Two Turkey Cook for Thanksgiving and then Lots of Leftovers

Hard to believe it has been so many months since my last update. So much has happened. Grilled a few times and got out of the habit of taking pictures, posting, etc. I am still having a lot of fun with my Big Green Egg. Still have not cooked a lot of items I was hoping to cook by this time, but we have done a lot of cooks. Still have plans for doing pizza, wings, and some of type of stew, but hopefully that will come this next year.

We decided to do turkey on the grill this year. First time we had done turkey although I had been talking about wanting to do so since we got our grill. Carrie and I decided to get turkey breasts without the extras for this cook. Overall, I was happy with how it turned out.

Grill Prepped and Ready to Cook

I got up early Thanksgiving Day to get started. We discussed cooking Wednesday night, but I think it worked out better to do so Thursday morning. I will get into how long it took a little later, but this was the start of the process. I cleaned out all the old lump that had been used previously. It was pretty well broken up as I had done a few cooks since last cleaning it out. I wanted to make sure that I had fresh lump for this cook. I used an old cooler to clean out from inside the BGE and then scoop out ash from the bottom. Using the old cooler worked much better than trying to use plastic bags to get the old lump and ash into. Although, I still need to get some plastic gloves or something as my hands get filthy removing the old lump by hand. I have a shovel, but I found that using my hands works better.

Turkey Breasts Almost Done

We did a salt and pepper on the two turkey breasts. We let them thaw for about two days prior. They were 8.5 lbs each and I set the grill for 400 and put the birds on the grill. I used my Weber iGrill temp meter to monitor the birds while they cooked.

I placed the birds on the grill front to back. I think that was a mistake in terms of grilling as the back bird cooked really fast. I estimated it was going to take about 3 - 4 hours to cook, but the turkey toward the back of the grill cooked in about two hours. Target temperature of 165 degrees and the back turkey came off the grill almost two hours exactly. The turkey toward the front took a full three hours to cook. The next time we do turkey, I will put them on side to side instead of toward the back. I know that it burns hotter toward the back of the BGE so I will make sure to not do that again in the future.

Turkey is Done and Ready to Eat

The first turkey came off and we let it rest for 15 - 30 minutes before craving. Taking a few nibbles, it was nice and juicy. I was really happy with how it turned out and very juicy meat. The second turkey cooked another hour and finally removed it from the grill, let it rest, and then carved it up. It too was moist and good flavor. I was concerned that cooking another hour it was going to be dry, but it turned out great.

We wanted to cook enough turkey to have leftovers long after Thanksgiving Day and we accomplished that task. We had turkey with dressing, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Oh so good! For lunch a few days, we had turkey sandwiches which were also very good.

Happy with the cook and the process. I look forward to cooking turkey again next year.

I trust you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and time with your family. We had an extra day off here in Topeka with a winter storm that came through causing blizzard conditions. Tomorrow, it is back to work and back to eating food other than turkey meat. I do hope to start posting more often and not have a long gap between this and my next post. I know Eunice will be happy to see I am finally posting after a long time off. Or, at least she will stop giving my brief in our fantasy football league about not posting.

Pork Shoulder (Butt) Six and Half Hour Cook Turned Out Great!

Prepping the Grill

I have been looking forward to this day since we bought the grill last August. A day of cooking all day long. OK, I am also excited that it is March Madness and college basketball is on all day long.

Up to this point with the grill, I have only done cooking that takes a few minutes or tops an hour. I have done a few of those (see grilling) and those are fun and good, but I have wanted to do an all day cook from the start.

A short video below to show lighting of the grill. My technique which while it takes a little longer works well. Basically, I let the wood fire starters burn which then lights the rest of it on fire too. Take about 30 minutes for it to become completely lit. When I first got the BGE, I was trying to figure out how to make this light time go faster, but now I realize that is not necessary... I just have to make sure if we need to eat at a certain time, I need to start lighting the fire earlier.

Fire Lit and Wood Chips Added

Cleaned up the leftover lump from previous cooks. Removed ash and then added more lump to the fill line. I did not let the fire get really hot as I did not want to have to battle getting it back down to target temperature of 250 for the days cook. I let it get up to about 350 - 400 before I started closing vents and taking it back down. Once the fire caught, I added wood chips that had been soaking in water for about thirty minutes. Finally, added on the ConvEGGtor along with drip pan.

I let the fire go for a while before adding the meat. This was mainly done as I was trying to keep the temp right around 250. Adjusting the vents the temp went up to 300 and had issues getting it back down. Finally shut all vents and finally got it back down to 250. Once vents were opened and the temp stabilized at 250, I cleaned the grill grate and we were ready to put on the meat.

Pork Butt 5.67 lb with Mustard
and Rub Ready for the Grill

The meat is a 5.67 lb Pork Shoulder (Butt) that we purchased at Hy-Vee back in December. It had spent the past few months in our freezer until last night we decided we would cook all day today.

We started thawing it yesterday afternoon and by this morning it was ready to start preparation. We did a covering of mustard and then applied two different seasonings that we had in the cupboard. While we were preparing the meat, the grill was getting ready. Finally put the meat on the grill about noon.

A few pictures early in the cook and then one at about two hours into the cook.

Almost Two Hours into the Cook

Almost Four Hours into the Cook

We continue to wait at this point. As of 5:26 pm, the internal temp of the pork butt is 185. The temperature of the grill is about 340 degrees.... about 40 degrees higher than I want it to be, but the temperature of the meat started moving again. For the fourth hour, it was stuck at about 180. It just started to move again as we approach 5 hours and 30 minutes of cooking.

Removal from BGE

Finally took it off the grill after 6 hours and 27 minutes. Now, we let it rest for an hour before we start pulling it apart. It smells so good!

I am happy to report that it turned out great! The bone came right out with a little wiggle. Meat fell off of the bone just as I read it should after a good cook. Turned out perfect!

Very happy with the whole day. At the end when I was taking final temperature readings of the meat, I had the thermometer in at one spot where the temp got to 202... I took out the probe and put into a different location and the reading was about 185. So, I let it cook for a while longer until the temperature in that location got back up to about 195. By that time, Carrie and I were checking forums to see if multiple locations should be read; we found a discussion saying to take the average of different locations. In the end, we pulled it off, wrapped it in foil, and let  it sit for an hour.

Dinner is Served

We ate the pulled pork with sweet potato fries and green beans. It was perfection! We have a  lot leftover, but happy to report that the first try and an all day cook went very well!

Enjoyable day of grilling. I could not be happier with how it turned out. Granted, I did have to cook a little past the start of the Seton Hall vs. Kansas game, but that too turned out OK as Kansas moved on to the Sweet 16... so it was a great day!

Until next time, have a great week and happy BBQing...

I forgot to add a closeup picture of the final cook off of the grill, so, here you go....

Pork Butt From the Grill with Nice Bark

March Madness 2018 Tournament Challenge

Hard to believe it is that time of year again. Short write up with information on accessing the ESPN Tourney Challenge. Same name as last year and hopefully you will share with family, friends, and co-workers so we can get a lot of people in this group. Directions for joining are listed below.

1. Visit the link to ESPN which will take you directly to the March Madness Hopefuls.
2. If you are already signed into the ESPN web site, you can immediately create your bracket. If not signed into the site, you will need to sign in first.
3. Join the group and use the password: haverty
4. Repeat the above process to create additional brackets. In the March Madness Hopefuls bracket, you can have three entries.

Be sure to submit your entries by 10:00 am CST Thursday, March 15. This will make sure you get your entries submitted and have time to get them submitted. First game tips at 11:15 am on Thursday.

If you have any questions or problems, please post a comment to this post.

Good luck and enjoy March Madness!

Super Bowl Sunday Cook on a Snowy Sunday in Topeka

Snowy Day for Grilling

Sunday night we grilled out again after what was supposed to be flurries fell earlier in the day on Sunday. Cleared the snow off the back patio so could get to the grill without tracking snow in and out of the house. We did boneless turkey breast again (see Cooking in Late January Boneless Chicken and Turkey Breasts) and then also a pork tenderloin. Yes, it was cold, but it was enjoyable grilling. I took a few pictures before, during, and then the final product. Too cold to spend much time out by the grill. Oliver was having fun running around the back yard as I started, so you can see him in the picture to the left.

Fire is Ready!

We used a seasoning that Carrie got for me for Christmas. Once again, I used the thermometer that I can check remotely with my iPhone. Turned out very nicely!

After the cleanup of the BGE for the cook last week, it started quickly. The temperature got up to about 600 degrees before I started closing vents to bring the temperature down. I cooked right at 350 degrees for both the chicken and pork tenderloin. The chicken breast estimated it will be about fifteen minutes to cook and the tenderloin was about 20. Both took about 30 minutes total to cook. It was not bad though as I was able to watch the Super Bowl during most of the first half. I think I finished about the time half-time was starting, so worked out great!

Finished Pork Tenderloin and Chicken

Enjoying a glass of Johnny Walker, I managed to stay warm and cook what turned out to be a great meal. The temp was perfect with the meat being juicy and tender. I was happy with the outcome of the meal. The rub we put on also worked out great too. Once again, we made enough to have leftovers throughout the week. I think we will have enough leftovers for three or four additional meals during the week. I am hopeful that Carrie and I can continue to plan and prep so I can continue to grill on the weekends. Looking forward to doing whole turkey, pork butt, or smoke on a mild spring day with the Royals playing on the radio. I cannot wait!

Dinner is Served

The meal was good with sweet potato, zucchini and onions, and then sliced pork tenderloin. It was a good evening! Even better later after we finished eating, the Patriots lost. So that was fun and good evening of grilling so we can eat at home and have leftovers for a few nights too.

Have a  great night and I look forward to cooking something new soon!

Cooking in Late January Boneless Chicken and Turkey Breasts

A little late with the update from cook that I completed on January 28. It had been about a month since the previous grill which was in late December. We decided to grill a few boneless chicken breasts and then a few turkey breasts. It would be our dinner for Sunday evening and then for two more nights later in the week.

Boneless Chicken Breasts Following
January 28 Cook

I had not cleaned the BGE since I purchased it back in August, so I decided to clean it out. When I cooked back in December, I had difficulty getting the temperature high and following that cook I accounted it to be because it needed to clean it out. Sunday, January 28 was a cold day and my hands were feeling the temperature. I managed to get all of the old lump removed from the BGE so it could be loaded and prepare for the evening cook.

Turkey Breasts Done Following
January 28 Cook

I only took two pictures of the cook on January 28 of the final product. I did use a new thermometer I got for Christmas. It worked great! It syncs bluetooth to my iPhone and then with my new Apple Watch, I am able to see the temperature for up two two separate cuts of meat. Easy to use and worked out great!

Letting the grill get to high heat to start to cook off previous cooks, I brought the temperature back down to around 300 - 350 degrees. Keeping it around that mark throughout the cook. Turning the meet regularly, it took longer than I had anticipated for the meet to finish and reach being cooked. I was using a menu that I found on a Google search that said about eight minutes each side, but I would say it took probably closer to thirty minutes to cook both cuts of meat. I was afraid it was going to burn, but had no issues with the burn marks.

The meat was extremely moist and cooked nicely. There was not any smokey flavor as the temperature was higher than what would allow the smokey flavor to get into the meat. Overall, it was a very enjoyable process and we enjoyed the meal the cooked meat provided for three additional meals.

I will be cooking this evening after a snow storm came through this morning. Tonight will be a pork tenderloin and more chicken breasts, so I will once again be able to utilize the new thermometer and monitor it from inside.

Happy grilling and I will be back on here soon....