I am attempting to cook the bird with indirect heat by placing the coals and firewood on the opposit side while the heat and smoke cooks it on the other side of the grill. Will it work and for how long do I have to cook it?
2006-12-23 19:32:37 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Food & Drink ➔ Cooking & Recipes
I have used a Weber Kettle (for best results) for cooking /smoking turkeys. The operative question is what type of grill. Webers tend to do the job more rapidly, as there are better venting systems at the base, and in the lid, and the black enameled steel body of the grill holds it's heat better than other types of grills.
If you have a 12 lb turkey, the ambient outside temperature is 68 deg F, and there is little wind, figure 4 to 6 hours with one pile of indirect charcoal. The pile of charcoal has about 15 to 20 briquets. Add chunks of wood during the last 2 to 3 hours of cooking for the smoking process---be sure to let the wood burn evenly (blacken the wood completely before covering the grill again), or you will soot up the meat!
If there is high wind, your cooking time will be reduced by an hour. If the ambient outside temperature is 48 deg F, increase cooking time an hour to an hour and a half. At 28 deg F, increase cooking time by 2 to 3 hours. Indirect SLOW cooking makes for the best turkey---you can adjust the vent of the grill to achieve a higher or lower cooking temperature. You will need to add a few lumps of charcoal, about 6 to 8, about every hour to hour and a half.
By the way---grilling is only recommended with an UNSTUFFED turkey. Put a pan of water in the base of the grill to catch drippings, and add moisture during the grilling process if you like (an old pie tin works well). Also cover the turkey breast with a small piece of foil (SHINY SIDE TOWARD BREAST) for the first 2 hours of cooking, and then remove for the rest of the cooking time.
Go to it---and enjoy :)
2006-12-23 22:30:07 · answer #1 · answered by t e 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Smoking time depends on the size of the turkey, the distance from the heat, temperature of the coals, as well as the outside air temperature. You can roughly estimate about 20 to 30 minutes per pound of turkey, but it's important to use a meat thermometer to be sure your turkey is thoroughly cooked. The turkey is done when the food thermometer, placed in the inner thigh, reaches 180° F (be sure the thermometer is not touching th bone).
2006-12-23 20:14:08 · answer #2 · answered by malavalla 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
A long time.
2006-12-23 19:34:23 · answer #3 · answered by grannywinkie 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋