newbie: 21 lb heritage turky--high heat method

[mayitaville]

I'm jumping in the deep end.

I've never cooked a turkey before, largely because I can't stand the corporate overbred variety. So this time I got an organic etc. heritage turkey, but it only came in the 21 pound size.

The question: I want to do the high-heat method (as per the 1996 NYT recipe here: http://www.nytimes.com/1996/11/27/gar...).

Is this workable at 21 pounds, or will it not cook evenly? Any other tips?

Thanks,
M.

[NYCkaren]

I've never cooked a turkey that large but I have done the high-heat method with smaller turkeys. They always turned out great. But be warned _ it will smoke up your kitchen and your entire home. For me, that was a big issue with a 13-pound turkey. I'm sure it will be worse with a 21-pounder. I imagine it would cook evenly.