TURKEY on WSM ADVICE
 

So I'm planning to do two turkey breast on the top rack with no pan and a pretty hot cook. 350-400... anybody see a problem with not using the pan. Just trying to get a crispy skin... thinking it'll take about an hour and a half... anybody else going this route.... main concern is burnt drippings putting off bad taste. THX GUYS!

im doing a whole turkey on my 18.5 for the first time. gonna use the water pan, but no water. lined with foil. i have an iq110 and will be setting the temp at 300. i wouldnt think the drippings would leave a bad taste...but i would be concerned about flare-ups. im using olive oil and some herbs on the outside. im hoping that will help with the crispy skin.

Ok so while not exactly the same thing, but I do wings in the bottom grate with no pan and get the right amount of crispy I'm looking for. I don't think the wings would get crispy on the top grate.

Exactly what I am doing, except I am injecting the bird with some Cajun Injector creole butter. I am looking for smoked turkey, not just roast turkey done outside (I have a bigger one for the oven). Considering starting out at 325 for 30 minutes or so to help crisp the skin, then turning the IQue down to either 275 or 300 and watching the IT on the remote thermo stuck in the breast. I'm trying to avoid brining. I never brine the ones in the oven and they turn out great. Plus I am basically too lazy and don't have the fridge space with everything else in the way.

This is my first time brining but i did 1/2 cup salt to gallon water b/c the birds i have are 6% solution.. only going to do a 6hr brine and air dry overnight..rub one w o oil, kosher, pepper and herbs.... other one cajun....reaaly looking to do kind of a hot smoke gonna have peach wood in fire... smoke/roast mix...... my wings typically get real crispy on top rack with all vents 100% open no pan.. thx for the responses

It is E-Z to have too much smoke using a WSM Go E-Z on the wood chunks. Happy T-Day

foil the pan. temp 350-400
winemaster is spot on!! go easy with the smoke.
1 maybe 2 fist size chunks of apple in a full ring

Out of curiosity are you foiling the pan for heat diffusion or to prevent flare up or what?

diffusion and clean up

You think the drippings will be toast or suitable for gravy makings?

Your burnt drippings won't put off a bad taste. The pan is only there for diffusion. If you run that thing wide open, no pan, you're going to get temps a lot hotter than 400. I've gotten mine up high enough that the ET-732 wouldn't read temps anymore. Leave the pan in, foil it and adjust your vents from there. I'm all for hot and fast but not sure I would want to roast a bird >> 500 and you will surely get there with no pan and vents wide open. Who knows, but seems scary.

Beginner's luck, I guess. Injected with creole butter and put the 12+ pound bird on the WSM at 8:00 expecting about 4 hours cook time based on projected 275 average temp (my 18.5 likes to run at that). Set the IQUE 110 at 300 and checked the IT at 2 hours - 149 in the breast. Flipped it over (breast down) and gave it another hour. Breast read 170, thigh 165 to 155 in varying locations. Removed from smoker at 11:00. Lunch scheduled for 1:00 PM. Tented with foil and rested for 30 minutes, then foiled and coolered. When I started carving it at 12:45, the white meat oozed a little creole-colored juice. Dark meat could have been a bit more done for my taste, but the family raved.

I got crispy skin and I use water in the pan but I just use a little. Seems people are all or nothing with the water but I've found an in between and my poultry comes out great with crispy skin. Here is my bird from thanksgiving:

http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...122_111542.jpg

Looks beauty, how'd she taste?

Real good, used 3 chunks of apple wood, came out moist and flavorful