I cook 5 or 6 turkeys a year and have been cooking them for over 40 years.
Here are some helpful tips regardless of how you cook the turkey - smoker or
oven.

1. Cook the turkey breast side down for the first half of your total cooking
time. This will allow all the juices to flow into the breast meat virtually
guaranteeing a moist breast. If you are cooking for 5 hours, start with the
bird breast down and flip at 2-1/2 hours.

2. Stuffed turkey stays much more moist then unstuffed turkey. I make a
stuffing from boiled potatoes, sauteed onions, trimmed white bread, several
sticks of butter, chopped fresh garlic, chives, and a bit of cayenne pepper.

3. When you carve the turkey: remove the legs, wings and dark meat first.
Then cut along side the breast bone and under the rib cage to remove the
breast as a single piece of meat. Then instead of cutting thin slices that
dry out in seconds, cut it like you'd cut a tenderloin - across the breast
with pieces around 1/2" thick.

4. And if you are carving, try not to eat all the good stuff until you can
grab a seat at the table!

Happy Thanksgiving
Ricky Ginsburg
Head Cook of the World Famous (not) Boca Boys Cook Team
Webmaster for the Florida Barbecue Association - http://www.flbbq.org

Ricky wrote:
:: I cook 5 or 6 turkeys a year and have been cooking them for over 40
years.
:: Here are some helpful tips regardless of how you cook the turkey -
smoker or
:: oven.

Not that long for me. Yet.

::
:: 1. Cook the turkey breast side down for the first half of your
total cooking
:: time. This will allow all the juices to flow into the breast meat
virtually
:: guaranteeing a moist breast. If you are cooking for 5 hours, start
with the
:: bird breast down and flip at 2-1/2 hours.

That's pretty much how I did it, 'til I started cooking them on a
stand, and more recently, hanging them. On the stand or hanger, it's
upside-down (legs up) for the same reason...self basting.

::
:: 2. Stuffed turkey stays much more moist then unstuffed turkey. I
make a
:: stuffing from boiled potatoes, sauteed onions, trimmed white bread,
several
:: sticks of butter, chopped fresh garlic, chives, and a bit of
cayenne pepper.

EXACTLY! I never believed that part about stuffing making turkey
dangerous, but I always cooked turkeys @ 350 or more.
::
:: 3. When you carve the turkey: remove the legs, wings and dark meat
first.
:: Then cut along side the breast bone and under the rib cage to
remove the
:: breast as a single piece of meat. Then instead of cutting thin
slices that
:: dry out in seconds, cut it like you'd cut a tenderloin - across the
breast
:: with pieces around 1/2" thick.

I'd work on one side, then the other. My Mom liked the presentation
of at least *half* an intact bird so I did that part her way. I like
the idea of cutting out the breast. I'll have to remember to try it.
Sounds great.

::
:: 4. And if you are carving, try not to eat all the good stuff until
you can
:: grab a seat at the table!

LOL. Try, but no guarantees.
::
:: Happy Thanksgiving
:: Ricky Ginsburg
:: Head Cook of the World Famous (not) Boca Boys Cook Team
and Cayenne master '-)
:: Webmaster for the Florida Barbecue Association -
http://www.flbbq.org

It's on my desktop. Kept pretty much up-to-the-minute, up-to-date!

See ya in Starke on December 9?
Well, Sebring in January, then.

BOB
--
Raw Meat Should NOT Have An Ingredients List