I will be giving this a try. I haven't cooked a turkey in a while.My husband has always fried them, but this year he has to work. I am expecting 25-30 people and I don't want to mess it up. Funny thing is I rarely ever eat any turkey, because I love eating all the different side dishes....and all the yummy desserts.

I "smoke" mine on a Weber grill. A couple chunks of hickory for extra flavor. Directly on the grate so there is no drippings for me. Coals pushed way to the side so they don't burn the bird... indirect they call it. Work gives me a turkey which is a basic water enhanced 12-14lb bird. I've used the grill for the last couple three years because it is quick and easy. I let mine cook for about six hours. I don't really time it just freshly started charcoal and I put the lid on until the charcoal has burned out. As you can see in the picture the leg bones pulled out when I took it off the grate. No problem being tender and well done. The skin peels off like paper! This bird was simply broken apart. I'm single and tear my bird apart for several meals. They can be taken off the grill looking better if you want a table bird.... two people on dealing with getting the bird up and one getting the pan under. As you can see I used a sheet of parchment paper and oven mitts... pvc gloves work better. They make a pretty bird if you don't pull the leg bones out getting it off the grill. Once the skin is off I cover it with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. : ) lyra

I usually do my turkey in my CSO using convection steam with probe in thigh to 160 degrees. BUT this does not produce enough drippings for gravy. I solve this by having frozen chicken stock in the freezer. Since I was only cooking for 5 adults/2 kids yesterday I did a 13 lb turkey on convection (no steam) to 160 in thigh. I thought I might get more drippings on this setting. Nope. Good thing I didn’t need much gravy because I still had very little drippings and no frozen stock on hand. Done in 90 minutes. definitely tastier/juicier on Convection Steam imo. Back to convection steam for next turkey....chicken stock in freezer.

Lots of good info there! Of course, the genius of the antiquated Gardenweb format is that we keep answering the same questions over and over, and our answers change slightly over time as we learn new things and refine our techniques. I've pretty much given up stuffing the bird. It affected cooking time too much, took too long at the wrong time in my schedule, and, probably from using the wrong kind of bread-things, wasn't coming out the way my mother's did. Before I start, I clean the sink area really well, and unwrap in the sink. It's the best way for me to contain potential contamination. Before touching the turkey, I put on close fitting food service gloves. They also help remind one not to touch anything else, but they also keep my hands warm handling that big, cold bird. The giblets go in a prep bowl to be addressed later. The turkey is inspected well for feathers and pinfeathers, which are removed, and I make sure the cavity is clean. Since I'm going to be scrubbing down the sink anyway, I do rinse the bird. It seems to like it, whereas the chickens I get from the butcher's case don't seem to care about bathing. Then it's open the trash can and blot dry with paper towels, which go right into said trash can without touching anything. The turkey goes on a large food service board I keep for the purpose (meats) and which can go in the dishwasher. I cut a long branch of tarragon into turkey sized lengths and put them in the cavity, sometimes with a lemon or orange which has had its zest removed to the desserts or similar. My birds are usually about 22 lbs. so there's plenty of room. I also season inside and out, usually with a blend of salt and pepper, and whatever else takes my fancy. It's more habit than anything. I don't think it really affects the flavor of such a big bird. Sometimes I put chunked root vegetables in the bottom of the roaster (Le Creuset cast iron--wonderful "goose pot". I also have a silicone covered rack that goes in, then the turkey. A bottle of inexpensive but palatable white wine goes over the top. Usually, my turkey is too big for the lid to go on, so I crimp the edges of a sheet of heavy duty foil and lay it on top like a blanket. Whenever I think of it--about once every hour or two--I baste the turkey, but mostly that lets me keep an eye on it. I figure the time by poundage and pull it out to rest for at least half an hour, then carve. It's always brown and gorgeous. People sneak into the kitchen and take pictures of it while its resting. I don't do anything special to achieve this, so am bemused by the reaction.