trash talkin turkey

several years ago, i read an article in the newspaper about cooking a turkey in a trash can.  i do not recall all of the details but i think it may be something that took place in an army camp by soldiers stationed abroad wanting to have that turkey day dinner without having the opportunity to use an oven to roast it.  as i said, it was about 4 years ago and i do not really remember the article clearly any more but i can say that the technique works and we do this every year, weather permitting. 

first step is to brine the turkey.  darry does this in a cooler.

the turkey is still a little frozen when he puts it in the brine

and in place of some of the water, he uses ice.  this helps

to keep the turkey cold and prevents bacterial growth.

the salt in the brine also helps keep it from turning.

be sure to soak it for about 12-18 hours, but not longer.

we have a turkey pit in the yard.  it is just a small circle

of bricks that gets lined with foil just for the occasion.

there is a foil covered wooden mop handle in the ground

that holds the turkey.  before hanging the turkey up,

an old angel food pan is placed on the ground and filled with

water and various herbs and things.  the turkey gets slipped 

onto the post and darry covers the breast with foil and ties

the wings down.

darry making sure the bird is secure.

darry tying down the wings

the metal can is placed over the bird

darry and justin building the fire around the can.

do not be tempted to use lighter fluid or strong scented wood,

they will flavor your bird!

the last step, we wait for the bird to cook!  if you look

closely, you can see the little white temperature monitor.

before covering the bird with the trash can, darry inserted

a temperature probe into the breast and then buried

the cord in the dirt to protect it.  he ran the cord out

of the pit and attached the monitor.  we were able to

watch the temperature rise to the needed 170 without

ever removing the can.

yet another milestone

it is always fun to have a birthday.   those of you who know me should be picking up on the sarcasm in my voice... but really, it is nice to have your family bake you a cake and sing to you and then watch as you open presents.  unless you happen to be a pastry chef and your family tradition is to pick up an ice cream cake for the occasion.  this year, i made it clear that i do not particularly like ice cream cake and all i wanted was for my family to bake me a cake.  they were not excited by this announcement, actually they were a little intimidated-baking a cake for someone who wrote an entire book on cakes...the horror of it all!  however, i encouraged them to open that book to an easy cake and have at it, that was all i wanted.  just try it, let me take pictures and we'll have fun with it.  in my book is the recipe for the yellow buttermilk cake with instant fudge frosting.

here is alix measuring the ingredients for the cake

darry and alix are mixing the batter

darry putting the batter into the pans

the lovely miss devon, frosting the cake

the finished cake with just the right number of

candles

sometimes, the best culinary adventures are in your own kitchen.   even better are the memories of making something together with your children.  happy birthday to me!