I am traveling to a friend's home on Thanksgiving Day. My plan is to smoke a whole 14 pounder heritage turkey on Wed. I would like to keep it whole and transport it to my friends , reheat and carve. My reheating thought is to place it in a roasting pan with a couple of inches of low sodium chicken broth at about 225 degrees until 165 in breast. Thoughts??
I am traveling to a friend's home on Thanksgiving Day. My plan is to smoke a whole 14 pounder heritage turkey on Wed. I would like to keep it whole and transport it to my friends , reheat and carve. My reheating thought is to place it in a roasting pan with a couple of inches of low sodium chicken broth at about 225 degrees until 165 in breast. Thoughts??
Dave
That will work, but I'd reheat at 325-350* versus 225*. You want to bring the temp up fairly quick in order to prevent the meat from drying it out. I would also avoid adding broth to the pan, there should be sufficient moisture in the bird. Cover the bird and pan with foil vs. adding broth.
My preferred method of reheating turkeys is to remove the breast lobes, legs, thighs and wings and reheat as stated above. This will bring the meat temps up much faster, therefore leaving a moister product.
Larry Wolfe
Posts: 4107 | Location: Virginia | Registered: April 28, 2004
Agreed. The only thing I'd add that the turkey need not reach 165 at reheating. 150 (a hot serving temp) is fine if carving/serving promptly.
Putting the turkey on a rack in the pan will allow for better air circulation. Cover the pan with foil, leaving a little headspace between the turkey and the foil. Also, untruss or otherwise splay the legs out a bit. This will help heat circulation as well.
Remember to cool the turkey as quickly as possible after the original cook.
(I'm with Larry as well on his preferred reheat method. Resting the turkey, uncoverd, after it's done, then separating it into manageable pieces allows for faster cooling and, later, faster reheating. I find both more important than reheating whole, and one can still make the presentation look good.)
I like to rest my birds breast-side down, especially on the larger ones when I may have a concern about the white meat getting a bit dry while the thighs come up to temp.
If you rest breast-side-down, your juices will gather in the cavity and soak down through the white meat. I usually wrap 'em in several layers of HD foil before flipping to their tummies. The extra juices soaking into your white meat will help when you reheat.
When you're chilling the bird down after it's rested, tuck a frozen 16-oz water bottle inside the cavity, or a ziplock of ice cubes. It will help chill the bird quicker.
How about just pack up the WSM and arrive 6 hours before dinner time? Do a little dinner theater and put on a show. I can't imagine the reheated bird would match fresh smoked.
Jim WSM since 2002, but only a few times a year. Those of you who cook more often are all my mentors.
Posts: 79 | Location: Long Beach California | Registered: April 22, 2003
Thanks guys for your responses. I just threw the smoked turkey which I smoked last night into the 325 oven. Tented and raised on a rack. I will let you all know how it came out. I should of said in my post that I brined and injected a light apple juice brine into the turkey prior to smoking last night. I am hoping the marinade injection will help keep the bird moist upon reheating. My drumsticks are crossed!1
