Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.

To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would like
to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.

Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
received.

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:23:50 +1100, "Fran"
> wrote:

>Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
>To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would like
>to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
>Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
>received.
>

Better group for what you need.

alt.food.barbecue

"Fran" > wrote in message
u...
> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would
like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.

You can do a turkey up to 15-16 lbs.if you place the bird directly on the
grill. If you want to use a roasting rack the maximum size would be about 13
lbs. The method is to arrange a pile of coals along each side of the coal
rack and place the turkey in the center of the grill so it cooks from
indirect heat and is not directly over any of the burning coals. Wait until
the coals are all fully lit before placing the turkey on the grill and then
keep the cover on the grill. I keep the vents fully open while it is
cooking. It cooks pretty fast. Remove it from the grill when the temperature
in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 160-165. Let it stand 20 munutes
before carving.

Weber has a handy accessory available which comes with two grill attachments
that form barriers on each side of the grill. That provides a foolproof way
of arranging the coals for this method of cooking.

"Fran" > wrote in
u:

> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet.
> Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would
> like to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.
>
>
>

There are many, many different ways to cook a turkey in the webber. Are you
stuffing the bird? Are you spatchcocking the Bird? Do you have a rotissere
attachment (under $15 at most sears)? Will you brine it? Is your BBQ gas or
charcoal? There are better groups to post this question to
Alt.Food.Barbecue comes to mind.

--
And the beet goes on! (or under)
-me just a while ago

"Fran" > wrote in message
u...
> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would
like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.
>
>

From Weber's website
http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/recipe/...c=poultry&r=37

In rec.food.cooking, Fran > wrote:
> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.

> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.

> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.

I've done up to a 22 pound turkey in a Weber Kettle. Two Challenges:
You need to add a small amount of charcoal frequently.
If you want to use any wood, it will smoulder and give the surface an
acrid taste.

Your best bet is to use natural lump charcoal. If you use briquettes,
the nasty stuff in them will flavor the meat unless you start them ad et
them get grey in a a seperate container.


--
....I'm an air-conditioned gypsy...

- The Who

Always place the breast side down; you don't have to rotisserie it. In
fact it's a waste to go to that effort. The skin will get very brown and
tough, though you don't eat that anyway; that keeps the interior of the
bird moist. Put a few soaked large wood chunks on either side fo the
grill when you start and you will pick of a slight smokey taste. Use a
drip pan in the center between the grill baskets to catch the drippings
for making gravey. Don't stuff the bird; don't even think about stuffing
it. Make some turkey stock and make the stuffing on on the side; cook
that in the home oven in a casserole.
All of this works much better and is easier than cooking in the house.
We cooked two turkeys at Thks. The cheap Manor house from Safeway was
much better than the Butterball. We always brine the birds first, though
that isn't mandatory.
Happy Holidazes,
Kent

Fran wrote:
>
> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.

Hark! I heard "Fran" > say:

> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.

I don't own a large grill, so I can't offer any personal advice.
But I found this site while looking for brining info, and maybe
it will help...

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cook.html


--
j.j. ~ mom, gamer, novice cook ~
...fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, yum!

On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:23:50 +1100, "Fran"
> wrote:

> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (and what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.
>

I do a whole (12-14 lb) turkey, unstuffed, directly on the
grill - breast side up. I cook it using indirect heat made
by circling the coals around the inside perimeter of the
Webber kettle. I find that by adding a new layer of coals
immediately to the existing coals at the time I put in the
turkey, that I'll only need one more addition of coals at
the most. Of course you'll cook the turkey with the cover
on and vents open. This gives the turkey a delicious smoky
flavor.... much better than commercial smoked turkey.


I find also that it never takes more than two hours to cook
the bird, often less. The best part of this process is that
your turkey is EVENLY cooked. The white meat is still moist
and the dark meat is cooked enough, which is absolutely
impossible for me to do in a regular oven.

Unlike the directions on the Webber site, I place my drip
pan on the same rack as the coals... that way the turkey is
evenly browned. Unfortunately, the drippings have too much
ash in them for my taste - but frankly I don't think I'd
like a smoky gravy anyway, so I make a very rich turkey
stock (brown your turkey parts and vegetables in the oven)
for the gravy base.

Oh, yes - I don't butter or oil the bird but I do rub my
favorite seasonings on it. I also have rosemary growing in
the yard, so I put a few springs inside the bird and throw
some woody clippings over the coals.

PS: I use ordinary grocery store charcoal briquettes, but I
prefer the type that's permeated with mesquite.





Practice safe eating - always use condiments

sf wrote:
> On Sun, 14 Dec 2003 19:23:50 +1100, "Fran"
> > wrote:
>
>> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet.
>> Groan.
>>
>> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I
>> would like to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this
>> before.
>>
>> Hints, instructions, clues (and what to avoid) would be gratefully
>> received.
>>
>
> I do a whole (12-14 lb) turkey, unstuffed, directly on the
> grill - breast side up. I cook it using indirect heat made
> by circling the coals around the inside perimeter of the
> Webber kettle. I find that by adding a new layer of coals
> immediately to the existing coals at the time I put in the
> turkey, that I'll only need one more addition of coals at
> the most. Of course you'll cook the turkey with the cover
> on and vents open. This gives the turkey a delicious smoky
> flavor.... much better than commercial smoked turkey.
>
>
> I find also that it never takes more than two hours to cook
> the bird, often less. The best part of this process is that
> your turkey is EVENLY cooked. The white meat is still moist
> and the dark meat is cooked enough, which is absolutely
> impossible for me to do in a regular oven.
>
> Unlike the directions on the Webber site, I place my drip
> pan on the same rack as the coals... that way the turkey is
> evenly browned. Unfortunately, the drippings have too much
> ash in them for my taste - but frankly I don't think I'd
> like a smoky gravy anyway, so I make a very rich turkey
> stock (brown your turkey parts and vegetables in the oven)
> for the gravy base.
>
> Oh, yes - I don't butter or oil the bird but I do rub my
> favorite seasonings on it. I also have rosemary growing in
> the yard, so I put a few springs inside the bird and throw
> some woody clippings over the coals.
>
> PS: I use ordinary grocery store charcoal briquettes, but I
> prefer the type that's permeated with mesquite.
>
Agreed! Indirect heat. And I like to soak hickory chips and toss them on
with the coals. I would salt & pepper the bird and perhaps put a lemon cut
in half in the cavity along with the rosemary sprigs.

The most important advice I can think of is don't fuss with the bird once
it's on the grill. Leave the cover on, vented, and don't touch it for about
6 hours. You may have to replenish some of the coals the coals once halfway
through cooking, as sf says, (carefully remove the top grill containing the
turkey, don't drop it!!) But other than that, leave it alone.

Jill

Failsafe way to cook large 7-9kg (15-22 pounds) turkeys in the webber

It is easy to cook turkeys in a webber, I never worry about upside down
(have you ever tried to lift a 7kg turky when its halfway through?) Or
anything like that. I grew up in Perth so oustide is the way to go.

I usally stuff the turkey (sage and onion and sausagemeat will post these
recipies later)
I then get 1kg or more of bacon (7kg Turkey will need about 1.5kg 9 best to
use 2)
With this a cover the entier turkey overlapping the fat as much as possible.
The fat from the bacon not only drips into the brest meat and keeps it most
in the long cooking time but you get a really yummy really crispy bacon as a
extra acompinmant.

I also cover the wings and legs with alluminium foil and you don't have to
do this but I do like to chew the meat of the bones and still want it moist.
Take that off with an hour to go.

Finally Timings
Turkey (in Pounds, why are all measurmenets in pounds)
6-8 about 2-3 hours
8-12 about 2.5-3.75 hours
12-16 about 3.5 to 4
for stuffing at 3 to 5 mins per pound

Tigger

"Fran" > wrote in message
u...
> Here it is Xmas again! It's come too fast and I'm not ready yet. Groan.
>
> To keep the kitchen from getting too hot (Southern Hemisphere) I would
like
> to cook the turkey in the Weber but have never done this before.
>
> Hints, instructions, clues (sand what to avoid) would be gratefully
> received.
>
>

I shall be enjoying one of these delicious turkeys (and the oh so wonderful
crispy bacon in but a few days time).

When Tigger takes the bird out of teh Webber, the flesh is still wonderfully
moist, and full of flavour. Hmmm, I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.

(BTW Tigger, I think we need to buy some heat-beads)