Just wanted to see the different ways that people are cooking there turkeys this year. I cook mine under a bucket. For years I fried mine but this is so simple that I can not even mess it up.

Select cook site:
Site should be well away from flammable material, and sheltered from steady wind.


Prepare cook site:
Remove flammable ground cover and stones under and near planned fire locaton.


Prepare charcoal:
Empty all 10 pounds of charcoal into a pyramid shape pile, and light. Let coals turn gray.


Prepare turkey:
Defrost turkey completely, rinse with water, and ties legs together with baking cord, etc.


Prepare hickory wood stick:
Drive stick into the ground. Leave top of stick high enough to just allow bucket to be lowered over the stick.


Place aluminum foil:
Roll aluminum cooking foil onto the bare ground all around the stick to form a ~ 3'x3' foiled area.


Impale turkey on hickory wood stick:
Slip the turkey over the stick and down to the aluminum foil. The trukey's rear end (narrow end) does down.


Cover turkey and stick with plain steel bucket:
Invert 5 gallon plain steel bucket and lower same over turkey down to the aluminum foil.
There should be no handle, no paint, and no galvanizing on the bucket.


Load charcoal coals onto bucket:
Using the garden shovel, carefully move the hot gray charcoal coals from the pile to the bucket.
Pile a layer two coals deep onto the top. Place the balance around the perimeter of the bucket at its base.
Cooking times - Standard Bird:
10 pounds charcoal
10 pound turkey = cook 1 hour 45 minutes (Approx. time for golden brown bird)


Cooking times - Nonstandard Bird:
10 pounds charcoal = all sizes
~ 8 pound turkey = cook 1 hour 30 minutes (Approx. time for golden brown bird)
~12 pound turkey = cook 2 hour 00 minutes (Approx. time for golden brown bird)
~14 pound turkey = cook 2 hour 15 minutes (Approx. time for golden brown bird)
Reduce cooking time for less well done.
Increase cooking time for windy or very cold weather conditions.
Block wind from cooking bucket with nonflammable material if needed.