# Roasted, smoked, or fried?



## jpfabricator (Nov 10, 2014)

With Thanks giving on the way, I was wondering how y'all cooked your bird? 
I like to smoke mine.
How about you?

Jake Parker


----------



## Shadowdog500 (Nov 10, 2014)

jpfabricator said:


> With Thanks giving on the way, I was wondering how y'all cooked your bird?
> I like to smoke mine.
> How about you?
> 
> Jake Parker



Smoked! 




 My wife makes a good roasted turkey as well

never had a fried one that I liked.


Ii just found a site that says smo-fried is really good.   They smoke the bird for 2 hours then throw it in a deep fryer for 10 min.  Won't be trying that any time soon.

Chris


----------



## Ulma Doctor (Nov 10, 2014)

for many years i had oven bird, and loved it. seriously good eating.
i didn't know the delights of southern cooking until a cajun gentleman, 
moved in next door a while back.
he was welcomed to the superbowl party the whole block throws on.
his gift to the multi-cultural feast was a cajunfried turkey bird as he called it.
needless to say i only eat oven bird as someone elses' home, anymore.

1 vote fried!
:jester:


----------



## brav65 (Nov 11, 2014)

I have done smoke, fried, rotisserie, roasted and grilled.  This year I may smoke a small bird as it is just my two kids and myself eating.  One year we had 25 people and I did smoked and fried.  It was nice to taste them and compare.  The fried bird was very juicy, and the smoked bird was moist but not like the fried.


----------



## Pmedic828 (Nov 11, 2014)

I like mine on a plate ready to eat 'til it's gone.  yum..yum..burp    :rubbinghands:


----------



## GarageGuy (Nov 11, 2014)

Fried!  Our car club fries one (sometimes two) every month at our meeting.  I learned from guys that have fried hundreds of turkeys.  If you do it right, it's safe, fast, and DELICIOUS!

:thumbzup3:

GG


----------



## fixit (Nov 11, 2014)




----------



## xalky (Nov 11, 2014)

My wife slow cooks it in the oven at 250 degrees for like 10 hrs, depending on the size of the bird. It's tender and juicy, packed with flavor, and the meat falls off the bone...literally.


----------



## Fabrickator (Nov 11, 2014)

I like mine roasted or rotisserie.  Never had the opportunity to have a fried turkey but I've heard their good. Never had a smoked one either (except pieces from the store for soup).  I just let the wife do her thing and we all pig out. Turkey, fixin's, several pies, OH MY!


----------



## jpfabricator (Nov 11, 2014)

My wifes grandmother would cook her bird in the oven in a brown paper sack. The steam kept the sack from burning and it made the meat fall off the bone. It had to be served with a slotted spoon, no carving required.
I have a fryer big enough for a bird, just havent tried it........ yet.

Jake Parker


----------



## chips&more (Nov 11, 2014)

As I was reading this thread, this is what crossed my yard! 


And I like the bird in a brine overnight then oven cooked the next day.


----------



## gredpe3 (Nov 11, 2014)

The last few years it has been injected and fried,not sure if it is because it's better or it lightens the load on the ladies of the family.I personally like it old school oven roasted.


----------



## CluelessNewB (Nov 11, 2014)

I like them all but for Thanksgiving I like the traditional oven roasted.


----------



## zekeymonkey (Nov 11, 2014)

I've never smoke one, but I have to this year as I now have a pellet fire smoker.

Any suggestions on smoking a bird?


----------



## John Hasler (Nov 11, 2014)

zekeymonkey said:


> I've never smoke one, but I have to this year as I now have a pellet fire smoker.
> 
> Any suggestions on smoking a bird?



Don't inhale.


----------



## zekeymonkey (Nov 11, 2014)

Why am I suddenly thinking of Bill Clinton?


----------



## John Hasler (Nov 11, 2014)

zekeymonkey said:


> Why am I suddenly thinking of Bill Clinton?



Did he inhale smoke from a burning turkey?  That could explain a lot.


----------



## ELHEAD (Nov 11, 2014)

Maybe we are the turkeys that got smoked. Anyway my whole family voted for fried several years ago. Even though I still like smoked occasionally.


----------



## COMachinist (Nov 11, 2014)

Hi All
Great thread love hearing what others like. I'm 65 now and have always had roasted or smoked until last year. My son brought over his fryer did the bird. All I can say is wow. It was great juicy tender and full of flavor all the way through. He is planning to do the same this year and I'm all for it. Fried please.
Happy Turkey Day all
CH


----------



## brav65 (Nov 11, 2014)

I believe it is okay to smoke but you can never admit you inhaled!


----------



## xalky (Nov 11, 2014)

Hey, I'm gonna flip the bird and inhale.


----------



## MikeWi (Nov 11, 2014)

I use one of those conical wire frame stands that hold the bird upright, and smoke it.  Cooks faster than I expect every time and is absolutely amazing.


----------



## savarin (Nov 11, 2014)

As an ex chef I prefer oven roasted.
Season well, stuff cavity with herbs of choice say thyme, sage, oregano, garlic.
Rub all over with mild garlic butter and insert butter chunks under the skin.
Roast in a mod oven for 1 hour then turn down to low to continue and finish cooking.
Baste with the fat from the bottom of the tray every 20 mins.
The turkey is cooked when a fork is inserted into the fattest part of the breast at the base of the wing and any juices that leak out are clear with no tinge of pink. (else replace back in oven for further 15/20 mins and try again.
When turkey is cooked and the skin is nice and golden and crispy remove from oven, allow to stand for 15 mins, remove all the skin, throw turkey away and enjoy the nice crispy flavoursome skin.


----------



## jpfabricator (Nov 11, 2014)

HAHAHAAAA!

Jake Parker


----------



## brav65 (Nov 11, 2014)

And repeat as necessary until proceeds of life insurance have been paid to beneficiaries!


----------



## schor (Nov 11, 2014)

Fried is nice, fast too. The bird stays nice a juicy. 

Smoked is great, but takes a long time for a bird that large, I like to smoke turkey breast, comes out awesome.

On a spit on the bbq is great too, done it many times, bent my spit a few times with large turkeys and you need to have the right bbq to do it.

Best overall IMO is roasted in the convection oven, breast side down for 75% of the cooking time. It's not easy to flip the bird but well worth the effort. Hit the broil at the end to really crisp up the skin about 5 minutes before it's done.


----------



## kd4gij (Nov 11, 2014)

I chose ALL of the above.


----------



## MikeWi (Nov 11, 2014)

schor said:


> Fried is nice, fast too. The bird stays nice a juicy.


Tried that three times.  The first two times had minor oil spills that should have engulfed everything in flames, but we got lucky.  After the third and truly successful try we decided that the smoked turkey was better anyway.  I even using a smoker (Kamado #7)  the turkey is so juicy that one of my neighbors that was over for T-day 5 years ago STILL talks about it! lol


----------



## schor (Nov 11, 2014)

MikeWi said:


> Tried that three times.  The first two times had minor oil spills that should have engulfed everything in flames, but we got lucky.  After the third and truly successful try we decided that the smoked turkey was better anyway.  I even using a smoker (Kamado #7)  the turkey is so juicy that one of my neighbors that was over for T-day 5 years ago STILL talks about it! lol



If you have the time to smoke it, it actually is my favorite. I have a charcoal smoker so it's some effort keeping things just right. 

Overall for effort and time I like convection roast. A compromise from the wonderful flavours of smoked but just so much easier.


----------



## tweinke (Nov 11, 2014)

Smoked is good.                       Real hard to get lit though!   :rofl:

Seriously though I like roasted best.


----------



## Grumpy Gator (Nov 12, 2014)

Smoked long and slow with orange wood.Living on the Gulf coast you got to have some Stone crab claws and Jumbo shrimp.Throw in some glazed carrots and a mess of collard greens and mashed taters and gravy and cathead biscuts Finish with a sweet potatoe or peanut-butter pie or both. Add one couch and a football game and it's a good day. Besides after a nap those turkey sandwichs taste better.
**********Just Saying************Gator**********:lmao::rofl::lmao:


----------



## usrjcro11 (Nov 12, 2014)

Fried injected with olive oil and hot sauce


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## eightball (Nov 12, 2014)

I cantvkeep them lit,  maybe its the paper I roll with?  Actually I smoke one, debone it, and throw the carcass in the stockpot, for the dressing and the gravy.  Its excellent. Make turkey salad with the meat.slicebthe breast for sandwiches.  Then I smoke another one and fry one for thanksgiving.  The smoked always gets eaten first. I always brine the birds. I inject the fried bird.


----------



## mtnlvr (Nov 12, 2014)

Turkey breast smoked with mesquite wood, great flavor and doesn't take as long as a whole turkey.
If someone else is doing the cooking, it's all good.


----------



## MikeWi (Nov 12, 2014)

Here's something to try that I got from some cooking mag or something many years ago.  Raspberry Chipotle sauce!  Yeah, actually you can buy it at the grocery now, but it's not as good.  Just cook a bag of frozen raspberries with enough sugar to balance the sourness, add Tobasco Chipotle sauce till it's where you want, and use more sugar if necessary to bring the heat back down a little.  Let it cook down till it's a syrupy consistency and press it through a wire strainer to take out the solids.  Good on more than just turkey!  

Of course you're really supposed to use some finely chopped chipotle peppers, but the Tobasco version works just as well and is faster.


----------



## uncle harry (Nov 13, 2014)

John Hasler said:


> Don't inhale.



Just hook the legs over your ears & light up the neck.


----------

