Happy Thanksgiving!

[JRPizza]

Happy Thanksgiving to all our fellow oven builders and users that observe the holiday, and best wishes to those that do not. We are cooking our first WFO turkey this year. Although the oven was finished enough to cook in this summer, I figured it would take at least a year to have confidence enough to tackle Thanksgiving dinner in it. We have been so pleased with how food cooked in the oven comes out that cooking the big bird was just a natural progression.
Here's to hoping everyone that uses their oven today has fantastic results, and to those with builds in progress, the rewards for all your hard work are just around the corner

[Gulf]

John,

Any pics of the bird? This year I will have to live through other people's cooks. We are under a rare burn ban. All outside cooking is limited to charcoal or gas. No hardwood allowed except for indoor fire places.

Happy Thanksgiving to all

[JRPizza]

Joe, here's a picture of our first turkey - it was just under 16lb. Got a little late start firing the oven. Turkey went in with the dome around 570 degrees. Took about an hour to brown the skin, then we covered it with foil and put back in for 2 more hours. Probably could have pulled it out sooner, but was very tender and not dry at all. Sorry to hear you have a burn ban going on. Hopefully things will get better soon and you can get back to cooking

[Gulf]

Thanks John,

I needed that. Beautiful bird. The forum just ain't the same during the holidays without food "pron" lol.

[JRPizza]

I would have taken more pictures, including the ugliest rolls I ever made, but crunch time hit and I was, as my Dad used to say, busier than a one armed paper hanger. We picked all the meat off the bones before bed, and put them in a pot of water back in the oven to start the soup! We've been doing that with chickens to make soup or stock and there is something about the way the oven simmers a pot that gives a different quality to the broth vs cooking on a burner.

[JRPizza]

Hi all and Happy Thanksgiving! It's been a year and it's that time again. Last year we didn't have hardly any left over turkey, so this year we decided to cook two birds. A relative brought over a turkey he got online from Crowd Cow and we picked up a fresh bird from a local grocery store. The oven was fired last night, but apparently not long enough as it was only around 385F at the dome when I checked this morning. We wanted it to be hotter so we fired it for about an hour, pulled out the coals, and let the temperature stabilize. It was around 515F when we popped the birds in the oven. After an hour they were nice and brown so we covered them in foil. After an hour for the smaller bird (16 lbs) and 1.5 hours for the the bigger bird (22lb) they were nicely done. We might have been able to go a little shorter, but I always hate thinking a bird is done then finding a little pink around the bones. These were well cooked but very moist. The bones are boiling in the oven for the night making soup for this weekend

[Gulf]

Delicious looking birds. Two of them, wow! These ovens can sure take the load off of a much overworked conventional oven this time year .

[JRPizza]

Well, I didn't see any Turkey pic's this morning, so I thought I'd post ours from last night. These posts also help me remember what I did the previous year when it comes time to cook a big bird again The two birds were just slightly over 15 pounds. One was filled with a bread stuffing and the other left gluten free for my MIL. The oven was heated Wednesday night but was a little cool in the morning (~440) so the oven was fired for a half hour, which I thought was enough to get it into the low 500's. By the time we put the birds in the dome was around 465. One hour to brown plus another hour covered with foil. The amount of steam that billowed out of the oven when I opened the door was amazing. All of our guests thoroughly enjoyed the meal.
We hope all that celebrated Thanksgiving had a good time with friends and family, and congratulations to any of the new crop of builders that were able to enjoy their first meal in their new ovens.

[Gulf]

Very Nice!

[UtahBeehiver]

plus one !

[shanxk8]

Mmm looks delicious. Have yet to cook a turkey in our oven, but I'm looking forward to the result. I'll have to bookmark this thread for turkey cooking tips

[JRPizza]

Next to pizza our second favorite thing to cook in our oven is chicken or turkey. They just cook so much better in the WFO than the conventional oven.

[shanxk8]

JR, from your description it sounds as thought a bird will cook much faster than a conventional oven. Is my understanding correct?
Are there any guidelines on cooking times by weight?

[JRPizza]

Yes but that may have something to do with the temperature. We cook chickens (6-8 lb) in the upper 400s to near 500F. It usually takes about 40-45 minutes and we don't cover with foil. We can cook on in the electric oven with similar times and temps but the bird is never as moist as from the WFO. Radiant heat is a wonderful thing

[JRPizza]

Happy Day After to all! Time flies - This was our fourth Thanksgiving cooking turkey(s) in the oven. I can never remember how hot I cook them at so this thread serves as my reminder
The oven was a little cool yesterday AM after firing Wednesday afternoon - in the mid 400s, so we fired for an hour, waited an hour, and checked temp - 510 at the dome. Put in two birds for an hour uncovered followed by another 1.5 hours covered with foil over parchment paper. This routine seems to work well - we probably could have pulled them out a little sooner but had lots going on and cooking in the WFO is so forgiving of a little overcooking. Both birds were stuffed and both were about 180F in the breast. The birds were 19 and 16 lbs. The big bird had conventional stuffing and the smaller one was filled with a gluten free bread stuffing my Wife made up. We had a house full and I luckily remembered to take some pictures just as the carving started. The birds were brined overnight and were very moist and tender.