Turkey Roasting events for thanksgiving? (Portland, Beaverton: home, live, shop)

[christiner81]

before we moved here we used to take our thanksgiving turkey to a local HS Ag program and they would roast it in a big pit overnight for ~$10. it was sooooo delicious, and the bonus was that I had extra space in my oven at home for other dishes. The local boy scouts also did roasts as a fundraiser.

I've googled around a bit and haven't been able to find a group in portland/beaverton who might do something similar. Does anyone know of groups who have done this in the past?

[Nell Plotts]

I have never heard of that.

[hamellr]

That's a new one on me too.

[SETabor]

The only place I've heard of anything close to this is in Tennessee where my brother lives. I'm pretty sure its a regional thing.

[sayulita]

That's a new one on me too. Perhaps it's more prevalent in states where BBQ is a big part of the cuisine.
Sounds delicious and a great idea for someone to start here.

[Minervah]

I have heard if it but not in Portland. I would love to see it here.

[christiner81]

man, if i had space for a big pit i'd do it myself. it's so juicy when you slow cook them like that! i'd never heard about it until i got involved with the HS that put on the fundraiser, they didn't really publicize it well so i figured i'd ask around to see if there are similar things here. if i hear of one i will let you guys know!

[Beenhere4ever]

Are there any ordinances that would prevent someone having a firepit in the back yard to roast whole pigs, and turkeys, and such. When my family lived in SE, my father used to burn grape vines in a backyard barbecue and roast a turkey over it. He had an electric rotisserie to keep the turkey turning as he fed the fire for a long time. I think it took a good part of the day. A spit and pit would do the job better.

[hamellr]

I don't know about ordinances, but the ground itself maybe a problem. In parts of the Portland area (and much of Beaverton areas,) the ground is clay two to six feet down. It starts getting pretty hard to dig down far enough to build a pit.

Pacific Northwest Natives occasionally cooked by building a frame of branches and then covered that with leaves and moss. That was usually for smoking salmon, although they did sometimes cook large parts of an animal. I'd think something like that might work well.

I know several people who have a Traeger Smoker or a deep fryer and do it that way.

[Beenhere4ever]

I don't get the problem. Fire pits are holes lined with rocks. You dig it whatever depth you want and then line it. Simple enough for primitives worldwide to do it. To me, the obstacle would be laws.