Coal-Roasted Turkey, Dry-Brined
A bird cooked in a lidded cast iron pot over coals, brined dry so you carry salt instead of a gallon of water.
- calories
- 420
- weight
- 10 oz
- cal / oz
- 42
- protein
- 48 g
- serves
- 10
- prep
- 20 min
- cook
- 150 min
- total time
- 170 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Dinner
- Dutch oven
- Campfire coals
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Dairy free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Actual cooking
Ingredients
| Bone-in turkey breast or small whole turkey | 6-8 lb | thawed at home, not at camp |
|---|---|---|
| Kosher salt | 3 tbsp | scale to about 1 tsp per pound |
| Dark brown sugar | 2 tbsp | |
| Dried orange and lemon peel | 1 tbsp | granulated peel from the spice aisle |
| Dried rosemary | 1 tbsp | crushed |
| Garlic powder | 1 tbsp | |
| Ground ginger | 1 tsp | |
| Cracked black pepper | 1 tsp | |
| Bay leaves | 2 | tucked under the bird, not eaten |
| Canola or other neutral oil | 3 tbsp |
Method
- At home, mix the salt, sugar, peel, rosemary, garlic, ginger, and pepper. Rub it over the whole bird, inside and out. Bag it and hold it in the cooler at least overnight, two nights is better.
- At camp, burn a hardwood fire down to coals. You want a bed you can hold a hand over for three seconds, no flame.
- Pat the bird dry, rub it with the oil, and set it breast-up in the Dutch oven on the bay leaves. Do not add water.
- Lid on. Set the oven on a shallow bed of coals and shovel more coals across the lid, roughly twice as many on top as underneath.
- Refresh the coals every 30 to 40 minutes. Rotate the pot a quarter turn each time so one side does not scorch.
- Cook until the thickest part of the breast reads 165F, about 2 to 2.5 hours for a breast and longer for a whole bird. The thermometer is the only honest way to know.
- Pull the pot off the coals and let the bird sit with the lid on for 20 minutes before carving.
The original version of this is a Thanksgiving project: a gallon of vegetable broth, a gallon of ice water, a stock pot big enough to hold a turkey. None of that travels. A dry brine does the same job with three tablespoons of salt. The salt pulls moisture out, dissolves in it, and gets drawn back in carrying the sugar and aromatics with it. Same seasoned, held-together meat, no bucket.
The pot is doing what the wok did in the source: holding heat steady from below while the lid traps it above. That is why the coal ratio matters more than the fire size. Too much heat underneath and the bottom of the breast is leather before the center is safe. Refresh coals on a schedule and check temperature, not the clock, because a windy camp and a still one cook at completely different speeds.
Packing
Rub goes on at home, so all that travels is the bagged bird flat on the cooler ice and a small bottle of oil. Bring a probe thermometer, long tongs, and a folding shovel or a spare pot lid for moving coals.
Variations
- Set halved potatoes and carrots around the bird for the last hour. They cook in the drippings.
- No cast iron with a flanged lid? A foil-lined pit with the bird wrapped in heavy foil works, though the skin will steam instead of brown.
- Bone the carcass out over breakfast and simmer it for stock; it makes the next night's rice worth eating.
https://www.lodgecastiron.com/blogs/recipe/how-to-cook-a-turkey-in-a-wok