We used a large aluminum pan. How fun! If you allow your children to help, supervise them closely. It takes about 25 minutes in 350F peanut oil to cook the chicken. Minimum turkey cooking temperature is 325 degrees F. A meat thermometer can be placed between the inner thigh, the wing, and the breast. We love roughing it, but it can be a bit of a challenge at times to find new ways to fix delicious food on camping trips. 4. I really enjoy the idea and LOVE the photos that really help explain the process. Roast until the turkey starts to turn golden, about 15 to 20 minutes. A reader shared with us that they placed their turkey in an oven bag after it was seasoned and wrapped in foil. SquidAngel blessed! Put these close to the surface of the pit. Place the bagged meat on a sheet pan and cook in the 225 degrees oven for 10 - 12 hours. This will allow your bird to cook from all sides and prevent any area of the turkey from remaining raw. Covering the top with aluminum foil and then dirt, regulates the oxygen so the coals burn slowly, providing an even, controlled heat for many hours . You may need to make adjustments based on the size of your turkey. Before lowering your bird into your pit, shovel a layer of hot charcoal on top of the rocks at the bottom of your pit. * If you decide to brine your turkey, 1 to 2 days before pit cooking your whole turkey, brine it. Our turkey was so well-done it was falling off the bone. You can cook a fantastic turkey in a pit in the ground. Tear 3 sheets of aluminum foil large enough to cover and seal meat. The minimum turkey-meat temperature is 165 degrees F for a fully cooked turkey. Generally 2 to 3 times larger than your Dutch Oven is adequate. If you were to just lay the turkey in the pit on top of a single layer of charcoal, the bottom would cook, but the top would remain raw. To save time, it is best to have someone prepping the turkey (see step 3) while someone else is working on the pit and the charcoal. Remove enough dirt to make a round hole 2 feet wider than the turkey and at least 3 feet deep. Four our 15-pound turkey, two 20-pound bags of charcoal were sufficient. Lorelei Cohen from Canada on May 06, 2014: @Christian DuBois: I think quite a few of us have a bit of caveman (woman) trying to get out of us a little more often. Be sure to cover it entirely. Never even thought about cooking a turkey while camping. Be sure to wear oven mitts or Heavy Leather Gloves, as the pot will still be very hot. You can stuff your turkey with onions, butter, or any other seasonings you prefer. Really well presented and beautiful Lens! Wear gloves or mitts for this part as well—the wire handle may be quite hot. All Bacon (154) Beef (239) Bison (6) Burgers (126) Chicken & Poultry (106) Dessert (7) Fish & Seafood (63) Game (33) Hot Dogs & Sausages (45) Kebabs (6) Lamb (3) … Lower your wrapped turkey into your pit by the handle to ensure it will fit. Christian DuBois from New York on November 20, 2012: As a Neo-caveman, I'm loving this technique! Bon appetit—enjoy your turkey and make some great memories. Alternate shoveling briquettes and dirt around and onto the turkey. We are a California family that is active in the off-road community and we camp frequently in the California desert. Cook your turkey for at least 4–5 hours. FREE Express Shipping on orders over $80 US & Canada. Actually, once the turkey has cooled slightly, you can simply pull it apart with your fingers. We were camping in the desert where the soil is soft and sandy, so we placed some large rocks at the base of our pit to give it some stability and conduct heat from the briquettes. Take a few minutes to fill the hole back in as soon as possible. This is amazing!!! Thanks for the lens. Otherwise, you can leave it in the pan or basin. The pit should be almost filled with ashes and coals, approximately 2- to 3-inches deep. Using your shovel, move some of the hot ashes and coals on top of the pot. Deep fry whole chicken in a turkey fryer or a pasta pot with an insert. This Outdoor Turkey Pit Cooking recipe would make a great Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey dinner. Season your turkey/meat with your favorite dry rub, barbecue sauce, or marinade recipe. Use a long-handled shovel. (function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true); (function(w,d,s,i){w.ldAdInit=w.ldAdInit||[];w.ldAdInit.push({slot:9434909144325990,size:[0, 0],id:"ld-4487-7159"});if(!d.getElementById(i)){var j=d.createElement(s),p=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];j.async=true;j.src="//cdn2.lockerdome.com/_js/ajs.js";j.id=i;p.parentNode.insertBefore(j,p);}})(window,document,"script","ld-ajs"); What’s Cooking America is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to products which are identified on this web site with green text. For our pit, two 20-pound bags were sufficient. You did a fabulous job on this lens. Even out in the sandy desert, after the soft top layer of soil is pushed away, most camping areas are a mix of hard-packed earth. However, I am sure it is a much healthier way to cook than frying. Allow it to cool for some time before beginning to unwrap it. Charcoal can stay hot for quite some time. Place the still-wrapped bird in a large foil turkey roasting pan in … America's most trusted culinary resource since 1997, Pit Cooking – Bean Hole Cooking – Turkey Recipe. Pick your favorite brand of charcoal briquettes and buy enough to surround your turkey in the pit. This worked well on the prairies of the 19th century, where space wasn't a concern, but burying part of a cow for a few days in the backyard doesn't go over well in the 21st century. 0. Make sure you can still see your wire handle sticking out so that you can remove your meal once it's finished. Once the turkey is sufficiently covered with briquettes, shovel a layer of dirt on top of it. Everyone loved it. This is the type of cooking and meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking. A short shovel is much better for digging gently around the briquettes and turkey because it gives you more control and allows you to use smaller digging strokes so you can avoid tearing the foil around the turkey. 2. After coming across a few web pages about pit-cooking, we decided to give it a try. I thought about doing a deep fry this year but I would be the one you see on the news running down the street on fire while everyone filmed me for YouTube. Teri Villars from Phoenix, Arizona on November 30, 2011: Wow, what a detailed lens. Lighting your charcoal outside of the pit will make it easy to shovel in small amounts at a time. ....angel dust goes well with turkey perfection! We did put them in a cooking bag, before wrapping with foil. Wrap ears of corn in foil, whole pineapple in foil, green bananas in foil. I, personally, use the Thermapen Thermometer shown in the photo on the right. Remove your hand when it is uncomfortable – one is hot, two is moderate, and three is low heat – more you are just warming food not cooking. Many thanks for a lovely and useful lens. Once you are sure your turkey will fit in the pit with plenty of extra room for charcoal and dirt, lift it back out and place it on a table or have someone hold it. Dig a pit with a shovel in an area far away from buildings, trees or shrubbery. If your turkey has not reach the internal temperature of 165 F. after removing it from the cooking hole, place the turkey (in the Dutch Oven) in a preheated 350 degree F. oven and continue to bake until the proper internal temperature is reached. Coreena Jolene (author) on November 29, 2012: @OUTFOXprevention1: Well it isn't for everyone, but our turkey was cooked thoroughly and no sand or dirt got inside. Never had a Turkey. Going to do my 1\ST turkey this weekend. The turkey we cooked was about 15 pounds. Actually, once the turkey has cooled slightly, you can simply pull it apart with your fingers. Light them and wait until they are hot and gray. Use a small shovel to remove dirt and coals without puncturing the foil. An 18–24-pound turkey should be cooked for 4 to 5 hours. Chickens & ham is really good done this way also. Set aside until turkey brine is at room temperature. Guess it got eaten before it got photographed! Bring it to the garage or some other nearly outdoor location and vacuum the dirt off of the foil to avoid that telltale crunch of dirt in your holiday dinner. Some of the charcoal will go beneath the bird, some will go around it, and some will go on top of it. Deep Frying Turkey with fried potatoes, onion rings, and Red Hots for sides, make for a great Holiday or Thanksgiving Turkey dinner! Blessed. NOTE: The USDA has come up with a one-temperature-suits-all for poultry safety: 165 F. For safety and doneness, the internal temperature should be checked with a meat thermometer. Remove bag and foil and shred and serve with avocado, sour cream, salsa and corn tortillas. Place your briquettes on the ground near your pit in a neat pile. Fire Pit Turkey 2001 . Be careful that you do not lose those wonderful juices. Lighting your charcoal outside of the pit … The amount of charcoal you need will vary depending on the size of your turkey and the size of your pit. I had no idea you could pit cook a turkey! Nov 23, 2017 - :smiley_tofrocks: we tried this this weekend and it was outstanding!! enjoyed eating meat this way, had it a lot and appreciate the way you presented this to your readers today. (deployads = window.deployads || []).push({}); Outdoor Turkey Pit Cooking Recipe that is a great variation on cooking your holiday turkey. the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar into a 5-gallon upright drink cooler and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely You are now ready for the Dutch Oven with the prepared turkey to be placed in the hole. Mix all the dry seasonings together and rub over the top and sides of the meat. Watch Thousands of Top Quality Video Lessons for Free! Place meat on the sheets of foil. Step 2 Line the pit with bricks or large stones to keep the walls stable and evenly distribute heat. Deep pit turkey. This helps keep the bird nice and juicy while making it extra delicious! As you dig, make sure your pit is deep and wide enough to comfortably fit your turkey, your briquettes, a few rocks, and a 3-inch top layer of earth to cover your cooking bird. wonder what my neighbours would say if i make a turkey in the garden below our apartment house .-). Coreena Jolene (author) on April 09, 2014: @SusanDeppner: I guess we got too excited to eat our delicious turkey, sorry for that. So you've mastered the art of the oven and avoided burning your house down while deep frying a turkey. Enough aluminum foil to cover your turkey four times, Enough charcoal briquettes to surround your turkey in a pit, A metal pan or basin large enough to hold your turkey. This recipe for Baltimore pit beef has been a long time coming. To begin, select an appropriate location for your pit. Top 6 Turkey Injection Marinade Recipes - thespruceeats.com Pack the top layer of dirt down tightly—you don’t want a breeze to clear dirt off of your pit and cool your briquettes. Susan Deppner from Arkansas USA on April 08, 2014: Ooh, I was looking forward to a picture of the finished product. Place turkey in brine mixture and soak in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours. I would have to be extra careful since I am the food safety general! After the turkey is done, the pit area remains hot for several hours. Keep kids away, and don't forget to fill the pit back in! we wrapped it in foil then put it deep in the coals in the ground with a coat hanger around it, the we ate it with the meat coming off the bone, just falling off: yum. Layer the briquettes, bury the turkey, and cook. Check out more great Poultry Recipes, Cast-Iron Cooking Recipes, and how to Brine Poultry for a moister and tastier dish. Nov 20, 2006 #1 :smiley_tofrocks: we tried this this weekend and it was outstanding!! Wow, I have never heard of this, but it sounds pretty cool! Watch Free Video Tutorials : Country Deep Fried Turkey Recipe by the BBQ Pit Boys ( videos). Lorelei Cohen from Canada on May 25, 2012: Wow this is such an amazing step by step instructional on how to cook a turkey in the ground. ©Jolene Belmain or used with permission from FlaminCatDesigns. Dig up the Dutch Oven, brush off the dirt and ashes, and remove the lid with a Lid lifter. Once you've seasoned your bird to your liking, take some heavy-duty aluminum foil and started wrapping it. Make sure there is some air in the area around the pot. It’s a super simple recipe that injects the turkey with a flavorful butter and beer injection. Keep the barriers up around the pit area until the next morning. Happy holidays! Work slowly and be careful when digging up your turkey. Put on the bottom of the pit. Using a shovel or Hot Coal Shovel, make room for your Dutch Oven by moving some of the hot coals in the area around where the pot will be. Let the turkey rest, out of the pit or oven, for approximately 15 to 20 minutes before carving. If desired, also rub with your favorite seasoning rub. Be sure to completely cover the turkey multiple times. Sherry Venegas from La Verne, CA on December 01, 2011: Our one time try at pit cooking did not work too well, but with these directions, who could fail? Make sure that you burn all the wood down to a big bed of coals. Products New. Blessed! You don't have to give up on having a Thanksgiving (or Christmas) turkey just because you are camping with your family for the holiday. DO NOT put stuffing mix inside the turkey as this will turn to mush during the cooking process in the pit. I might give it a try some time. Lower your turkey into the pit on top of the briquette layer. Amazingly presented to serving the perfect turkey....any turkey would be proud! You want the internal temperature to reach 165 F (remember that the turkey will continue to cook after it is removed from the heat of the fire). Fill in around the side of the turkey with a couple inches of coals, mound coals on top for another three inches or Time to push it to the next level! Once lifted from its pit, place your turkey safely in your large metal pan or basin. I get many readers asking what cooking/meat thermometer that I prefer and use in my cooking and baking. Learn how to pit-cook a turkey so you can celebrate the holiday while you rough it! It's extremely important to be thorough when covering your turkey in foil to ensure no dirt or charcoal gets in during cooking. Photos are also included with each step to help you follow along. Detailed instructions for each of the above steps are laid out below. It was on my radar as something I really want to develop a recipe for from my early days of cooking because it was somewhat familiar to me from past trips to Baltimore and also incorporated both my love for grilling and roast beef. Next, rub the entire outside of the turkey with butter and season it with your favorite spices just like you would an oven-roasted roasted turkey (we used poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, garlic, and onion). 1-844-944-2697 martha@bbqpitboys.com. This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional. Have a special friend watch (and learn!). Meat must reach a temperature of 165°F. You can do this by leaving it in the refrigerator 4-5 days before you plan to roast your turkey. Home. Children should not be allowed in the area unsupervised. Ours cooked all day and it was falling off the bone by the time we ate it. We documented our pit-cooking procedure and have provided step-by-step instructions and process photos below so that other outdoor-oriented folk who don't want to skip Thanksgiving dinner just because they're off the grid can do the same! Turkey Brine, optional*Butter. If you need to, make adjustments to the pit so that it can accommodate your bird. Unstuffed turkeys cook faster than stuffed ones. Thanks. Once all the foil is removed, you can carefully place your turkey onto a platter or serving tray if you have one available. It’s important to follow best practices when working with large pots of hot oil. 1. We unwrapped ours in the aluminum pan atop a picnic table. Sounds like a delicious way to prep a turkey for Thanksgiving or Christmas - I'll have to keep it in mind. The Lowell Hotel-Pembroke Room’s Afternoon Tea, Perfect Prime Rib Roast Recipe – Cooking Instructions, Perfect Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast Recipe, What’s Cooking America ©2004-2020 by Linda Stradley, What’s Cooking America Privacy Policy and Disclosures. Be sure you allow for plenty of time to defrost your turkey. How to Deep Fry a Whole Chicken in Peanut Oil. Blessed! Once the sides of the turkey are surrounded, shovel more briquettes and dirt on top of it. Next, shovel a layer of the hot briquettes onto the rocks and bottom of the pit. Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan in the lower portion of the pre-heated oven, legs toward the back. Insert the meat thermometer into the fleshy part of the thigh without touching the bone. I love food cooked outdoors and over an open campfire. Thread starter socal duckie; Start date Nov 20, 2006; socal duckie 2014 will be the year! You will get the leverage you need with a long-handled shovel. Preheat oven to 225°F. There should be several inches of dirt sealing up your pit. You may want to have a carving knife handy if you don't cook yours for as long as we did. You've done a great job introducing us to the process, too. Place barriers around the pit-cooking area for safety. Light them and wait until they are hot and gray. Who doesn't love yummy turkey. Place your briquettes on the ground near your pit in a neat pile. Blessed by the Barbecue Angel! Place the prepared turkey in the Dutch Oven. Arrange the meat so that it is equally distributed within the pit. The amount of charcoal you need will vary depending on the size of your turkey and the size of your pit. Check out this very interesting and informative article on Dutch Oven Camp Cooking. Cover with the lid.Make sure you use some heavy wire to attach the lid as this will keep dirt and ash out of your Dutch Oven. Plan ahead to defrost your turkey! We need to try pit cooking a turkey during one of our camping trips for sure, the kids would love it! To learn more about this excellent thermometer and to also purchase one (if you desire), just click on the underlined:  Thermapen Thermometer. Serve up this rustic dinner by cooking a whole turkey, pit style when out in the wild camping or river rafting, or for your family’s holiday dinner. Deep-pit barbecuing means taking a large hunk of beef, such as a chuck roll or rib roast, and burying it in a hole lined with coals. Before doing any digging, put on your gloves or oven mitts to protect your hands from the heat. on top of the bed of coals breast side down. Chapters Updated; Advertise; Contact Us; About Us. Make sure the foil is sealed tightly. They said it worked out perfect! Looks like a fun thing to try. 1 (10 pound) turkey, fresh or thawed, with giblets and neck removed. Be very careful not to stab your turkey with the shovel while trying to dig it out—you do not want dirt to get inside it, and it would be a shame if any of its juices escaped and were lost to the earth. What a great lens! Our pit was approximately 3 feet deep and a little less than 3 feet wide. Cook the turkey for approximately 4 to 5 hours. Recipes. Prep time does not include refrigerated time. Awesome! Estimate heat of oven – Place your hand about 6 inches over the coals on the lid and count one thousand one; one thousand two; one thousand three. Hopefully, you don't pit cook the Flamin' Cat. Dig a hole/pit big enough to fit all your rock/bricks and your cast-iron Dutch Oven. Thank you. This style of pit cooking is also know as “Bean Hole Cooking.”  If you have the time and place to cook your holiday turkey in an outdoor pit. Very informative and lots of fantastic pictures. Finally, grab your heavy-duty wire and wrap it around your foil-covered turkey to fashion a handle that you will use to lift it out of the ground once it's cooked. Be sure to choose a spot that is at least 15 feet away from any tents, trees, or other materials that could be fire hazards. Coreena loves camping and exploring with family and sharing innovative ways to enjoy the comforts of home in the great outdoors. Do not touch the bone with the thermometer. If you are fresh out of ideas check out the video link in our media library for some ideas. The chickens were well done after 3hrs. We ended up covering ours in tin foil about four layers deep. Large cast-iron Dutch Oven with lid (see photos on right)River rocks or bricks (river rock is best)Metal wireAluminum foilLots of fire woodShovel. A pit barbecue is an exercise in turning a hole in the ground into an oven with hot coals provide the heat. Ingredients: 20-25 lb turkey uncored green apples olive oil fresh spice leaves for poultry seasoning bacon strips The Bird: 20-25 lb bird.