also new to the festivities, two men in a boat. we added beer butt ducks to the menu. here they are with the appropriately placed beer cans in their aluminum boat waiting to go grilling.
the grill is heating up just for them
smoking the day away
the two men, all smoked and ready to rest before the carving
also new this year, wild mushrooms. our shiitakes made it into the stuffing but up the street, a neighbors tree was covered in oyster mushrooms. the gang hiked over and came back with these beauties.
a close up of the oysters
darry preparing them for the grill
mmm, yummy mushrooms
the turkey pit. we actually got the turkey going first and did all of the other stuff while it was roasting. the stake and the ground are foiled and ready to receive signals...
the bird is hung on the stake and a probe is inserted. the probe is insulated with foil and buried under the ground to prevent it from burning up
the trash can is placed over the bird
darry lights the fire
let the waiting begin...
luckily, the probe and the remote are working. we could keep track of the internal temp of the turkey without removing the trashcan. our 21 pound bird took about 3 hours to cook
so what to do whilst we wait? we toss a ball around
and around...
we talk a lot
we watch other people toss a ball around
we talk some more
we tend the fire
and before you know it, the alarm chimes out: your entree is ready! (in a creepy female robot voice)
and there it is, one trash can turkey!
the spread-the turkey was displayed in what else, the lid to the trash can, fitting! we had such a wonderful time. the weather wasn't great but at least it wasn't cold or raining(or snowing for that matter) and we had a chance to enjoy the company of some of our most favorite people for a truly delicious meal. hope you all make it down for next years bash, who knows what we will cook, but it will be fun!