Turkey Cannon - Experiment #1

Last fall, during a contest sponsored by PinchingYourPennies.com, I won a specialty turkey roaster called a turkey cannon.  Dorky name for a pretty cool product.  My cannon arrived last week (long story), so after my weekly grocery trip where I picked up a whole chicken, I was ready for a test drive cook.

The turkey cannon can be used for a turkey or whole chicken over 4 lbs. in weight.  It can be used in the oven or on the outdoor grill.  It assembles easily and can be just as easily disassembled to be washed in the dishwasher.  The included instruction book had lots of information, but it was a bit disorganized so it took a few minutes to figure out just what needed to be done.  I followed the instructions exactly this time (stop laughing!), but I thought of a few things to try differently next time.  Some instructions are critical to success:

1.   Use a pan with sides in the oven.  Just enough juice escapes that it would be a hazard without an edge to keep it off the bottom of the oven.  I did line the pan with foil which meant that the burnt on drippings didn't need to be soaked and scrubbed afterwards.
2.  Measure the liquid that is poured into the cannon.  The instructions say 1 - 1 1/2 cups of liquid.  I put in 1 cup of teriyaki sauce.  That was all it needed.  One more drop would have spilled out.
3.  Trim all excess fat from the bird before sliding it onto the roaster.  The instructions warn about spattering and there was plenty of that even with a carefully trimmed bird (thanks Harmons for taking care of that!)

Here's the chicken all decked out and ready for the oven:

I used teriyaki sauce in the cannon; salt, Mrs Dash garlic and herb blend, and Mrs Dash Fiesta Lime on the outside.

Ta da!  75 minutes later, here is the finished deliciousness.  We ate a great deal of the chicken for dinner tonight and there is enough for another good-sized meal leftover.  Yum!

Next time I use the turkey cannon, there are a few things that I will do differently...

...more seasoning inside and out.  The meat was juicy and seasoned, but could have used more zing.  I worried that using a liquid like salsa might make the meat too spicy for the gringos around here, but I think that I'm going to try it next.

...plan for more time in the oven.  The instructions say that the bird will cook more quickly using the turkey cannon, but I didn't find that to be true.  This 4+ lb. chicken needed 75 minutes which is what the instructions suggest that roasting a whole turkey would take.

...cook it at 425 for a larger portion of the roasting time.  I was worried about drying the chicken out by cooking it at the higher temperature, but I think that instead of 30 minutes at 350 and 45 at 425, I'll try it all at 425 next time.  The crispy skin was very tasty.

...gotta try the grill, too.  I think that a smoky, grilled flavor would be wonderful with meat that is so tender and juicy!

Thanks again PinchingYourPennies and Camp Chef for my new tool!