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turkey or ham in a crock pot


Trigger Mike

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Since Christmas is on a Sunday and we need to go to church that morning, we are trying to decide the Christmas meal based on what can be cooked safely while we are gone so that we won't have hours of cooking to do when we return. Can a turkey or ham be properly cooked in a crock pot? If so, how? Would we need to put the turkey in the oven to brown when we returned?

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Since Christmas is on a Sunday and we need to go to church that morning, we are trying to decide the Christmas meal based on what can be cooked safely while we are gone so that we won't have hours of cooking to do when we return. Can a turkey or ham be properly cooked in a crock pot? If so, how? Would we need to put the turkey in the oven to brown when we returned?

 

 

 

Don't rightly know, Pard.........But.......

 

 

I'll help ya eat it ifin y'all give me a shout ! ! :lol:

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Since Christmas is on a Sunday and we need to go to church that morning, we are trying to decide the Christmas meal based on what can be cooked safely while we are gone so that we won't have hours of cooking to do when we return. Can a turkey or ham be properly cooked in a crock pot? If so, how? Would we need to put the turkey in the oven to brown when we returned?

 

Both will cook fine in a slow cooker. You may need to cut up the turkey. And, yes, to brown and crisp the skin you would need to toss it in the oven. On the other hand, is the skin really all that important? What I have been doing with turkey is boning out the breast, then butterflying it, season the inside with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. The roll and tie. Can do the thighs the same way (save the bones, back, wing tips and drum sticks for the soup pot). Grease the cooker insert, put in the turkey, maybe your sweet potatoes too.

 

 

For slow cooker ham, prep it in the usual way, put some of the glaze in the bottom of a WELL GREASED cooker, flat side down. Rub your glaze over it. Let cook. About half way through baste with some of the juices in the pot.

 

Other thing - a toaster oven. You don't say how many of you will be eating, but if it is just the two of you, you can cook a turkey breast half in the toaster oven in about 45 minutes. Ditto for thigh.

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Both will cook fine in a slow cooker. You may need to cut up the turkey. And, yes, to brown and crisp the skin you would need to toss it in the oven. On the other hand, is the skin really all that important? What I have been doing with turkey is boning out the breast, then butterflying it, season the inside with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. The roll and tie. Can do the thighs the same way (save the bones, back, wing tips and drum sticks for the soup pot). Grease the cooker insert, put in the turkey, maybe your sweet potatoes too.

 

 

For slow cooker ham, prep it in the usual way, put some of the glaze in the bottom of a WELL GREASED cooker, flat side down. Rub your glaze over it. Let cook. About half way through baste with some of the juices in the pot.

 

Other thing - a toaster oven. You don't say how many of you will be eating, but if it is just the two of you, you can cook a turkey breast half in the toaster oven in about 45 minutes. Ditto for thigh.

 

 

 

Subdeacon , lawdy.... you can come cook fer me any ole time !! ;)

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If you have about $60.00 to spare, I bought one of THESE a few years back and you can cook anything in it. I do ham and beans all the time in mine. You can set it very low and then turn it up for browning. I bought mine at Sam's a few years back and use it all the time.

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If you have about $60.00 to spare, I bought one of THESE a few years back and you can cook anything in it. I do ham and beans all the time in mine. You can set it very low and then turn it up for browning. I bought mine at Sam's a few years back and use it all the time.

 

Those things are great. We used them at church all the time.

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Both will cook fine in a slow cooker. You may need to cut up the turkey. And, yes, to brown and crisp the skin you would need to toss it in the oven. On the other hand, is the skin really all that important? What I have been doing with turkey is boning out the breast, then butterflying it, season the inside with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. The roll and tie. Can do the thighs the same way (save the bones, back, wing tips and drum sticks for the soup pot). Grease the cooker insert, put in the turkey, maybe your sweet potatoes too.

 

 

For slow cooker ham, prep it in the usual way, put some of the glaze in the bottom of a WELL GREASED cooker, flat side down. Rub your glaze over it. Let cook. About half way through baste with some of the juices in the pot.

 

Other thing - a toaster oven. You don't say how many of you will be eating, but if it is just the two of you, you can cook a turkey breast half in the toaster oven in about 45 minutes. Ditto for thigh.

It will be 6 since we have so many children. My wife has one of those Hamilton Beach flat looking rubber seal crock pots. how much cooking time are we talking for a 10-12 pound turkey or Ham?

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If you have about $60.00 to spare, I bought one of THESE a few years back and you can cook anything in it. I do ham and beans all the time in mine. You can set it very low and then turn it up for browning. I bought mine at Sam's a few years back and use it all the time.

they are safe to leave on while away from home?

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It will be 6 since we have so many children. My wife has one of those Hamilton Beach flat looking rubber seal crock pots. how much cooking time are we talking for a 10-12 pound turkey or Ham?

 

Ham is usually fully cooked, so all you are really doing is reheating it, and maybe getting some flavors into it. So maybe about 3 hours on high.

 

Turkey is another matter. Usually, an hour on high to get the temp up quickly, then, depending on size, 6 to 10 hours on low. Some say on low all the way for 10 to 12 hours. And if you want it crisp you will need to finish it in a regular oven.

 

 

they are safe to leave on while away from home?

 

So long as it is away from the wall it should be fine.

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As long as you can get the internal temp. hot enough (160 for pork; 165 for poultry) you should be OK. A big crock pot will do a small to medium turkey.

 

If you stuff the bird and use the "guts" as part of the stuffing then it's a good practice to pre-cook it. We grind 'em up along with apples, celery, spices, etc. and pan fry it. We then let it cool, mix it with the bread, and stuff the bird. That way you KNOW even the deepest part of the bird will be properly cooked.

 

Let us know how it works out! :)

 

SQQ

 

P.S. Merry Christmas!!!

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I don't think I'd do anything in a crock pot that didn't have a lot of contact with the bottom where the heat is. A ham face down or a bird with an inch or so of water. The ham is already cooked so the final temp is not too important, above 140 is good so there are no bacteria growing on it. Use a thermometer on a chicken or turkey though.

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Here's the crockpot recipe for the ham that we use...

 

Ingredients

 

1 (6 pound) bone-in country ham

30 whole cloves

3 cups apple cider, or as needed

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup maple syrup

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground nutmeg

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2 tablespoons ground cloves

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (optional)

1 orange's peel

 

 

Directions

 

Press whole cloves into the ham so they are evenly distributed. You may score the ham for easier insertion if you wish. Place the ham in a slow cooker. Pour in apple cider until only about 2 inches of ham is above the surface. Pack the brown sugar on top of the ham, pressing into the cloves. This will get washed away in the next step but any that stays on is a bonus.

Pour the maple syrup over the ham. Season the apple cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, ground cloves and vanilla. Add the orange peel to the pot. Fill the slow cooker as full as you can with apple cider without going over the fill line. Cover and set to Low. Cook for 8 to 10 hours.

 

This is really good!!

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If you have about $60.00 to spare, I bought one of THESE a few years back and you can cook anything in it. I do ham and beans all the time in mine. You can set it very low and then turn it up for browning. I bought mine at Sam's a few years back and use it all the time.

 

Them thingers are good and handy. We have several here at the ranch where we need to feed sizable groups of people. Cook in them and use them on the serving line as well to keep the food hot. Work out just GREAT. :)

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TM,

 

I feel they are as safe to use as a crockpot is. The one I have has a low of about 200 to a high of 450. I know a crockpot on high will boil water so the roaster on low is very comparable. It is large inside and will easily hold a 12-15 lb bird. Put the turkey in first thing and turn it up to 350 or so and as you leave for worship services crank it down a bit if you need to. Get back from church, stick in a thermometer to see where you are at and adjust temperature accordingly.

 

I have left mine on overnight many times cooking various items and have never encountered a problem. They are great keep food warm and reheating a large amount of leftovers as well. The inside pan comes out and is easy to clean. You can also put water under the inside pan and make yourself a huge double boiler as well. Good for the buffet line that way.

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Thanks all this is good to know, especially the recipe. Looks like I could even cook a turkey over night the night before, turn off the cooker before going to church, and it will still be warm when I get back a couple of hours later or drop it to warm. This helps. Thanks again.

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Thanks all this is good to know, especially the recipe. Looks like I could even cook a turkey over night the night before, turn off the cooker before going to church, and it will still be warm when I get back a couple of hours later or drop it to warm. This helps. Thanks again.

 

 

Turn it to the 'Keep Warm' setting, that will keep it at or above the 140 F you need for safety. Many newer cookers will, after the preset time, go to the keep warm setting.

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A few comments

 

The USDA now recommends cooking turkeys from frozen. It about doubles cooking time, I have not tried it.

 

165 for white meat is fine, but dark meat has connective tissues that will not break down until at 185. This is part of what makes cooking a turkey in an oven challenging.

 

I defrost in the fridge for 3 days. At the end of day 2 I rub the turkey down with coarse salt to "dry brine" I season before cooking inside and out, and I do not cook stuffing in the bird. I cook at 325 degrees, and flip the bird an hour into cooking, and an hour before I am done. Basting is a waste of time. I do wipe the bird down with a bit of oil after the last flip, just to get it to brown up nicely. For a 16 pound bird cooking time is about 4 hours. The last 45 minutes, I keep a close eye on the meat thermometer.

 

and finally with the two flips, I essentially cook my turkey upside down until the last 45 minutes. I did it once by accident and it turned out amazing, so I keep doing it that way. I have had excellent results with this method.

 

How long will you be gone for church? Cooking from frozen would give you a nice long window of time if you will leave the house with the oven on. (I won't but I am very cautious on some matters)

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Since Christmas is on a Sunday and we need to go to church that morning, we are trying to decide the Christmas meal based on what can be cooked safely while we are gone so that we won't have hours of cooking to do when we return. Can a turkey or ham be properly cooked in a crock pot? If so, how? Would we need to put the turkey in the oven to brown when we returned?

 

The crockpot is one of the greatest modern kitchen appliances known to man.

 

I am not a cook but I like to eat good food.

 

My wife has made ham in a crockpot that seems to melt in your mouth.

That woman can cook!:blush:

 

She has never done a turkey in it.

I don't believe the CP is big enough.

But she has done a roast of beef that nearly brought me to tears.:wub:

 

Good luck on your Christmas meal.

 

 

Waimea

 

:FlagAm:

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A few comments

 

The USDA now recommends cooking turkeys from frozen. It about doubles cooking time, I have not tried it.

 

165 for white meat is fine, but dark meat has connective tissues that will not break down until at 185. This is part of what makes cooking a turkey in an oven challenging.

 

I defrost in the fridge for 3 days. At the end of day 2 I rub the turkey down with coarse salt to "dry brine" I season before cooking inside and out, and I do not cook stuffing in the bird. I cook at 325 degrees, and flip the bird an hour into cooking, and an hour before I am done. Basting is a waste of time. I do wipe the bird down with a bit of oil after the last flip, just to get it to brown up nicely. For a 16 pound bird cooking time is about 4 hours. The last 45 minutes, I keep a close eye on the meat thermometer.

 

and finally with the two flips, I essentially cook my turkey upside down until the last 45 minutes. I did it once by accident and it turned out amazing, so I keep doing it that way. I have had excellent results with this method.

 

How long will you be gone for church? Cooking from frozen would give you a nice long window of time if you will leave the house with the oven on. (I won't but I am very cautious on some matters)

 

I don't understand the theory of "cook from frozen." It will vastly increase the cooking time and will likely end up with cooked wings and legs and frozen breast. (I'm sure there's a salacious joke here someplace but I'm too tired to look for it. ;) ).

 

I'm glad you mentioned 185 for cooking temp. The USDA website said 165 and I thought that was a bit low. I listened to a cooking show last year where the host gave a real down the road to some moron from Hollywood who'd been advised to "low temp cook" a turkey like they would a steak. It was a "chapter and verse" lesson in food safety. She said 180 was the minimum internal temp. That's what we've always done.

 

As noted above, we pan fry the stuffing before it goes into the bird to ensure it's fully cooked.

 

We do ours on a Weber Kettle. We plan 4.0-4.5 hours for 18-20 lbs. using the indirect heat method and a medium charcoal load. It's cooking, not smoking, but the temp. is relatively low (usually just under 300 degrees) and you can add lots of extra minutes without burning anything to ensure full cooking. We did this at Thanksgiving at my sister's house and result was outstanding!!!! Even the picky eaters went back for seconds. :)

 

SQQ

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