whole chicken/turkey in ham bag

quote:

Originally posted by seasoned1:
I can't find the post or remember who wrote about hanging whole chickens in the FE100. I tried it and it worked fantastic. with that in mind i am thinking about trying a combination of DLS dry salt brine method and placing the turkey in butter soaked ham bag. Just want to try a different approach before turkey day. any suggestions?

Here it is: http://forum.cookshack.com/eve...1038883/m/4492913627

I was thinking the same thing about turkey after seeing Gunny's post. I'm wondering if I shouldn't use two or three bags. After ordering them I'm not sure one is strong enough hold a 12-14 pound bird.

I'm anxious to hear your results. I have one thawing but won't be able to try it until next week.

i am trying a turkey breast this weekend and will dry brine it starting tomorrow evening. great idea on the 2-3 bags as herbs could be sandwiched in between the bags soaked in butter. i think it will also keep a whole bird in better shape for presentation and when using a brest only it will allow me to place apple, onion and whatever i think of in the breast cavity.

Ok, so I have a question.

Why?

Help me understand why?

I'm with you smokin. Hang it anyway other than the way it sets on the rack (breast up) and all my butter, rub and other stuff would drain out the cavity faster.

Also, just a hint, the breast gets hotter faster than the thigh, which actually has a higher finish temp than the breast. I bring down a rising breast temp by putting a doubled ziplock bag of ice on the breast to keep it down in temp till the thighs can rise enough. Worked like a champ last november.

with the ham bags you don't have to hang it in a head up or head down position. they stretch enough to hang it sideways and gives you the ability to have butter and herbs surround the bird. especially with breast only it lets me keep onions, orange or whatever i want to put in the cavity stay in place. it also makes spritzing the bird much easier with a simple twist of the bird as it hangs. also because i can.

quote:

Originally posted by seasoned1:
with the ham bags you don't have to hang it in a head up or head down position. they stretch enough to hang it sideways and gives you the ability to have butter and herbs surround the bird. especially with breast only it lets me keep onions, orange or whatever i want to put in the cavity stay in place. it also makes spritzing the bird much easier with a simple twist of the bird as it hangs. also because i can.

It all sounds reasonable to me, especially "also because i can". Enjoy, and let us know how it comes out.

quote:

Originally posted by seasoned1:
.. also because i can.

Hey, that's rule one, do it whatever way you want to.

Best rule of cooking, as I see it. Well, other than...it's done when it's done.

I'm cooking it this way...because I can. It'll be ready when...it's done when it's done.

I guess I didn't understand the ham bag thing and thought it was a turkey bag, like my wife used to cook a turkey in the oven.

Might be neat, post some pics.

I thought Gunny's ham bag idea was brilliant. I bought 100 bags. Tried it one time so far with a yardbird set on a grill, not hanging...loved the results.

Will do a turkey soon using more than one bag. Cheaper and easier than cheesecloth, and the birds don't have to be trussed to maintain a pleasing shape for presentation.

Different strokes for different folks...