Brick Oven Turkey

My portable brick oven sits, most of the time, in my backyard.  I hope to build one in my sun-space so weather will not be an issue.
Thanksgiving weekend is rarely warm in northern New England but for the second time in the last three years, the turkey got cooked in the brick oven.



Over time I have streamlined the process of heating the oven to any desired temperature.  In total, I may have spent twenty minutes getting the oven to an even 439 degrees Fahrenheit.  It also took very little dry firewood, placed in successive large pieces allowing long burns and a relaxed firing.

The word from the kitchen was, "Start the bird at 425 for an hour and bring the temp down to 325 for the remainder of cooking."
Got it.


Just before I put the turkey in (on a rack in a roasting pan), I placed a large chunk of applewood against the coals at the rear of the oven.  The turkey went in and the door was shut, choking the smoldering applewood and trapping the smoke and heat where I wanted it.

When the timer went off an hour later, the internal oven temp was 336 F.  An hour later a meat thermometer showed the internal temp was 165F.    
The turkey came out on time, moist, delicious, and gently sizzling.

We could have baked the rest of the meal in the oven but the wind was blowing 30mph at about 40F so the comfort zone for outdoor cooking had long been blown SE by the NW wind.

Wood-fired ovens are often thought to be labor intensive but with practice, it's possible to cook in them with a minimum of 'work' and a maximum of 'satisfaction'.  

Bon appetit!

Thank all of you who came to this post.  It's 2016.  I built eight brick ovens this year, two for bakers and chefs and six residential.  I hope the ovens are host to a number of well-deserving turkeys:)