I need help from the turkey smokers
 

I'm planning on smoking a whole turkey for Christmas, fresh, about 12-14 pounds, and I've never done one before. I'm hoping the resident turkey smokers (not a euphemism, seclark) can give me some pointers. Do you brine? Do you smoke low and slow, or a higher temp for crisper skin? What type of wood do you like? Do you use a rub, or just salt and pepper?

Any and all advice is appreciated. I'm picking the turkey up Monday afternoon and was thinking of smoking it Christmas Eve.

Which creates another question.....should I wait until Christmas Day? Is it better same day? I could make that work.

It really doesn't take long to smoke a turkey so I suggest doing it the same day. Use a dry rub, something with a little kick. before applying it, rub the bird down with a little oil to make sure it sticks. smoke it with a lighter wood like apple or hickory. mesquite would be a little heavy IMO. Probably keep the temp around 220 or so and rub it hourly. It should take around 6 hours or so for a a 14 lb bird.
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I think I have some cherry and oak on hand. Which would you use? Or I can probably rustle up some apple if it's better.

Smoke the turkey bout two hours using any good fruit or nut wood, med to hot heat.. Then put into large throw-away roaster pan, then add fruit juice or sweet wine bout two inches in bottom, cover smoke at med-hi for two to four hours uncovering and basting the juices over the entire turkey if not quite crisp skinned uncover for bout another hour basting still ....

Never been able to find papers that large, frankly.

aaaaaaaaaaaand 4 posts to get to a weed reference

honestly thought there might be a few more

I had seen that recipe but I'm concerned about such a high temp.

Do you have any experience with that?

I brine. Search for apple cider brine.

The recipe I use is about 8-10 ingredients.

Brine overnight. Cook at 225 till done with meat thermometer.

Tips....apple wood is great! but I'm sure all fruit wood works. Personally I mix apple wood and hickory. I pound the bird with tons of smoke for the first couple hours then back off the smoke and use mostly charcoal (REAL WOOD Charcoal).

Normally I place alum foil on the turkey when it starts to get brown. This hasn't really helped me though. This year I'm going to place alum foil on turkey to start then take it off for the last hour or two to help brown it.

I used that exact link for 3 of my turkeys so far and they are always the best, juicy, nice dark skinned, flavorful turkey ever. Everyone raves about them.

This is one from last year.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/...fb6cb8b2d3.jpg

Nice job

I personally like to smoke my bird in one of my kettles @ 350. If you smoke it at 250, the skin turns into leather and is completely inedible.

Also, check out the apple brine from the vwb site. I've used it several times and always get good reviews.

http://virtualweberbullet.com/turkey6.html

And try some Pecan wood with your poultry. I like to smoke any kind of poultry with a combination of cherry and pecan. The pecan gives it a really good color.

I brine. Either apple or a honey brine. Brine the turkey for around 24 hrs, rinse brine from turkey under in the sink, then let it air dry in the fridge for another 24, if you have the time. That will give you a crispy visual appealing skin, although it's not very tasty but does look good when carved.

I smoke at around 325 but this Thanksgiving I never got above 250 until around the last 30 minutes of the smoke where it got up to 300. Total smoke time is around 2-3 hours for the whole thing. Don't lift the lid and check the turkey, leave it be. Pretty easy, no fuss cook every Thanksgiving, just make sure you have enough fuel.

For my Weber Smokey Mountain, I use one fully lit chimney of Kingsford coals then fill another chimney and dump that on top of the hot coals and let all the charcoal get red/ashy before I put the turkey on. Then I add my wood.

I invested in a wireless thermometer at Bath and Body Works for around $40 I can't live without. Stick the probe in the breats, but not on a bone, and go watch football. Generally, I set it to around 170 to alarm while checking my smoker temp about every thirty minutes.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/turkey6.html

You've had luck with edible skin? I've been doing a Turkey every Thanksgiving for about 5 years but haven't had a skin that I wanted to eat yet. The skin looks great, just not something that I've wanted to eat. Maybe I should be shooting for a higher temp like 350? I normally smoke around 325 but screwed up and didn't let my smoker get up to temp before putting on the bird.

I think a smoker is going to be my 'Merry Christmas to me' present this year.

RJ, what are you using for a smoker?

this sounds good...the link posted is also good.

i don't have any real secrets for a rub. salt, pepper and some kind of poultry seasoning the wife has on her spice rack.

usually, if i'm smoking a wild turkey, i slice up a few apples and jam them all inside the bird to cook along w/it. sometimes, i pour honey over it.

damn, i'm getting hungry and it's not even 9am yet.
sec

Yeah, I stopped doing birds in my smokers years ago, because I hated the tough skin. Absolutely ruins the drumsticks and wings, IMO.

I started smoking the birds in my weber kettles indirect @ 350-375 and the skin has always been edible. I would recommend that if you smoke your bird @ high heat like this, that you prepare the bird with a brine.

Had a whole smoked Turkey for Thanksgiving this year. We didn't smoke it ourselves though.

I ran out of time to do my Thanksgiving bird the way I had planned. I ended up just rubbing it with Olive Oil and adding a little bit of seasoning. Smoked it for 7 hours at right around 220 degrees with Cherry wood and it turned out excellent.


http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos..._7401544_n.jpg

Looks like a lot of folks are having tough skin issues. I resolved that by using the beer can method...

...If using one of the various "bullet" smokers, just be sure the heat is around the 1/2 way mark on the dial (not too hot or cool).

Rub the turkey with a dry rub & olive oil.

If you want, cut onions & various other veggies, place in disposable tin pan, put beer can (with top cut off & beer inside) on smoker, place the turkey on the can (the can is the male the tukey is the female), add broth to pan.

Every so often (45 mins), come out & drizzle the fat/broth on the turkey...this - along with moisture from beer can - will keep the skin soft.

I just did this on Thanksgiving & it was AWESOME! Moist inside & out (get your mind out of the gutter)

Also, I used mesquite chips to smoke...just a personal favorite. Any will due.

With a turkey that large, plan on it taking 10-12 hrs (I think I heard 45 min/lbs), but my 8 lbs turkey I tried this with took 8 hours & could have gone a bit longer if I wanted.

Good luck!

What temp should the meat be when complete?

165

Brine (soak in water) overnight

Put bird in pan, add spices (salt & others) and cut up I stick of butter and put pieces of butter all over and inside. Olive oil over top and wrap bird with "Cheese Cloth" (no it is not really made of cheese). The cheese cloth is a net type of material found in the walmart fabric section. The cheese cloth keeps the bird's skin from gettin tough and helps keep the bird moist. Put about 1 inch of water in pan with bird. Put foil over pan and smoke 12-14 lb bird for approx 2.4-3 hrs on 300-350.

Have done it this way for 10 yrs...my wife's Dr told us about the cheese cloth and it works wonders!

Weber Smoky Mountain 18".

Add charcoal every hour, as necessary, to maintain 250° F to 300° F. Replenish the liquid as necessary. Heat and liquid are critical to maintaining the hot smoke that cooks the turkey.

The liquid & beer can should supply enough moisture to allow the turkey to remain moist at these temperatures.

Though, if using a turkey over 12 lbs, the internal temp will be more difficult to maintain.

Sorry, I misspoke. You want the smoker @ 250 - 300, but Phobia is right...165 is optimal internal temp.

Are you a high temp or low temp smoker, sec? Seems like some do 225-250, others prefer 325-350. I can't decide.

I've smoked four turkeys this year, I do it the same every time. Brine it in salt, sugar, and tarragon for 24 hours. Dry it, spray it with olive oil and put it in the Weber smokey mountian smoker with a kingsford briquets and chunks of mesquite and hickory.

My temps stay at 250 and the bird is done in 3-4 hours depending on size. Remove when thermometer in breast reaches 160-165. Skin is beauiful and inedible and meat is juicy, smokey, and perfect every time.

The best part of this meal is the smokey gravey made with the drippings, flour, sage, chicken broth and sherry. YUM!

Instead of an apple cider brine as I've done in the past, this year I tried using cranberry juice. I think it turned out well. I started my smoker with Kingsford, then switched to chunk fruitwoods, apple & cherry. I've heard peach is good, too.

Gravy, huh? Do you smoke it in an aluminum pan or put a drip pan underneath?

I use a Weber smokey mountian smoker that looks basically like a bullet. It has the carcoal pan in the bottom, above that is a "water" pan, then two racks, lid.

I don't put water in the pan. It is supposed to act as a heat sink and I've added two foil wrapped clay flower pot bottoms in it, one 16" and one 14". Then on top of that I line the bowl with a large concave sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil to catch the drippings.

Once the bird is off the grate, I suck the drippings out of the foil with a turkey baster.

Best gravy you've ever tasted---smokey!

Nice. I also have a WSM and because of the cold weather I was thinking of doing this cook w/o water. Those clay bottoms help to keep the temp even?

Yes they act as a heat sink, same as the water pan.

Here's a clue: Meat is a heat sink. So long as it has water in it, as meat is at least 90% water, it will attract heat, to a geometric and surfacial extent.

I've seen some good bbq posts from you. You gots any turkey opinions?

I smoked a 23 lb turkey in my 22.5" Weber kettle grill a few days ago. Good stuff. Took 6 hrs, but it was the best bird I've ever done.

At what temp?

I am temp fixated.

170"F internal. I don't know what the cooking temp was. The thing about cooking temperature is that it depends on where the thermometer/thermocouple is located. Since air/water vapor is essentially a combined fluid, there are layers of heated fluid flow within a volume that is heated.

You know that the temperature is dependent on the geometry, mass, volume, fuel, fire, and all the other good shit that happens inside the cooker volume. To tell anyone any more, I'd have to file for a federal grant, assemble a fact finding committee, and disclose information that I would have to fact-bend in order to publish findings.

Simply put, pouring a bottle of Pale Ale in that bird, helped it a lot.

Helped how, exactly? To keep the bird moist? As a flavor source?

I couldnt tell from your previous comment about the meat being a heat sink, if you agreed that the water pan acts only as a heat sink and doesnt add to the moist-ness of the meat.

While this started as a joke in my brother-in-law's office, he tried it this year, and said it was stunningly moist. It's going to be my next "experiment". "Trash can turkey"!!!
Evidently the seal around the bottom keeps most of the moisture in, and keep the bird away from the heat.

http://thetrashcanturkey.com/

You don't need a water pan, if you just regulate the fire and the draw. A drip pan is good, as most of the big turkeys have a lot of fat. I poured a Pale Ale in him, let the beer overflow a bit into the pan, so it did regulate the temperature to that extent. It's just that the temp and flow of water vapor/hot air mixture varies in height within the kettle. But that 23 lb bird had a LOT of fat.

For other meats, I generally don't use the water pan. I just let the fats drip into the ash, and scrape the clods into the ash catcher.

Thanks, I'm going to use that brine recipe.

I'm still undecided on the temp, but I think some of you have about convinced me to go high temp.

And besides, if it doesn't work out I'll still have tamales, posole, red chile, steamed shrimp and desserts....along with whatever else shows up.

I am going to try this

I did
but I didn't inhale

RJ - Please share your posole recipe. I'd love to give it a try.

I am making chile colorado today :) and will be smoking a 17# turkey for Christmas.

Real fiesta posole that cooks all day w/pig ears, neckbones and so on I'll leave to them as have time. I do a 'fast' posole or green chile stew where I fry half a dozen slices of bacon (cut in half), drain, crumble and reserve the bacon. If I have any pork on hand or chicken breast I'll cube it and brown it in the fat. Set meat aside, toss in a big yellow onion, chopped and cook in the bacon fat until it's turning translucent, add 4 cloves of minced garlic, a tablespoon or two of cumin seed and a teaspoon or two of crushed red chile (numex red if you have it). Stir for a moment or 2, add 3 cans of white hominy (triple rinsed) and a can of beef broth, a can of chicken broth, 2 or 3 cans of diced green chile. Bring to a boil, simmer 5 minutes. Add the bacon and meat to heat and serve w/flour tortillas and (corn) tortilla chips as a fast supper but I usually serve this as a side dish w/chile con carne, along w/'soupy' pinto beans.

Straight from the back of a bag of Bueno Frozen posole. Dried would work as well (check the link). I'll be making this tonight. This is a New Mexican version, I've also had similar that is served with lime, cilantro and chopped onion. Both are good. runnercyclist, use your Chile Colorado in place of the frozen.


http://www.buenofoods.com/recipes/pos.htm

Posole

This is a traditional Southwestern savory stew made with a specific variety of corn , pork and/or beef and red chile. It’s a hearty, authentic meal, perfect for the winter holidays.

• 7 BUENO® Chile Pods
(stems & seeds
removed, pods rinsed)
• 6 small pigs’ feet
• 6 qts. water
• 1 lb. lean pork meat,
bite-sized
• 1 32 oz. pkg. BUENO®
Posole

• 2 medium onions, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tsp. BUENO® Granulated
Garlic
• 1 ½ Tbsp. salt
• 1 14 oz. container
BUENO® Frozen Red Chile


1. Place chile pods, pigs’ feet and 3 qts. of water in an extra large (12 qt.) pot.
Bring to a boil. Cover and cook for 1 hour over medium to medium-high heat.
2. Add pork and stew meat (including bones if any), posole and 3 more qts. water
to pot. Bring to a slow boil. Cover and cook for 30 minutes over low to medium heat.
3. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to a slow boil. Cover and cook for 1 hour over
low to medium heat, allowing flavors to blend. Makes twelve 16 oz. servings.

Neat. A new food to try. Thanks!

Thank you all for your suggestions. What I mainly learned from this thread was.....fuggedaboutit.

With all these different techniques, temperatures, brines, rubs, cook times, etc., all of which had been successful, I realized I couldn't go too wrong. I used a brine very close to the one BOCF posted and applied a very simple rub with some oil. I tried to cook at a high temp but we were in the 20's here on Christmas day with a bit of wind, so I ended up cooking at 250. Worked out fine, as I had allowed myself some screw up time.

Very tasty bird. Next time I do one it will be smaller ( this one was 15 pounds), and not a special occasion. I'll take the pressure off myself. As long as it's a quality turkey seasoned with stuff that tastes good everything will turn out fine.

Glad your bird turned out! What wood did you use? Did you make gravy from the drippings? Ours was great. I used mesquite and hickory.

Also, the posole was great! Even better as leftovers.

I used 3 chunks of cherry and 1 of oak. Yes on the gravy, it was outstanding. I used the drippings from the bird along with a stock I had made from the neck and giblets. Added a splash of sherry....mmmm good. I'll be polishing those leftovers off tonight along with some posole. And for breakfast today; tamales with red chili and eggs. A sort of half-assed huevos rancheros.