Turkey Lessoned learned

JackB · Nov 30, 2024

Ok so turkey day is over got a lot of left overs all good. Here is how it went down for me and some lessons learned for myself.

1. Brined with Kosmos Q brine kit in the pitboss bucket. Saw the $60 brine bucket on Amazon going to get for next year. Komos Q dirty bird seasoning and Tony's garlic herb butter injection. Pitboss Apple pellets

https://a.co/d/6WvuqXb

2. I was so worried about the brine and the time we needed to eat counting backwards I cut the brine short 8 hours only did 40 hours although I don't think that was a problem just saying.

3. Dried the turkey off well and it went back to the fridge for only 4 hours. Not sure if that was long enough? but the skin felt tacky.

4. Started the grill at 240° for 2 hours then went up to 250. Then at hour 4 went to 270. Then at hour 5 280 then at hour 6 325. Not sure why I did this likely only out of fear since by hour 2 it looked raw still.

5. Skin was not as crispy as I had wanted and I know it was because of the slower and lower temps. I guess in my head I thought I would kick it up to 325 the last hour and that would do it but it didn't.

6. Total cook time was 7 hours with a 30 min rest before the people couldn't wait any longer lol.

Over all this was the best turkey I have ever tasted juicy and tender, flavorful like I have never done on my other grill or oven. Everyone complimented me on its flavor and tenderness. You could cut it with your fork. Even the left overs make you say dam that is good turkey.

That said I think next year I will brine for the full 48 hours and cook at 300- 325 for 4 -5 hours. Or should I stick with a different temp for longer? Side note at hour 4 I slipped in a spiral ham so not sure if that cut the temps at all? Ham wasn't as good as the turkey i think the smoke tube was too much for it.

Would love to hear your story and some feed back on mine. I just want to get better each time.

sparkyv · Dec 3, 2024

Thanks for sharing your results, JackB. The cook time seems long to me; how big of a bird was it?

IMO, since you got great results and compliments, I wouldn't change a thing on the next one.

JackB · Dec 3, 2024

sparkyv said:
Thanks for sharing your results, JackB. The cook time seems long to me; how big of a bird was it?

IMO, since you got great results and compliments, I wouldn't change a thing on the next one.

It was 19 lb's

IndyHntr · Dec 3, 2024

Wow, 19lbs big bird. Crazy cause I did a 9lb and spiral ham in 4 hrs at 250°. But I was told to start low to get the smoke into it and near the end, raise the temp to finish cooking. I basted my turkey every hour and something I like is to wrap in butcher paper to hold in the moisture for the last hour. Use drippings for gravy(some say better than the bird). But would not start high temps to early till you get the smoke to penetrate.

drinkoj · Dec 3, 2024

I did a 19.5 lb turkey for the first time just like you and used the Kosmos Q turkey brine and Tony's garlic and herb too! I spatchcocked mine.

1. Don't waste money on a brine bucket, just use a turkey browning bag by Reynolds that you can buy at the grocery store for $2.50, put it in a cooler with ice, and let it soak for 12 to 24 hours. Heck you can even use a trash bag if your on the cheap. Also note, you can over brine meat. I bought some 4 pound silicon ice trays for tailgating to keep everything cold in the cooler and they worked great for this also, just so they ice did melt too fast.

2. Lesson I learned, low and slow does not apply to poultry, as there isn't as much fat to break down. I'll be setting the temp at 275F until the internal temp is around 110F (took 2.5 hours), then jack up the heat to 350-375F to get that 163F internal temp, and put it in a warming bag to let it rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. If you want a crispy skin, put it in the oven to broil for a shot time after the smoking. Be sure to spray the skin with a sugar based water (apple juice and etc) to make sure you don't dry it out and the sugars can help caramelize/crisp up the skin.

Redoctapus · Dec 6, 2024

JackB said:
Ok so turkey day is over got a lot of left overs all good. Here is how it went down for me and some lessons learned for myself.

1. Brined with Kosmos Q brine kit in the pitboss bucket. Saw the $60 brine bucket on Amazon going to get for next year. Komos Q dirty bird seasoning and Tony's garlic herb butter injection. Pitboss Apple pellets

https://a.co/d/6WvuqXb

2. I was so worried about the brine and the time we needed to eat counting backwards I cut the brine short 8 hours only did 40 hours although I don't think that was a problem just saying.

3. Dried the turkey off well and it went back to the fridge for only 4 hours. Not sure if that was long enough? but the skin felt tacky.

4. Started the grill at 240° for 2 hours then went up to 250. Then at hour 4 went to 270. Then at hour 5 280 then at hour 6 325. Not sure why I did this likely only out of fear since by hour 2 it looked raw still.

5. Skin was not as crispy as I had wanted and I know it was because of the slower and lower temps. I guess in my head I thought I would kick it up to 325 the last hour and that would do it but it didn't.

6. Total cook time was 7 hours with a 30 min rest before the people couldn't wait any longer lol.

Over all this was the best turkey I have ever tasted juicy and tender, flavorful like I have never done on my other grill or oven. Everyone complimented me on its flavor and tenderness. You could cut it with your fork. Even the left overs make you say dam that is good turkey.

That said I think next year I will brine for the full 48 hours and cook at 300- 325 for 4 -5 hours. Or should I stick with a different temp for longer? Side note at hour 4 I slipped in a spiral ham so not sure if that cut the temps at all? Ham wasn't as good as the turkey i think the smoke tube was too much for it.

Would love to hear your story and some feed back on mine. I just want to get better each time.

Next year? Turkey is cheap!
Although brine and labor is well, we know!

JackB · Dec 7, 2024

Yep, I think I will shoot for a 4-5 hour cook next year or next time with higher temps. The brine time was good for me except the part of having to get up at 3 am lol

20 lb seems to be decent size for my family so I think I'll brine 48 hours and cook 5 this way I can sleep in! Haha