thanks, mrslarkin. it is a cake, actually a crawfish. my friends do an annual crawfish boil, and i generally make a fancy cake for it.

Essentially you want to vertical roast your turkey right? Try using something that is dimensional similar to the turkey. A tube pan probably is not the best of ideas or a 12 lbs. bird. Maybe a brick, washed, and covered with foil, set vertically on a half sheet pan, would work better for a smallish turkey. The brick would heat with the oven and cook the bird in the center and the ambient heat would cook it from the outside. The trouble obviously being the brick is not the most stable item and it would add considerable weight.

Sounds intriguing! I suppose if your oven is big enough, it's certainly possible. Let us know if you do it!

hardlikearmour, nice lobster! is that a cake??

Hi AJ. I was thinking about it as well! I worry about how much clearance the bird would have with the top of the oven and where the heating elements are. It might make the heat uneven, which is not a problem with a little 4 lb chicken, but could spell big trouble with the breast meat on the turkey. Laying in a roasting pan, the breast meat is more centered in the oven. I have a feeling we are gonna roast a laying down bird.

I think it would work as long as it will fit well. Otherwise you could consider a beer can turkey using a 24-oz can of beer. http://bbq.about.com/od/turkey/a/aa111205a.htm