I'm happy to report my Trash Can Turkey was a success!
Here's a write-up I did tonight for a group of RV'ers that I go camping with, hope you enjoy...
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Ok, you all know that I had posted about the "Trash Can Turkey", but had yet to try it.
Well,... Tonight I did a Practice run with a 12 lb. bird, ahead of Thanksgiving, to see how well it worked, and to possibly adjust for a couple of variables.
I am happy to report, that this will be a VERY cool thing to do while out camping with a group of you all, as well as alot of fun too.
Next trip that I can make with you guys,... Dinner is on Me !!!
Here's a pic of the results for my first attempt,...
and I'm happy to report that it is DELICIOUS !!!
note,
That the bird was cooked with the neck down, feet up, and what appears to be a burnt area, in the upper-center part of the bird,... is actually the exposed outer layer of the Stuffing,. the bird is not burned, and the stuffing only has a very thin layer that is cooked dry/crunchy. (It kind of acts like a moisture cap, while cooking), so it's a Good thing !
Now, I had researched it to some degree, before making my first attempt, by looking up the many youtube videos already available.
But I, (in my usual fashion), had to add a few twists to it. (I just can't ever seem to leave "well enough" alone, on ANYTHING I try, lol !)
I did a full video progression from start to finish, that I will share here,
but first let me explain where my differences were.
If you check out youtube for "Trash Can Turkey," you get many examples of how to do this.
Many of the already posted vids, show all the basics, including cooking times relative to bird size.
All those vids are a basic explanation of how to cook ONLY the Turkey, in a Trash Can.
That's all well and good,... except I had, (unintentionally), bought a Butterball Turkey that came "Pre-stuffed".
SOooo,... I figured that some adjustments to the cooking times were going to be necessary, and I was right.
On a UN-STUFFED bird,... the recommended cooking times are as follows,
Cooking Times:
10 lbs 50 mins
12 lbs 1hr
14 lbs 1hr 25mins
16 lbs 1hr 40mins
18 lbs 2hrs 5 mins
20 lbs 2hrs 15mins
22 lbs 2hrs 25 mins
But,... Being that my 12 lb. bird was STUFFED,...
I found that I had to cook it more accordingly to the 16-18 lb. recommendations.
I attribute the increased cooking time to 3 factors.
First,
the fact that my bird was Stuffed. therefore, the increased mass and density, that needs to reach the minimun required 165 degrees.
Second,
The fact that the bird is Stuffed,... means that there is no "convection" action going on INSIDE of the cavity inside the bird.
and Third,
I had used three 12" x 12" paver bricks, to raise the bird up closer to the top of the trash can. I'm assuming that the presence of the pavers, robbed a little of the heat away from the interior of the trash can while cooking.
Below, is a video record of my first attempt, at doing a STUFFED Trash Can Turkey.
I hope that you enjoy, and...
Bon Apetit !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46ODqNmoHUU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijjR1x2rkiU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LibMMDfIrlg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rdjFBVVvQCc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Besrrn7Z9Lo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5R_wfYOC_8o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oN-whJtek4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbEJRpJkpA4
Give it a try, and tell me what you think, what you would change, how you would do it differently, or just what you think would make it better!
i'm very satisfied with the results for this being my first attempt, and will certainly be doing this for some upcoming camping trips !
I hope you enjoy,
Ron
"Trash Can Chef Extrordinaire"
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It doesn't always have to be as practical.
