Hey, not bad! This was my first time cooking a turkey outdoors using a camp oven with coals.The charred spots are pieces of skin that were touching the lid. The rest of it is golden brown!
I was told later, that I could have put aluminum foil on top, to keep those spots from charring.
I used a Lodge 14 inch deep camp oven. I had to remove the breastbone so it would fit.
This was a 14 pound turkey, although I would have preferred a 12 pound turkey.
But as it's not thanksgiving, I didn't have a very wide selection to choose from.
Would I do this again? Probably not, but it was a great experience.
It's a lot harder to regulate the temperature using coals, than in a regular oven.
I used an app on my phone, called dutch oven calculator, to calculate how many coals I would need.
Using a 14 inch oven, you need 26 coals to make 325 degrees.
I'm wondering if, because it was hot outside, that made the temperature of the oven hotter.
I used 18 on top and 8 on bottom, although maybe I should have used half on top and half on bottom.
I'm still fairly new to the use of coals. The turkey turned out good, though.
I seasoned my turkey the usual way, with poultry seasoning, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, butter, and "better than bouillon" chicken base.
I made my cornbread dressing, and gravy, the traditional way-- indoors!
