I need help from the turkey smokers

[RJ]

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.

[Braincase]

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.

[RJ]

Originally Posted by runnercyclist

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!

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

[runnercyclist]

Originally Posted by RJ

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!

[RJ]

Originally Posted by runnercyclist

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?

[runnercyclist]

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

[Extra Point]

Originally Posted by runnercyclist

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.

[RJ]

Originally Posted by Extra Point

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?

[Extra Point]

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.

[RJ]

Originally Posted by Extra Point

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.

[Extra Point]

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.

[BigOlChiefsfan]

Grilled turkey

[runnercyclist]

Originally Posted by Extra Point

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.

[GloryDayz]

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/

[Extra Point]

Originally Posted by runnercyclist

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.

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.

[RJ]

Originally Posted by BigOlChiefsfan

Grilled turkey

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.