Let the games begin!!

[mdboatbum]

 

[oldschoolbbq]

This should be good ,

 

[mdboatbum]

 

[mdboatbum]

 

[chef willie]

Well, now.....look at you with a video and all....whooo who!! And, your chow is up to 325 already.....must be dinner time....Have a GREAT day.....Willie

 

[bmudd14474]

Man your food is at 325 already. LOL Cant wait to see it.

 

[mdboatbum]

Haha!! I always end up plugging it into the wrong one. Bird just went on. I'd forgotten I needed to put it on the lower rack to clear the lid. Only problem is I hadn't made a lower rack yet. Oops. Just dropped the main rack down on top of the diffuser.

 

[mdboatbum]

Wife made the pie.

 

[chef willie]

Beautiful pie....so, if u screw up the buzzard you still got good eats.....<grin>....Willie

 

[mdboatbum]

Beautiful pie....so, if u screw up the buzzard you still got good eats.........Willie

EXACTLY!!

 

[welshrarebit]

Haha!! I always end up plugging it into the wrong one. Bird just went on. I'd forgotten I needed to put it on the lower rack to clear the lid. Only problem is I hadn't made a lower rack yet. Oops. Just dropped the main rack down on top of the diffuser.

I wired some extra expanded wire together and use that as the holder for my lower rack.

 

[bmudd14474]

Love the pie. I hope the rest turned out great.

 

[mdboatbum]

It was pretty good!! Brined overnight and smoked over pecan. Skin was a little tough but didn't have time to let it air dry. Meat was moist and smoke flavor was perfect!

 

[pc farmer]

Man that bird looks great.

 

[mdboatbum]

Thanks cFarmer! Went light on the sides this year. Made stuffing with my homemade andouille, cheddar garlic mashed potatoes and Brussels and Gorgonzola slaw. And a can of cranberry sauce[emoji]128516[/emoji].

 

[mdboatbum]

This is the smoke about 10 minutes after the first video. Cfarmer had asked if my mini always smoked that much. It got a little thinner a little while later and was pretty much invisible about 2 hours in. Had to refuel once (cowboy lump) and it smoked up for a little while. I was running less coal than I normally would as the bird was sitting down at the level of the diffuser.

 

[dirtsailor2003]

Bird looks great MD! No excuse for not having time to dry the skin, that's why they make hair dryers!

 

[mdboatbum]

Skin wasn't terrible, just not what I'd call perfect. The hairdryer thing, while it did cross my mind, just seems wrong somehow. I did let it dry for about 4 hours, but 24 would have been better. I have also been wanting to try the Peking duck method of pouring boiling water over the skin, which I suspect might work very well. I, however, didn't have the nerve to try it on the Thanksgiving bird.
By the way, my plans for turducken or a variation thereof ended up being scrapped due largely to lack of time. Couldn't find duck breasts in either grocery store near me, and finally just gave up on it. We had a 20 pound bird to thaw, cook and deliver before we could start on ours, so time and refrigerator space were at a premium this year. All in all though I'm delighted with the results.

 

[disco]

I am catching up on posts I have missed and I am glad I didn't miss this one. Great looking bird, MD.

Disco

 

[mdboatbum]

I am catching up on posts I have missed and I am glad I didn't miss this one. Great looking bird, MD.

Disco

Thank you David! It was a fun day. Still working on the leftovers!