Buying and lighting calculator · Poultry

How much whole turkey do I buy and when do I light?

A whole turkey is sold fresh or frozen, with the neck and giblets separate, and for a holiday table the usual size is 4.5 to 6 kg. Plan on about 420 g raw per person: bone, skin and cooking loss take a little over half the weight, so about 200 g of meat reaches the plate. That is close to the USDA guidance of one pound per guest. In the kamado, indirect heat at 165 °C works well, at roughly 32 minutes per kilo, with the probe in the deepest part of the thigh, which is the slowest to cook. Let the turkey rest under foil before you carve it.

How to ask for it

For 4 people: Ask for a whole fresh turkey, giblets out and not pre-brined, 5 kg in total; above 6 kg, two smaller birds cook more evenly.

A whole turkey loses just over half to bone, skin and moisture: 420 g raw leaves about 200 g of meat on the plate. 74 °C in the deepest part of the thigh.

How we calculate it

We start from a reasonable cooked portion (about 200 g of meat on the plate, 170 g of cleaned fish) and convert it to raw weight using each cut's bone and trim loss. "Hungry" adds 25 %. We round up to what is actually sold: quarter kilos, whole pieces, units.

To the cook time (per kilo or per piece, at each method's temperature) we add the kamado's lighting and stabilising (20-45 min depending on the method, as on the recipe pages), the rest, and a margin for long cooks, which vary from one piece to the next. Times are approximate: your kamado, the wind and the charcoal decide; on big cuts, trust the probe.

Frequently asked questions

How much turkey per person?

For a bone-in whole turkey, about 420 g raw per person leaves about 200 g of meat on the plate. USDA guidance is one pound (about 450 g) per person, or a pound and a half if you want leftovers for the next day. Eight guests need about 3.4 kg, so a 4 to 4.5 kg turkey is plenty; with leftovers, about 5.5 kg.

How long does a 5 kg turkey take in the kamado?

At 165 °C with the deflector in, allow about 32 minutes per kilo: a 5 kg turkey takes around 2 h 40 min. That is a guide, not a clock. The probe decides: take the turkey off when the thigh reads 74 °C at its deepest point and rest it under foil for 20 minutes before carving.

What temperature is turkey done at?

The safe USDA reference is 74 °C (165 °F) in the deepest part of the thigh, and also in the wing and the thickest part of the breast. The thigh is the last to get there, so measure it. Do not rely on the plastic pop-up timers some turkeys come with, or on meat near the bone looking pink.

Other Poultry cuts

← All cuts

Approximate figures. Sources and the portion rule are in "How we calculate it".