ChefSteps is a team of chefs, writers, and food lovers who develop recipes, techniques, and guides to help people cook better at home.

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When it comes to Thanksgiving turkey, we eschew tradition in pursuit of epic perfection. While Norman Rockwell’s aesthetic is the turkey that home cooks aspire to create year after year, we’d argue that bird looks a tad overcooked. We ask you—why roast that big bird whole when you can sous vide <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/the-most-tender-turkey-breast-ever">breasts</a> and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/crispy-tender-confit-turkey-legs">legs</a> separately to perfection, prepare a stunning <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/turkey-crown">crown</a> and satisfying <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/turkey-roulade">roulade</a>, turn it into <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/transform-thanksgiving-with-turkey-yakitori">yakitori</a>, or even <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/extra-crispy-fried-turkey">deep-fry it KFC-style</a> (without burning down the house)?Never satisfied with the same old, same old, every year we set out to find new ways to prepare a masterpiece Thanksgiving centerpiece. This year harkens back to ChefSteps roots of huge [link https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/the-epic-outdoors outdoor cooking] adventures—think <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/wall-of-fire-a-chefsteps-story">Wall of Fire</a>, <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/campfire-chicken-and-corn-dumplings">Campfire Chicken and Dumplings</a>, and the <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/world-s-largest-sous-vide-pastrami">World’s Largest Sous Vide Pastrami</a>. We were inspired by classic Hawaiian “luau turkey.” Prepared in the same manner as ceremonial luau pork, the meat is moist and shreddable. Thanksgiving BBQ? That’s right up our alley!We swapped salt for soil and set out to make an epic salt-crusted turkey in Grant’s <a href="https://cowboycauldron.com/">Cowboy Cauldron</a>. We filled that huge plate steel cauldron with more than 200 pounds of salt and heated it over an open flame. Instead of individually salt-crusting vegetables, apples, and the turkey, we nestled everything in the cauldron. Did it work? Check out the video above for the results and keep on reading for more details about this epic experiment.