On 26-Apr-2005, "Matthew L. Martin" > wrote:

> tranch wrote:
> > Did my first pork shoulder the other day and it turned out just
> > fine. So
> > now I'm feeling like I can barbecue just about any thing and have
> > decided to
> > do a turkey I've had in the freezer for a while.
> > I read the FAC and the author seems to make it sound like a turkey
> > is
> > some what difficult to do for a beginner like myself. Is it really that
> > hard
> > to barbecue a turkey or am I just getting the beginner jitters? Any tips
> >
> > will be greatly appreciated!!!
> >
>
> As you will see/have seen there are two (at least) schools of thought on
> what to do with poulty. You can roast with smoke (typical oven
> temperature and timing) or you can slow cook at 225-275F with the wood
> smoke. The results of the two methods are very different products.
>
> Roasted turkey/chicken/duck will be similar to what you get in the oven
> with some smoke character in the flavor. The skin will be crispy and the
> flesh will be firm. A great time saver is to spatchcock the bird. This
> makes it much flatter which allows it to cook more quickly.
>
> Hot smoked turkey/chicken/duck is a different beast. The skin will be
> soft and rubbery. The flesh will be softer, succulent and deeply
> flavored with the smoke.
>
> I suggest you try both methods using something managable. A five pound
> chicken will take about 5-6 hours at 250 to reach 161 at the joint where
> the thigh meets the body. If you don't like it hot smoked, you will only
> have wasted $5.
>
> I'll bet you will like it.
>
> --
> Matthew
>

What Mathew said. And it's true that poultry does not benefit from low, slow
cooking in the same sense that pork butt or brisket does. However, it does
achieve a texture entirely different from traditional roasting temperatures.
I
wouldn't think about bragging on one method over the other. however the
differences produced by low/slow, oven roasting and grilling are significant
enough for each to have it's time in the limelight. I like to spatchcock for
grilling and usually use a dry rub. I may or may not brine for oven (type)
roasting, but almost always cook the bird on a vertical wire rack. (Not to
be confused with a beer can). The wire rack allows full heat circulation
inside the bird. I use the same rack for low and slow, but I generally
brine a bird for that. Hound's brine is hard to beat for a low and slow
cooked bird. There might be a better one, but I don't care. How long
to brine? I don't know. I soak mine for two days. Is that necessary? I
have no idea. It works for me and I'm not bothered by the timeframe.
If guests drop in unexpectedly and you decide to feed poultry, I'd
suggest spatchcocking and grilling. Poultry isn't steak, so don't get
the fire too hot. You have to cook the poultry all the way through and
you probably don't want to burn the outside. In my opinion, frequent
flipping to avoid burning is not a very intelligent use of your equipment.
(It interferes with drinking)

Just my 2¢.

Brick (Keep the shiny side up)

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