the results will depend whether I post pictures or not LOL

I smoked my turkey for about 2.5 hours, at 225F., and then put it in the oven (upside down of course) and let it cook for a bit. I'll then right it to cook brown the top skin and it will be fantastic. I didn't leave it in the smoker, because this way it won't get dried out and it has picked up enough smoke.

Don't forget to keep the carcass and make stock for a soup...we'll be making kale potato soup, spicy, with the smoked turkey carcass.

Dovetailing w/this topic.... This is something I've always wondered, but never looked into.

So, I just took the foil off the top of my turkey for the last hour of roasting. Pulled out the roasting pan with oven mitts (obviously), but then took the foil cover off w/my bare hands. Why the HELL does aluminum foil, just out of the oven, not feel hot to the touch?

I am a very science-oriented person, but this one always baffled me.

I deboned (removed breast and thigh) from two 25lb birds.
Leftover bones are chop to piece except for the back. Bones are roasted with S&P for 30 minutes then into pressure cooker with white wine for dripping.

Meat was brined in salt/brown sugar and pickle juice; brine for one hour.
Breast were roasted skin side up for 1 hour, thighs for 45 minutes, drumstick for 30 and back for 15 minutes.

While resting the dripping was added to the liquid in pressure cooker and reduced. 2 cups of onions were chopped and caramelized. 1 cup of dried cranberries was soaked overnight in 1/2 cup of white wine and 1/2 cup of Grand Marnier.
Reduced dripping was added to the onion and cranberry mix for a sauce. , about 4-6 cups. Thicken with corn starch and add slices of frozen butter just before serving.

Sorry nothing left for photo.

convection roast can also help seal in moisture (and speed up cooking time)

It's very thin, so has very little heat capacity, i. e., the heat energy it contains even at 350 degrees is very small. The moisture on your fingers and contact with the air gets rid of most of that, so it cools down very quickly and doesn't feel especially hot.

No, you HAVE to post, we need to know were WE went wrong with our instructions and next year, we'll give you better ones.

Makes sense, thanks.

There will be no next year

Why not? It should be fun… If you aren't having fun by now you are either:

1- not doing it correctly. ( who cares how it comes out, as long as you guys are together and having fun). FUN is the most important thing.

2- not drinking enough.

And if the turkey isn't good, throw it out and order a pizza, and watch the games, could you imagine the laughter you'll have 15 yrs from now when your kids would remind you of the day..


FUN is the world and days like this create memories. Not boring picture perfect days.

I quit cooking Thanksgiving dinner last year. I ordered my entire Thanksgiving dinner from Razoo's Cajun Cafe. I got a fried turkey, mashed potatoes, dirty rice and andouille sausage gravy. I bought my desserts from Whole Foods and after doing that one year I decided I am done spending hours on my feet cooking huge meals. The meal was as good as I what I cook and I am a good cook. I was able to spend more time enjoying the holiday and less time fussing over the food. I cooked many many big Thanksgiving meals before finally going to the order out method!

I hope your turkey turned out okay!

As do I.

Had my turkey dinner at Denny's today. Just three of us, so much less trouble (and cheaper!) than cooking.

Since no one else is posting their turkeys, here was ours from today:

looks better than mine LOL

So Horse, was it a turkey night or pizza night?

Come on dish it out, otherwise we will be very disappointed.