Last year, I butchered the turkey before roasting and it was one of the best turkeys I've ever had! Since I had the breasts, legs/thighs, and wings off the carcass, it took up very little room in the frig while it dry-brined for a day. I put wireless meat probes in a breast and thigh and roasted the turkey in the oven. Since the bird was already butchered, I was able to pull the breasts and wings out ahead of the legs/thighs, allowing them to cook longer. Very juicy breasts!

JP

Brine and on the Traeger this year,

I've deep fried them, but as was said earlier, $55 for 4 gallons of peanut oil is nuts, along with the clean up which is a PIA, and storing the oil, good thing is you can save that oil and reuse it for a Christmas deep fry, be it Turkey, or even deep fry a Christmas Roast...

quote:

Originally posted by YellowJacket:
I will be frying two smaller birds this year. I have a good cajun recipe for one bird and I'm trying to try to find a more standard recipe for the second but pretty much every recipe I see is creole-based.

I will just brine them the same and then maybe use a Lawry's-based rub and leave some of the cajun influences out of my injection for the second bird.

One year I couldn't find any Zatarain's or Tony Thachere's injection so I took diced onion , garlic, celery and cooked them off in olive oil, added some Costco turkey stock, brought it to a simmer for 30 minutes and after it cooled and run through a strainer I injected the turkey. I still use this injection when I do larger roasting chickens in the smoker. Quite good if you're not in the mood for cajun/creole.

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:
Anyone tried the expensive Popeyes Cajun Turkey? Supposedly it is really good. They cook it and drop it off at your door but at $100 per turkey I'll pass.

Yeah. It sucked.

RMD

We take a turkey breast, basket weave hickory smoked bacon, and wrap the breast with the bacon. We do not inject our breast but you can if you want. Plenty of flavor with any rub on seasoning on the breast before you wrap it with the bacon.

Preheat the ceramic smoker (Vision Grill - cheap version of a Green Egg) to 300F and use an heat deflector and place the bacon wrapped breast on the smoker until the internal temp reaches 165F. Pull it off and let it rest for 20-30 min and then it is ready to eat. Cook time is usually 90 min to 2 hours. Here is a video link to this process.

Also can be done in your oven if you prefer not to or do not have a grill/smoker.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WoppKC4SIvQ

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:
I also have a Charbroil Big Easy that I have used many times for chicken and turkey. Birds really do come out great in the Big Easy. It's hard to beat. The deep fry is better, but it is more work.

I wipe my turkey with peanut oil and put garlic salt on it before putting it in the big easy and it honestly comes out 90% as good as a fried turkey.

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:
Anyone tried the expensive Popeyes Cajun Turkey? Supposedly it is really good. They cook it and drop it off at your door but at $100 per turkey I'll pass.

Yeah, it was terrible.

RMD

quote:

Originally posted by FLKev:
Anyone tried the expensive Popeyes Cajun Turkey? Supposedly it is really good. They cook it and drop it off at your door but at $100 per turkey I'll pass.

4 gallons of oil $50
1 20 lb Bird - $30
Seasoning/Injection $10 - 20$

Total - $100

Not having to clean up all that oil and cooker - Priceless

Having said that, you can find all kinds of folks that will cook your bird for you in oil in any town.

For me though, brine, inject, season, smoke....

Been deep frying birds for 5 years now.. 2 at a time.. We buy the Trader Joe's pre-brined turkeys which saves some time in prep.

Will re-use the oil and fry again for Christmas along with serving a Ham.