Need help with TrashCan Turkey!

sjturbo,

Late to the post, but to eliminate the lighter taste, pick up a charcoal chimney starter, and use saved bacon grease on paper towel for very easy charcoal lighting! And as you know, KBB for charcoal, or other "standard" charcoal!

I have considered trying this also, but have not found a large enough trash can that is not galvanized.

Chris

Trash Can Turkey Trivia Conclusion! Hope everyone had a great ThanksGiving! Ours was spent with friends at Catalina State Park in Oro Valley, AZ. Weather was great. Turkey, some good some not so good. Bucket size was perfect for 12lb bird. Twelve lb. charcoal could have been ten. Bird was done in 1.5hr or so, but not believing the thermometer waited extra 1/2hr. Bird perfectly browned, moist and falling apart. Now for the not so good. We used self lighting charcoal and did not seal the can to the foil good enough, SOooo the bird tasted a bit like lighter fluid :(. I knew that might happen if I did not have a good seal at the can and the foil. Another seasoned TCT pro we met seals the base with a ring of soil to keep the air in an odor out. Oh Well. It was a great experience and will try again at Christmas, but with some modifications.

Thanks for all the reply's to my query! I first saw this done with heavy duty foil as the base, a 5gal bucket, a metal rod to mount the turkey on, charcoal around the base and a couple of holes drilled at different heights to stick in the thermometer probe, (for different size turkey's). The Big Easy sounds like a nice package and if I had time and a spare $150.00 that might be nice,(some of the reviews remark about the cylinder rusting quickly). Larger can might take up to much cargo space as would a kettle grill. SOoo, I will forge ahead and see what happens! Thanks again!

saw a Trashcan Turkey cooked for the first time last February .... the fellow who cooked it covered the top of the turkey with foil to help prevent it from burning from the heat of the coals above .... he did a good job, it really was good .... that said, too much trouble for me to be interested in doing one

Jim

I've seen them done in an oven, a smoker and a Big Easy and it just sounds a lot easier.

We burned the galvanization off the can with a tiger torch before using. Other than that the rest of your instructions are correct.

Fire up the "Big Easy"...doesn't get any easier than that. Great results.

sjturbo wrote:
Going to try TC Turkey for the first time. Have a 5 Gal bucket. Have a 12lb turkey. Foil base, and plan on 10-12lb charcoal. Any on top? Placing turkey on a "beer can turkey" stand. Am I missing anything? How long should this take? Any suggestions would help! Cooking for four people. Emergency alternative, In & Out Burger is 5 min away;)

That sounds like WAY too much work and mess.

Borrow a big round weber grill.

Throw Charcoal in, spread it to sides when hot. Add a foil tray of soaked wood chips. Put bird in middle of grate. Put weber grill lid on and open vent on top and bottom. That's it! All you have to do is wait until done. :B

This is the ONLY way I cook Turkeys now. Taste is out of this world!

You realize that the turkey sits on a stake driven into ground that has been covered with a large enough sheet of aluminum foil (a large beer can stand will work) then can goes over the turkey (upside down) and then the charcoal is on the top of can (which is really the bottom) and around the side

You are basically making a 'dutch oven' out of the can. 5 gallon bucket is going to be too small......10 gallon can is just the right side (20 gallon can too tall/too much air volume so dig a trench and set it 8-10" below grade)



Need enough charcoal to cover around the base of can & cover the top, about 20# of charcoal

Cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. (usually until the charcoal turns to ash)
DON'T lift can to check turkey......all your heat will be lost