) from my sister in law on Thanksgiving day (it was an extra bird that she had) with the plan that I would cook it for Christmas. I think there was some concern with me doing the Turkey on the K and not cooking it in the oven and getting the usual dry/bland Turkey. We’ll I’m tired of the dry/bland food on the same day every year so I set out to change the minds of several people.

Turkey001

Even though I’ve only had my Kamado #7 for 7 weeks or so, I new it would not fail me. To get ideas for my turkey recipe I went no further than the Kamado Forum.

My first step was to make sure it was completely thawed out. I kept in mind the
Mother-in-law story that my neighbor told me about this past Thanksgiving (as well as many other good ones):

The Mother-in-laws Turkey was partially frozen so she cut chunks of meat off the bird and put them in the microwave! Nice.

Next I brined the Turkey. I figured with the “5% solution added” in the Turkey, I wouldn’t need to soak the bird for 24 hours. I soaked the bird for 12 hours in a brine solution consisting of:

2 gallons of water
2 cups of salt
2 cups of sugar
brown sugar to taste
ground black pepper to taste
ground cayenne pepper to taste
minced garlic to taste

The bird barely fit in the pot I used as shown in this picture:

Turkey002

After I brined the bird, I dried it off with paper towels and let it air dry for a few hours in the refrigerator. I then put olive oil and JJ’s Rub (Thanks Alan Z.) on the Turkey. Next I put the bird back in the refrigerator covered with plastic wrap to wait for the early morning cook.

Turkey003

I filled up the K with BGE lump charcoal the day before the Turkey cook.
Surprisingly, I got some pretty big chunks out of the bag:

Turkey004

I decided to use the meat hanger but I had a problem using the meat hanger rod (a.k.a. Pig sticker) with the heat deflector on the lower bracket. The Pig sticker was to long as shown in the picture below:

Turkey005


I just took a measurement on how long the Pig sticker had to be and cut it off with a “chop saw” and de-burred the cut end with a bench grinder.

Turkey006

I woke up at 4:00 a.m. on the 12/22/02 and lit the lump with the Kamado gas burner. Once I got The K at 375 deg., I put 2 handfuls of hickory chunks on top of the lump, put the heat deflector back on, and then hung the Turkey on the Pig sticker (breast down). It looked like this:

Turkey007

I put one probe of my wireless thermometer in a breast and the other in the thermometer hole in the Kamado lid. I was figuring 15-20 minutes per lb. @ 375 deg.(22.5lb. x 20 min. = 7 ½ hours) cooking time.

We’ll the temperature got above 410 deg. (max. reading on wireless thermometer) I went outside to investigate. I opened up the lid about 3 inches and got a nice flashback! It was a very pretty blue flame. I still have all my digits and hair attached! I closed the damper and vent down some to get the temperature under control.

The temperature never got back down to 375 deg. So the cooking time was cut down to just a little under 4 hours. When the temperature alarm on the wireless thermometer went of at 165 deg., I went out and had a look:

Turkey008

I stuck the temperature probe in a couple of different places to check the temperature to make sure it was cooked. I pulled the turkey off the grill, shut the vent and damper on the K, and then took the Turkey inside for a few pictures and also tried a few sample pieces. Even though the raging fire had scorched most of the skin off, the meat was still moist and tasted great.

Turkey009

Turkey010

I did a few more temperature checks on the Turkey and then wrapped the bird in foil, towels, and then put it in a cooler (no ice) to keep warm.

About 4 hours later I pulled the bird out of the cooler (still warm) and sliced what I could off the breast and then I pulled (I wore latex gloves) the rest of the meat off the bones.

I put part of the sliced and pulled meat on a serving platter and bagged the rest of it.

I also had a 2 lb. Pre-cooked ham that needed to be warmed up. I figured it could use the “K-touch” so I put a little mustard and rub on the ham and then packed more brown sugar on it. I brought the K up to 425 deg. and put the ham on the meat hanger. For a heat deflector I used a 6x6 inch un-glazed terra cotta floor tile. Once the ham reach 100 deg. core, I pulled it off the grill and wrapped it in foil and towels and put in the same cooler as the Turkey. After I got done cutting/pulling the Turkey, I pulled the ham out of the cooler and sliced about 8 pieces off it and put them on a serving platter.

Everyone liked the Turkey. They said it was the juiciest turkey they ever had. The ham was pretty good also. I was nominated as the Holiday Turkey Cook from now on.

I think I will push for some different meat in the future. I think stuffing the K with a pork butt, a brisket, a couple of chickens, a few slabs of ribs, and filling in the left over space with Italian sausage would be a good change of pace instead of having a Turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas year after year after year…….
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Joy
Member
Post Number: 32
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 2:03 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Am I too late?

We just had our Christmas Turkey cooked on the k today. I know it is late but we were not at home on Xmas day so my parents came to us today to try our first ever BBQed Turkey.

Ok - I havent ever done this before so I spent plenty of time researching the forum to decide on cooking times etc. Chicken is the biggest bird I have cooked so far having got my K in the summer this year.

Outside photos are a bit limited I am afraid as it has tipped it down more or less all day (typical British weather!) The K was fine but I got a bit soggy - still it was all worth the effort.

Anyway here goes.

The turkey was a fresh 4.5 kilo bird (approx 10lbs) with an allegedly good pedigree of running around fields and enjoying life etc until the it met it's inevitable fate!

I did not brine the bird.

The ingredients were fairly simple as the following picture shows.

ingredients

After carefully releasing the skin from the breast via the neck end of the turkey the cream cheese with herbs and garlic was spread over the breast to aid keeping the meat moist and to add flavour. The turkey was left to marinate like that for 3 hours and then seasoned with the seasoning shown in picture (we buy this in Switzerland when on holiday - ingredients include salt, paprika, curry, herbs etc - you probably have something similar) and the whole head of garlic was put into the main cavity. You can just about make out the cream cheese under the skin in the following photo.

turkey ready to cook

I am afraid at the mo all I have is my trusty K and none of your wonderful extra attachments (note - Richard please send Paul the shipment containing extras for my #5 asap!) so the setup was quite basic. One turkey, one heavy duty tray (used for many a pork butt already) and one v shaped trivet. The K5 was preheated to 325 and the turkey put on at 12.15pm today

turkey on k

What to use for smoke is something I have found a problem in the past - we are not a great nation of BBQ users at the moment and wood chips etc are not always all that available. I found my solution earlier in the year from Orvis with the Bradley Smoker Bisquettes sample pack which contains various different woods and I have found them excellent and easy to use. One bisquette or possibly two is usually enough to produce a good smokey flavour in my food.

smoke 1 smoke 2

No British turkey is any good without the chipolata and bacon rolls which were prepared ready to go onto the K towards the end of cooking.

bacon rolls

I cooked cooked the turkey for 4 hours at between 300 and 325. I allowed the 4 hours at this lower temperature in case I needed to up the temperature to 350 - 375 at the end to finish the bird off. In fact it was cooked beautifully at the end of this time without the need to up the temp. The bacon and chipolata rolls were cooked for the last 3/4 hr around the edge of the K. (Sorry - got so excited I forgot to take photos of those cooked.)

The final result when taken off the K looked excellent. I do not have a thermometer for taking meat temperature so relied on the tried and trusted method of the juices running clear when the meat is pierced at the thickest point - in this case into the thigh.

cooked turkey

I rested the turkey for about 45 mins while we had our starter. Carved the turkey - wow. Smokey moist and very tasty.

turkey at table

We never have turkey on Christmas day as my father says he does not really like it. Even he said this was a lovely flavour and really good. We served the bird with brussel sprouts, french beans, roast potatoes, spiced roasted butternut squash, port wine gravy, cranberry sauce and - of course - the chipolata and bacon rolls.

Excellent!

And now I am sitting here desperately trying to type a sensible description to get my entry in! (not to mention getting these photos small enough - I'll get the hang of this in the end)

Anyway we enjoyed it.

I love reading the forum and would like to wish Happy New Year to Everyone.


Joy
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Joy
Member
Post Number: 33
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 2:05 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Hey

On reviewing the previous messages I note my turkey looks quite skinny in comparison. Obviously running around fields doesn't do much for them!!
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Daveb
Member
Post Number: 66
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 2:22 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Joy,

Everything looks and sounds great. Just one question, what is

chipolata?

Happy New Year to you as well.
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Harry
Member
Post Number: 449
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Sunday, December 29, 2002 - 3:09 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Well, our bird came out as gorgeous as I've ever made. But my phtography skills failed badly. Upon reviewing the pics, I chose not to waste the judges' times staring at a perfectly K'd turkey's behind. I'm into "next year" country. :-(

Harry
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Joy
Member
Post Number: 34
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 1:47 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Daveb

A chipolata is is small thin sausage - the sausage meat is the same but the shape is different. What do you call them?
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Richardj
Moderator
Post Number: 414
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 11:29 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Joy (and any others), you are NOT too late. Any entry will happily received until January 15th. 2003. This includes any revisions you might wish to make to your earlier submissions. Please note that we accept entries by email as well. (richard@kamado.com)
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Daveb
Member
Post Number: 67
Registered: 7-2001
Posted on Monday, December 30, 2002 - 6:28 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

I call them delicious, especially when wrapped in bacon and cooked on the K.
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Jack_curry
Member
Post Number: 40
Registered: 11-2002
Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 8:47 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Richardj,
When are you going to announce the winner? I want to copycat the prize winner after I pump 'em for details.
Jack Curry
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Richardj
Moderator
Post Number: 436
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Saturday, January 18, 2003 - 3:42 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Jack, I will check with the judges and let you know soon.
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Joy
Member
Post Number: 35
Registered: 6-2002
Posted on Monday, March 03, 2003 - 7:19 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Have I missed the results of this somewhere? I have been away for a few weeks so have been out of touch with the forum.
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Bonnies
Member
Post Number: 191
Registered: 8-2001
Posted on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 1:44 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Don't think it was announced. Can't swear, but I haven't seen anything. Richard's been out of country for about a month, so maybe that delayed things.....?
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Richardj
Moderator
Post Number: 488
Registered: 4-2002
Posted on Wednesday, March 05, 2003 - 10:54 am:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Bonnies & others.......The Turkey contest winners will be announced on the 3rd Newsletter and on the Forum in the next few days. Sorry for the delay.
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Thepidler
Member
Post Number: 201
Registered: 7-2003
Posted on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 5:47 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Who won this? Anyone know?? Good prizes!!
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Bobinfla
Member
Post Number: 1567
Registered: 2-2002
Posted on Saturday, December 23, 2006 - 5:57 pm:    Edit Post Print Post    Delete Post View Post/Check IP   Move Post (Moderator/Admin Only)

Greg,

I think that BoiseGuy was 1st, I was second (Thank You Very Much!). I can't remember who won 3rd. The results are in one of the newsletters.

BOB

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