Vertical Roast Turkey

Every family has a best way to roast the holiday bird.
Our favorite way has two steps:  brine, then roast vertically.
The following works well for a 12-14 lb turkey, plenty for six
to eight people. 

THE BRINE:
Wash the defrosted bird, remove any prepackaged parst stashed
inside by your butcher (make stock with them for your gravy). 
Put the bird into a large non-toxic brining bag along with a
half pound of salt, one head's worth of crushed garlic cloves,
and whatever seasoning you prefer.  Add water to cover the 
bird, then seal the bag and move it to a cool dark place for
about 24 hours. 

THE VERTICAL ROASTER
A vertical roaster is a sturdy metal stand that resembles the
Eiffel tower.  Invented by Anna Spanek many years ago, it holds
the interior of the turkey open to the cooking heat, so that the
cooking time is reduced to about 2 hours in a Weber barbecue
cooker.  We use a standard 22 inch size Weber.

WEBER PREP
Set up the Weber by lining the lower interior with foil (don't
cover the vents).  Set aside the cooking grill -- not used in 
this process.  But a couple of small bricks in the central area of the
coals grate (the lower grate) where the bird and tower will stand.
Get the coals lit.

BIRD PREP
Discard the brine, and rub a mixture of salt, pepper,
and garlic into the interior of the turkey and between its skin and
its flesh.  Press the bird firmly down onto the tower  --  height
is an issue with the 22 inch Weber. Set the bird w/ tower into a
small circular pan, and put it onto the bricks in the Weber. 

COOK
Arrange the hot coals into a circle around those bricks, and add some
extra briquets on top of that circle.   With all vents open, put the
lid onto the cooker and wait two hours for the cooking to complete. 

Enjoy!