I've had a smoker for almost a year, mainly do pork butts and chicken. My wife wants me to try smoking our turkey this year for Thanksgiving. What do I need to know before I give this a shot?

I am NOT the person to take advice from but I did a chicken a couple weeks ago in our Big Joe. I kept the heat around 280-300 had a little hickory in there and just stuck a thermometer in the bird and took it out at 165 degrees.

It was the best chicken I’ve ever cooked.

We are going to try a similar thing with the Turkey so I will be anxious to hear what folks have to say.

Hardest part is getting it in the bong and keeping it lit...

Chris Lilly smoked turkey

Actually got this from his BBQ book, but recipe is in link. It works great to still get some smoke flavor on the bird, not too much and still keep it super moist.

Basically you're making a seasoned softball of butter, putting it on top, covering pan with foil using butter to keep air around turkey and then cutting a small chimney over butter. Butter melts over chicken, smoke/slight dryness gets in through the chimney. Want more smoke - just make a bigger hole next time.

Delicious!

Smoked Turkey is great, I brine mine 24 hours in advance, then make a seasoning mix of soft butter/margarine with the seasonings which is rubbed on the meat under the skin and on top of the skin.

Smoking time depends on temp and weight, I use a digital wifi temp sensor to monitor the temps of the breast which we get to 165 internal breast.

I'll run more smoke for an hour, then turn up the temps to 325 on the Traeger, again it's about temp not time. In stead of doing a 20 to 24 pound bird I'll do two 12 to 13 pound birds, the cook takes less time.

You can also spatch cook a bird which should reduce time significantly, or allow you to run lower temps for longer time for more smoke.

There are several different recipes and techniques on Tragers web page. The method I described is the Ultimate Turkey recipe.

Its' gooooood....

[URL= https://www.traegergrills.com/...chcocking]Link[/url]

Injecting with with some seasoned butter is a good start. Flavoring it the way you want is a good thing and it'll also help to keep it from drying out. Also season the exterior, salt and pepper, pre bottled seasoning or make your own.

Keep the temperature pretty low. I have a Classic Joe and usually keep the temp at around 200° and smoke it for half an hour per lb. Using a smoke tube with small chunks, shavings or wood pellets will help get more smoke flavor if that's desired.

The wife usually finishes it off in the oven afterward.

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Smoked Turkey is great, I brine mine 24 hours in advance, then make a seasoning mix of soft butter/margarine with the seasonings which is rubbed on the meat under the skin and on top of the skin.

Smoking time depends on temp and weight, I use a digital wifi temp sensor to monitor the temps of the breast which we get to 165 internal breast.

I'll run more smoke for an hour, then turn up the temps to 325 on the Traeger, again it's about temp not time. In stead of doing a 20 to 24 pound bird I'll do two 12 to 13 pound birds, the cook takes less time.

You can also spatch cook a bird which should reduce time significantly, or allow you to run lower temps for longer time for more smoke.

There are several different recipes and techniques on Tragers web page. The method I described is the Ultimate Turkey recipe.

Its' gooooood....

[URL= https://www.traegergrills.com/...chcocking]Link[/url]

Roughly speaking, how long for an 18-20lb bird? I know, cook to temp, but I'm just looking for ballpark figures.

Like what is said above.
I brine it prior and cook usually takes about 5-6 hours at 225~250
Just monitor with a probe on the internals.
It's not about time ~ it's about the temp.
It needs to get to 165.

From a couple years ago ~ last year I let my buddy cook but back at it this year.

It isn't a secret, but brine it first. Get a turkey that hasn't been injected with mystery fluids, and brine it yourself.

I smoked my first turkey 7 or 8 years ago, and the meat turned out OK but the skin was rubbery. Lastmanstanding provided a game changing tip that I use for both chicken and turkey - smoke it hotter (275 to 325). I've been doing 325 ever since and get nice crispy skin.

My thoughts on wet brining:

95% of the time, wet brining is a waste of time. The reason is that most turkeys are injection brined prior to freezing and it's ~8% of the weight of the turkey (i.e. 1.6 pounds of a 20-lb turkey is brine). Dunking a turkey in a brine isn't going to add anything to the injection brining it already received. I actually did a test one year and used cranberry juice in the brine to see how deep it went and it only colored the surface.

The other 5% of the time, is where you've purchased (intentionally or accidentally) a turkey that wasn't injection brined before freezing or refrigerating. However, it's not going to go very deep anyway so might as well reduce your time and expenses by dry brining (~1/4 tsp per pound of meat the night before) and applying a salt-free rub right before smoking.

Temperature:

Cook to temperature not time

Throw away that god awful pop up thermometer. It's not accurate. Think of it as a device that says it's safe to eat, but doesn't give a shit if it tastes like 30 year old shoe leather.

I highly recommend ThermoWorks Thermapen. It's extremely fast, extremely accurate, and extremely rugged. In 2012, I tried to cheap out and bought Amazon's best reviewed $20 instant read digital thermometer and it lasted about 7 months. I replaced it with the Thermapen and not only is it faster and more accurate, but I'm still using it. All I've had to do is keep it clean and periodically swap batteries.

Beware of old cook books. A few years ago, the USDA changed the safe temperature for poultry to 165. It used to be 180 which why so many people think turkey is dry and tasteless. A few years ago, our Thanksiving host had the cookbook from their wedding and served 180 degree turkey an hour late. It was dry as all get out and if they would've pulled at 165 it would've been both on-time and moist.

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Ego is the anesthesia that deadens the pain of stupidity

DISCLAIMER: These are the author's own personal views and do not represent the views of the author's employer.

Spatchcock it. Works wonderfully. Cooks a bit more quickly and evenly. Plus, you should get more smokey flavor because of the increased surface area. Lastly, it makes carving a breeze...

I do this every year on a RecTec (now named RecTeq).

Unless you're just gaga for dark meat, I suggest smoking just the breasts/torso. It's more forgiving for beginners.

So don't buy a whole turkey; instead get a "whole turkey breast" (which is just the torso).

Brine the night before.

Smoke at 250ish until 165 internal.

I brine mine and then roast it in the pellet smoker using some pecan pellets. Roast it the same as if in an oven. It isn't "smoked" but actually roasted with some smoke to it.

A couple things I do that weren't mentioned yet......I put a Red Onion and an Apple inside the bird. And I baste with Apple Juice mixed with a bit of Olive Oil. I always BBQ mine Breast side down.

I smoked a turkey breast for the first time last thanksgiving, so I am by no means an expert. I had an older smoker with a bad seal. It was also snowing and about 25 degrees. I only smoked my turkey for about 2-2.5 hours. It was not to temperature. I balled up large chunks of aluminum foil and put them in the bottom of a pan. I put about an inch of water in the bottom of the pan, but the bird was out of the water, then covered the whole thing with foil. I finished it in the oven for a couple hours. The steam kept the Turkey really moist. I also did the butter/seasoning under the skin and brined the night before. Turned out surprisingly well.

My dad smokes them every year. Uses apple wood for the smoke, over oak coals or kingsford(blasphemous) run em around 300 for a few hours, no water in the bowl.(he uses a Webber stand up smoker)

quote:

Originally posted by bozman:
Spatchcock it. Works wonderfully. Cooks a bit more quickly and evenly. Plus, you should get more smokey flavor because of the increased surface area. Lastly, it makes carving a breeze...

I do this every year on a RecTec (now named RecTeq).

+1 See the link Rodney Scott - Charleston SC

Rodney Scott BBQ

I have been using this method for several years and it has not failed me.

I used to fry a couple of turkeys for Thanksgiving but after I got a Big Green Egg I smoked and fried one. After that year we have not fried anymore turkeys and only have smoked.

This brine worked very well for me! Did mine on my Pit Barrel Cooker.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/re...turkey-brine-2250057


Ingredients
3 cups apple cider
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3 tablespoons tricolor peppercorns
5 whole bay leaves
5 cloves garlic, minced
4 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped off
Peel of three large oranges, removed in large strips
1 turkey


Directions

Combine 2 gallons cold water with the apple cider, brown sugar, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, rosemary and orange peels in a large pot. Stir until the salt and sugar dissolve. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat and cover.

Allow to cool completely, then place into the fridge to chill. Place uncooked turkey in the chilled brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours.

When ready to roast the turkey, remove from the brine. Submerge the turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water. Allow to sit in clean water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside.
Discard the brine. Remove the turkey from the clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.

Discard the brine. Remove the turkey from the clean water, pat dry, and cook according to your normal roasting method.