Xantoms brisket thread caused me to start thinking about my turkey smoking methods.

The challenge is that the thighs, legs, etc need an internal temp of = or > than 165, but the breast needs to be kept at 150°. I've tried about everything possible to smoke a turkey whole, and get the right temperatures.

Just smoking it whole results in the breast hitting 150 when the thighs hit 145.


The closest ive come to getting it right is by putting an icewater soaked wrag over the breast to keep the temps down. That resulted in too long of a cook time due to swapping out the heatsink so often, letting heat out. The breast meat was perfect, the dark meat was perfect, but the skin was too soft and rubbery.

Spatchcocking it helps, but i still end up with the breast hitting 150 at the same time the rest of the turkey does.

This year im going to cut the turkey up, and put the white meat in the smoker at a later time.

Anyone have a different method to hit 150° in the white meat, 165° in the dark meat, while still smoking it whole for presentation/appearance, that also results in nice crispy smokey skin?

I take the easy route... I just smoke turkey breasts. Much easier to get right. I'm doing two 6 pounders on Thursday.

IMO, smoking a full turkey isn't worth the extra hassle, just to get a bit more dark meat.

Inject with pure salted butter. Smoke at 275 degrees for about four hours. When the breast reaches 165 degrees, then smoke for one additional hour.

Rogue, by just smoking the breasts, you are missing out on an incredible turkey gumbo the next few days.


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quote:

Originally posted by redleg2/9:
Rogue, by just smoking the breasts, you are missing out on an incredible turkey gumbo the next few days.

So you're just going to drop that nugget and then leave us hanging, without a recipe?

(I bet I can substitute leftover white meat chunks...)

I've taken to a combination of your approaches. First, I spatchcock it, then DRY brine for 24-36 hours, uncovered on a wire rack over a pan in the frig. Add a LITTLE baking powder to the brining salt to change the surface pH (here's a link https://www.seriouseats.com/20...h-baking-powder.html ) , and really rock the crispy skin. Then, ice the breasts (crushed ice in a gallon ziploc bag) to partially freeze the breast meat as you let the rest of the bird come up to room temp for an hour. Remove the ice bag, the cook the bird.

quote:

Originally posted by Outnumbered:
I've taken to a combination of your approaches. First, I spatchcock it, then DRY brine for 24-36 hours, uncovered on a wire rack over a pan in the frig. Add a LITTLE baking powder to the brining salt to change the surface pH (here's a link https://www.seriouseats.com/20...h-baking-powder.html ) , and really rock the crispy skin. Then, ice the breasts (crushed ice in a gallon ziploc bag) to partially freeze the breast meat as you let the rest of the bird come up to room temp for an hour. Remove the ice bag, the cook the bird.

So, doing this your able to hit 150 in the breast about the time the thighs hit 165°?

Thats what i was going for with the icewater wrags and still the breast meat cooked too fast.

The baking powder trick with the dry brine is awesome. Ill be doing that! Thanks.

I wonder if i could spatchcock the turkey, remove the breast, smoke the turkey then put the breast in later.

We have smoked whole turkeys on our Weber kettle for about an hour or hour and a half then finish them in the oven. Comes out great and they are still moist and tender.

Jim

quote:

Originally posted by Ken226:

quote:

Originally posted by Outnumbered:
I've taken to a combination of your approaches. First, I spatchcock it, then DRY brine for 24-36 hours, uncovered on a wire rack over a pan in the frig. Add a LITTLE baking powder to the brining salt to change the surface pH (here's a link https://www.seriouseats.com/20...h-baking-powder.html ) , and really rock the crispy skin. Then, ice the breasts (crushed ice in a gallon ziploc bag) to partially freeze the breast meat as you let the rest of the bird come up to room temp for an hour. Remove the ice bag, the cook the bird.

So, doing this your able to hit 150 in the breast about the time the thighs hit 165°.

Thats what i was going for with the icewater wrags and still the breast meat cooked too fast.

The baking powder trick with the dry brine is awesome. Ill be doing that! Thanks.

To be honest, it's usually a little closer to 155-160 in breasts and 170-175 thighs, as I like thighs a little more
rendered. A key component in this succeeding is the extended DRY brine process; it buys a much wider window of forgiveness for juicy white meat.

I also used to work at a place that had abundant dry ice (pellets). I'd put a second bag of dry ice over the first bag of wet ice to really turbocharge the breast cooling. Worked like a charm. A little extra work, but I'm a food geek and enjoy finding just the right hacks.

Spatchcock your turkey! I did this a couple years ago when I smoked my turkey on my BGE.

It's listed as option #3 on Amazingribs.com Many benefits to having a more even cooking temperature on inside (bone side) and outside (skin side):

it cooks faster.

less chance of burning the skin side to get meat done on the bone side.

Less chance of having dry turkey

When I pulled my Maverick's temperature probe it shot juice over a foot. That's a juicy bird.

Whichever way you choose to cook your turkey, cook to temperature on an actual thermometer (not that god awful pop up thingie) not time. If you don't own a good leave in thermometer, order one delivered next day or 2nd day air:

Maverick ET-733 Long Range Wireless Dual Probe BBQ Smoker Meat Thermometer Set - the one I own

ThermoWorks Smoke™ 2-Channel Alarm - the one I'd buy if I were shopping today

ThermoWorks DOT - accurate but affordable at $43

ThermoWorks ChefAlarm - accurate and a few more features than DOT - $64

I always check large cuts of meat, turkies, and whole chickens in multiple places with an instant read thermometer. Here are two options (I tried pissing around with the ones on Amazon but only get a few months out of them and they're slowwwww):

Classic Super-Fast® Thermapen® - the one I own. The $59 sale on red, yellow, or green ends today

ThermoPop® - the accurate but budget minded ($34)

https://www.thermoworks.com/Thermapen-Mk4 - the latest and greatest, but $99

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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.

My smoker has a decent built in thermocouple probe. I use it, as well as several good oven thermometers.

So, im definitely going to spatchcock it. Definitely going to dry brine with baking powder.

I dont think ill be able to get any dry ice, so im still deciding what do do with the white meat.

I think ill follow some of the advice above. Inject it with salted butter, keep ice on the white meat untill the moment it goes into the smoker. Ill monitor the temperature, and if the white meat starts cooking too fast, ill pull it off the smoker and do some surgery.

I use Aaron Franklins method smoking fresh turkey breasts. Remove skin and trim from bone. Rub is 2:1 of course salt and pepper, smoke around 250-275 degrees with a couple of chunks of oak till 140 degrees internal then double wrap in heavy duty foil with a full stick of butter patties, place back on smoker. Remove from smoker at 160 internal, rest for 20 minutes with foil open then slice and serve.

It’s super easy and taste great, it was a huge hit last Thanksgiving and everyone requested it again this year.

spatchcocking it is the bomb. So much easier and faster to cook. A lot easier to cut up for the table as well

Almost forgot, you can add a little juvenile comedy to your Thanksgiving by buy a lemon, slicing in half, and inserting the two halves between the skin and meat. I've never done it but it cracks me up:

quote:

So you're just going to drop that nugget and then leave us hanging, without a recipe?

My apologies, Rogue, for leaving those not from Southeast LA in the dark.

First, you make a roux. Then you make a chicken gumbo substituting the turkey for the chicken.

And yes, everything is used, and make sure to use fresh andouille.

Hot french bread is mandatory.

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I’ll be using The Mad Max method this year

quote:

Originally posted by Jimbo54:
We have smoked whole turkeys on our Weber kettle for about an hour or hour and a half then finish them in the oven. Comes out great and they are still moist and tender.

I just do breasts anymore, but this is what I do. Wet brine overnight, then smoke for an hour or two and finish in the oven. Done to perfection and moist as can be. It never fails.

I rubbed it down with 4 tablespoons of kosher salt and some spices, then injectex the breast with a stick of melted butter. I'll spatchcock it and smoke it wed. (I gotta work thanksgiving day).

4 tablespoons dound about right? My google searches indicated that 1 tablespoon per 4lbs. Its a 15lb turkey.

 
Not smoking related, as I cook mine in an oven. As to the different requirement for breast and thigh meat, a tip I picked up in The Joy of Cooking no less, is to place a piece of cheesecloth over the breast (any cloth works, an old tshirt, e.g.). Baste the cloth as you baste the entire bird, and remove the cloth for the last 30 minutes to brown the breast. This method has worked well for me for years.

I usually always have to look up directions each year as I have only smoked a turkey for the last two years. It is recommended to smoke a 12-14 pound turkey and not larger. I smoke at 250 degrees and I think it is 20-25 minutes per pound at that temp. You want to make sure the turkey hits 140 degrees internal temperature within two hours. I pull mine when the internal temp in the breast and thigh are both at least 165 degrees. I have not had a dry smoked turkey.

Stormin Normin, you'll get crispier skin if you bump up to 275 to 325. A tip I learned from LastManStanding.