Saturday, November 28, 2009

44-lb. Turkey: The "after" photos

This was the largest turkey I've ever cooked, and is certainly the maximum size breast that will fit in a large Big Green Egg.

After six hours at 300f, the 24-lb. breast is 160f and done! It was foiled and covered with a blanket on the counter for an hour to rest and finish cooking while we waited for the legs to be done.

However, the legs in the kitchen oven went an hour long to get to 170f - there was a small grease dripping problem that smoked up the house, and I had to pull the roaster out and reposition the legs and wings so they were completely within the pan. There's just no way these should have gone a whole 5 hours at 350f. Maybe they were partially frozen? Food kept on that side of the refrigerator where they were stored have been known to do so.

Ta da! Both white and dark meat were very juicy. There was no basting, brining or injections - just a fresh turkey from the farm.