Pellet Grill Turkey

Last year I did a turkey on my Reqtec and it was awesome.

This year the wife wants to make homemade gravy with the drippings. I’m wondering if I can put the turkey in a roasting pan and then on the pellet grill?

Do you think having it in a pan will affect the cook much?

I put mine on one of these racks in a 1 inch pan. Works well. Cooks a little slower though. This turkey turned out amazing. Just wish I could remember how long it took! Lol.

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Thanks drifter! I have not done a spatchcock before. But that looks great.

I am thinking an uncovered pan would not affect it much. But my wife thinks the drippings may cook off and would need to be covered. Oh well

Put it on a wire rack in the roasting pan. IMO, after you use the pan in a smoker, it becomes a dedicated smoker pan.

-J.

I have smoked for an hour or so @125, then place in foil pan to finish cooking @250-300F – I prefer to leave it uncovered.
Roasting pan w/rack, this gives best results – although my experience is limited to oven use. Can’t convince the wife to sacrifice the one we have.

Yeah a pan will be just fine, but I would use a disposable one or you will ruin one for in the house as was mentioned.

I do one is disposal pan every year and it is my favorite way to do a turkey. The gravy is phenomenal from the drippings

When I have smoked a turkey I don’t get much for drippings, I assume because it’s a slower cook and it evaporates most of it? I did see someone use carrots, celery and onion as the “rack” on a pan (ie set the turkey on top the veggies), and that seemed like a good idea to enhance the drippings.

I tried the spatchcock method a few years ago – never made one “whole” since…

Easier to get the dark thigh meat to temp without keeping cooking the breast till its dry.

Easiest way to tell if it’s overcooked? The little temp pin in the breast is popped. Dark meat can take a little more heat due to fat content – put that end toward heat. Pull when thickest part of breast is 160° and let rest – temp will continue to rise as it sits. That is as long as the dark meat is at least that temp also…