Everything you need to know is here. I’ve used this guide for 8 years and it’s served me well.

https://cookshack.com/blogs/recipes/turkey-101

https://cookshack.com/blogs/recipes/brining-101

Tony.

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

It's not about time ~ it's about the temp.
It needs to get to 165.

Winner, watch the temp.

I have smoked a turkey breast on my Primo for Thanksgiving. I made a brine of sugar, kosher salt, garlic gloves, and quartered onion and let the turkey breast go overnight in the fridge.

Remove all liquid and dry thoroughly then season.

I laid bacon strips over the breast to protect it from drying out and smoked it at 275F until the meat was around 180 degrees.

Check out one of BBQ forums for specific recipes and detailed instructions.

Best of luck,

Mike

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:
Roughly speaking, how long for an 18-20lb bird? I know, cook to temp, but I'm just looking for ballpark figures.

Only smoke smaller birds; 15# max. Larger birds take too long and run the risk of bacteria. @225, 30min/# and @250, 25min/#. So 15# @ 250 = 6hr 15min. I have never smoked at 350. You can smoke two at the same time. Figure 1-1/2# per person and you will have leftovers.

As was said, wasting time to brine a frozen butterball. Fresh turkeys can be brined or injected.

I use a mixture of butter and thyme and spread it over and under the skin. This yields crispy golden skin. Other aromatics (herbs & citrus) can be laid in the cavity.

Oh, I forgot: I smoke for about 4 hours and remove to the kitchen oven where I use the corded oven thermometer that shuts off the oven at 165! If the bird finishes early, cover with foil and wrap with towels. Then 1-2 minutes under the oven broiler will dry the skin.

quote:

Originally posted by 4x5:

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.

Unless you already bought the bird, I recommend smoking two small turkeys, no larger than 12lb each. You can smoke one whole and spatchcock the other. If you already bought the bird, spatchcock it and brine it. Use tender quick in your brine. This will add a safety layer to your smoking.

The guides I posted on the top of the page include critical food-safety information that you will benefit from reading.

This was my last turkey. It came out great.


Tony.

For you that like to Brine. A hint. Grab one of those large oven bags made for turkeys. I put the turkey and brine in one of those. I have to make half as much brine. Squeeze the air out of the bag and you're good to go.

quote:

Unless you already bought the bird, I recommend smoking two small turkeys

Agreed.

I typically do two small ~5 pound whole turkey breasts.

Takes about an hour a pound for these whole breasts/torsos, so ~5 hours for both at once. (But entire turkeys will be different, especially larger ones.)

We usually do 2 20+ pounders. We like leftovers. I do not brine, I just rub with olive oil. I like to use mesquite chunks or, a new to us product, logs, available at Home Depot. I smoke between 225 and 250 for 5 to 6 hours, until the thigh meat reaches 165.

The large Weber Smokey Mountain will hold 2 20+ pound birds.

Lots of great advice in this thread.

One more just to be sure.

Time depends on the Temp cooked and the size of the bird, you'll need several hours for a 250 cook on a 20 pound bird, how many it's hard to say, allocate 4 to 5 hours at least, and of course monitor the temp. It's the important thing.

As an alternative, provided you don't give up access to the oven you can smoke the turkey on 250 for 4 hours and finish it in the oven in the house at 350 for a crispy skin and to get it to temp quicker.

Interesting topic on the brine on some Traeger forums, if you look at the ingredients on the frozen birds you'll see they come brined in a salt solution before frozen. So the bird has been in fact "brined" from the store.

The best way is to get a fresh bird and brine it if you want to change the flavor using a custom brine.

It was mentioned to do two 12's vs one 20, and I'd agree, the 12's will cook to temp quicker than a 20. That is what I've done for the past years.

I cut the legs off prior because the breast will be 165ish but the thighs are still under.
When the breast hits the mark on the thermometer, remove and continue doing the bony dark meat until it hits the mark.
Smokey gravy is top tier stuff!

I used Aaron Franklin's recipe for turkey breast.

Buy fresh not frozen turkey breast with skin and on the bone. I get mine from Publix.
Remove skin and trim from the bone.

I usually do 2 different flavors.
Rub, use 2:1 black pepper to salt. I use course ground black pepper and course salt.

For the second one I use poultry seasoning for more of a Thanksgiving flavor, with light salted and black pepper. The poultry seasoning I use doesn't have any salt in it.

Get your smoker to 265° at the grate, smoke with a mild wood, I use pecan or oak. Smoke till 140° internal, double wrap in heavy duty foil with a lot of butter patties on top and continue to smoke till no more than 160° internal.

Slice and enjoy! Most people seem to enjoy just the salt & pepper ones I do the best.

The trimming to the final product usually takes no more than 2.5 to 3 hours. A really quick and easy thing to make Thanksgiving morning without have to get up at zero dark thirty.

I made 4 breast one year and we had 9 adults and there was plenty and still had left overs.

I've toyed with just getting the breast, since few here eat the dark meat, but everyone wants to get the bird in full regalia....

Maybe for Christmas this year I'll do a ham and a breast, since it's what everyone seems to eat...

Get the extra-large rolling papers.

------------------------------------
After my mother passed away, I took over the turkey smoking duties from my parents and we started having my dad over. I followed their recipe of marinating the turkey for about 18-20 hours in a what I think is an amazing marinate, I also stuff the turkey with celery, onions, apple slices, orange slices, rosemary, thyme and parsley. I also add the same in the water pan below the turkey.

Then I use applewood or mesquite and smoke in a basic cylinder-style electric smoker for about 7 hours(full turkey) or 5 hours(turkey breast). In order to get the right amount of smoke flavor without overdoing it, I add a second batch of wood about two hours into the process and that is it. I soak the wood in water for about 16-18 hours.



.

For you guys that do the breast only do you get that at a meat market or are you talking about the boneless breasts like they cut sandwich meat off in the deli.

quote:

Originally posted by David W:

quote:

Originally posted by smschulz:

It's not about time ~ it's about the temp.
It needs to get to 165.

Winner, watch the temp.

I have done probably every cooking method and love smoking a turkey on my BGE. The only thing I will add is to just make sure you get the internal temperature of the turkey above 140 degrees before the 4 hour mark. That is considered the danger zone of bacteria being able to grow if it stays under 140 degrees for too long.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
For you guys that do the breast only do you get that at a meat market or are you talking about the processed breasts like they cut sandwich meat off in the deli.

I get mine at Publix, they are fresh not frozen ones.

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
For you guys that do the breast only do you get that at a meat market or are you talking about the boneless breasts like they cut sandwich meat off in the deli.

Ditto on Publix. The bone is still in the breast.



.

Ive learned that when smoking poultry you are usually better off going with a higher temp to get that nicer crisp skin- the trade off is less smoke flavor. That being said, poultry can be oversmoked- it really doesnt need as much time as pork/beef. My winning combo is a good poultry rub, and injected with cajun butter. I smoke at 300 on my GMG Daniel Boone, and add additional smoke by using a Amazn smoke tube. To me it has just the right amount of smoke and seasoning plus a nice golden brown skin.

quote:

Originally posted by wingfoot:

quote:

Originally posted by 1s1k:
For you guys that do the breast only do you get that at a meat market or are you talking about the processed breasts like they cut sandwich meat off in the deli.

I get mine at Publix, they are fresh not frozen ones.

$.49 a pound for Publix Turkey