Backyard Turkey Cooker (Hope: home, moving, food)

[ribbets]

We saw the Boy Scouts use just a tinfoil frame to do this.
approx 30x30x30 but I brought some scrap aluminum home from work and this will cook a 15lb bird in approx 2hrs. We burnt 1 lb of charcoal to 1 lb of bird. a 23lb bird took 3hrs
We used a stainless steel rod with a 7 in. round plate to hold the bird and covered it with a cooking bag.
Hope to try a pork loin for pulled pork later this summer and maybe some baked beans

[Northern Maine Land Man]

The same thing can be accomplished with no moving parts or fabrication. It's called trash can turkey and is an old Maine tradition. Just take a 2 gallon steel trash can and upend it over your bird. The bird needs a turkey stick. It must be made of an edible wood. By that we mean maple, beech, birch, cherry or any fruit bearing tree. Don't use any tree that has needles. They impart unwanted flavors to the bird.

By the way, wrap potatoes in aluminum foil. Put them inside the can. When the bird is done in 2:15 the spuds will be done too. Mmmmmmmmm good.

Don't do this with a brand new galvanized can. Burn out the can with no food inside to get rid of any coatings before baking the first food item.

[cebdark]

Originally Posted by Northern Maine Land Man

The same thing can be accomplished with no moving parts or fabrication. It's called trash can turkey and is an old Maine tradition. Just take a 2 gallon steel trash can and upend it over your bird. The bird needs a turkey stick. It must be made of an edible wood. By that we mean maple, beech, birch, cherry or any fruit bearing tree. Don't use any tree that has needles. They impart unwanted flavors to the bird.

By the way, wrap potatoes in aluminum foil. Put them inside the can. When the bird is done in 2:15 the spuds will be done too. Mmmmmmmmm good.

Don't do this with a brand new galvanized can. Burn out the can with no food inside to get rid of any coatings before baking the first food item.

Excellent post.

Also, you can use another trash can for an adult frosty beverage called "Jungle Juice" to complement the bird - add a couple of salads (potato and pasta) to generally round out the meal.

Not that I'd know anything about these types of large outdoor 'feeds' (usually around a bonfire in the middle of nowhere) or anything...

[tankratt]

Jungle Juice a Bird and some salads. dont forget the beans buried in the ground under the bird! sounds like a good week end!

[Northern Maine Land Man]

That was supposed to be a 20 gallon steel can above. You can't get much of a turkey in a 2 gallon can and it's too late to edit the post.