Cook your turkey in a trashcan

[finecraft]

We've done baked turkeys, deep-fat fried turkeys and smoked turkeys, but we've never baked our turkey in a trashcan. I saw this method in our paper yesterday, and we're thinking about it. Anyone ever done a turkey this way before?

Equipment:
10-gallon metal trash can with lid, unpainted
10-pound bag charcoal
3 bricks (to balance the upturned trash lid, where you start your coals)
Heavy-duty aluminum foil
36-inch wood or metal stake (must support turkey)
Small foil pans
Hot pads
Small shovel for transferring coals from lid

Ingredients:
12-pound turkey
Olive oil
Poultry rub
Marinade
Injection kit
Beer or wine

Pour charcoal from bag into the overturned lid of the trash can. Light coals, and let coals burn until fine ash forms. Coals are then ready to put around bottom and on top of overturned trashcan.

Preparing the turkey:

Once you’ve thawed and rinsed your 12-pound turkey (and removed the neck and bag-o-giblets), you should give it a good injected marinade. Instructions call for an ounce of marinade per pound.

On the outside, give the bird a good olive oil massage followed by a generous sprinkling of dry rub.

If you have your own favorite marinade or rub recipe, go for it. For this trial I rubbed the bird with Paul Prudhomme’s Poultry Seasoning. For the marinade, I used Tony Chachere’s Creole Butter Injectable Marinade (it comes with a syringe).

While the turkey and spices are getting to know each other, head out to the yard to choose your cooking area. It should be level ground. Pound in the cooking stake to a depth that allows the garbage can to cover the turkey once it is impaled on the stake, plus 3- to 4-inch clearance. Set your foil on the ground and over the stake and you’re ready.

Warning: The coals leave a nasty burn on the ground, so pick an area that you don’t mind renaming the “Ring of Fire.”

Step-by-step cooking

Prepare the cooking area with heavy-duty aluminum foil, making sure to cover the stake with foil. Then impale the bird, legs down, on the roasting stake. Optional: Fill pans beneath turkey with beer or wine and giblets.

Cover the turkey with the 10-gallon trash can, leaving 3- to 4-inch clearance between the bottom of the upside down can and the bird. The can should be snug and level on the ground.

Carefully transfer one layer of hot coals onto the top of the can. Distribute the rest of the coals along the bottom circumference, scrunching them as tight as you can against the can. Once the coals are in place, let the turkey cook for 90 minutes. DO NOT LIFT THE TRASH CAN DURING COOKING TIME.

When the 90 minutes is up, scrape the coals off the top and away from the bottom. Then, with good quality oven mitts, carefully remove the hot can and set aside.

[The empressof all]

1. Dearest Finecraft

You have taught me something about myself today that I am finding uncomfortable to deal with. I'm sure as your name would indicate that you are a very fine person....But why in gods name would you want to do this to a poor Turkey on Thanksgiving?

I know I am being intolerant and somewhat snarky here. But don't you have an oven?

Thanksgiving is all about the smells of the roasting turkey in the oven, the stuffing, THE GRAVY!!!!!

I have had barbecued turkey. I have had deep fried turkey. Both are tasty and have a place in the world of menu planning......NOT ON THANKSGIVING.

I'm sorry, I don't intend to insinuate that you don't know what you are doing here or that you must follow my traditional Thanksgiving Ways.

It Just seems sooooo wrong.


I didn't know I was one till today but I think I am no longer A closeted Thanksgiving Fundamentalist

[finecraft]

2. Esteemed Empress

Thank you for pointing out what you feel are the error of my ways. But, with all due respect, I must disagree.

Whereas you may see the traditional way to cook a turkey by observing and honoring the sacred bond between a turkey and an oven to be the only way, I on the other hand, believe that as Americans we all are guaranteed the freedom to engage in non-traditional methods of preparing a turkey, should we choose so.

Though my suggested method may seem unconventional to you, I assure you that in no way should you feel that cooking a turkey in a garbage can threatens your fundamental belief that a Thanksgiving turkey should only be cooked in an oven. I, and others like me, that barbecue, fry or cook our turkeys in a trash can, have no intention of pushing our unconventional holiday meal preparation methods onto you, your children, or your grandchildren.

I know what you are thinking, " Oh my God, how do I explain to my children that the neighbor is cooking her turkey in a trashcan?" Might I suggest that you explain to them that the world in made up of many types of people. There are those that hold sacred holiday traditions very dear, and though it may not be their preparation method of first choice, maintain the sacred ritual of cooking their turkeys in the oven. There are others though, that are born with a different spirit...a spirit that finds no joy in cooking their turkeys in an oven, and yearn to find true happiness, and their true self, in preparing their Thanksgiving turkey in a trash can, or a barbecue, or a deep fat fryer.

Cooking intolerance has no place in a society where unconventional meal preparation methods should be looked upon as a celebration of our diversity. I honor your commitment to traditional holiday turkey preparation, and wish you nothing but success. All I ask, is as you look out your kitchen window, and see people like me out in our back yards, huddled around our barbecues, fryers and garbage cans, please don't despise us for our unconventional choices. Celebrate with us our joy in finally acknowledging and accepting that not everyone wants to prepare their turkeys in an oven, and other options are available to us. And finally, please wish us nothing but happiness in our pursuit of our "perfect thanksgiving turkey". :)

[ironflange]

3. OK, OK, you two, break it up

I go for the old-fashioned oven way FWIW, though our T'giving is long gone. Why not do the trash can thing for a summer party? That would be a great show! What I really mean is, why do most people only have turkey at T'giving and Xmas? We've learned to enjoy it year round, at least once a month. Turkey is too damn good to save for only a couple of holidays.

Rant finished. Sorry for the interruption.

[mike_c]

5. lol

:toast:

[Eurobabe]

4. please make sure this is a CLEAN trash can...

sorry but the association here is making me gag...

[mourningdove92]

6. Fincraft, I pity those who have never shared the joys of a

home smoked turkey.
We will be having more than one turkey this year (large family gathering), one roasted, one fried and one smoked. I was eyeballing your trashcan story with great interest.

[NashVegas]

7. Is This Taking "He-Man" Cooking to Extremes?

or is it just me?

[Neecy]

8. As intriguing as this sounds...

What do I do if my back yard is full of dog shit?

That would surely be an untraditional Thanksgiving dinner.

More worrisome, though, are the little squirrels and bunnies running rampant in my yard, and I'd hate their ruin their Thanksgiving by having them hurl against the red-hot coals. Then again, I suppose you cook COOK squirrels and bunnies in a trash can for a truly non-traditional Thanksgiving.

Is this some kind of hillbilly tradition? Just asking.