Smoked turkey did a flip-flop

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Pappy

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SMOKED TURKEY DID A FLIP-FLOP

Tried to smoke a whole 10 pound turkey. It turned out bad. I used the brine that is in the video. It sat in the brine for 2 days. Maybe that was too long? Rinsed the brine, refrigerated for 12 hours uncovered, stuffed with apples and onions, added some butter and rub before it placed it in a 325 degree UDS. Basted it with butter 3 times. It only took 2 hours for the breast to reach 160 degrees. The thighs were at 175 degrees. I was surprised how fast it cooked. It looked good, tasted bad. Turned out to be the 2nd worst turkey I have ever eaten. Worst one was the one I made and couple of months ago with no brine. It tasted rubbery or under cooked. 3 out of 4 people did not like it. I gave it all to the 1 person that liked it.

No more turkey’s for me. I’m going to have to stick with pork butts and ribs.

Apple Juice-Brined Smoked Turkey - YouTube
 
Turkey is one of my easiest things to smoke. I do think you brined it way too long and over did it with the add ons. Just use a basic brine overnight next time and rub it down. I think KISS might change your results. I wouldn't give up. A delicious smoked turkey is worth the effort. They are one of my favorites. Don't give up yet.
 
I have a bunch of questions...

1. Was it a pre-brined turkey? (i.e., treated with some sort of 'self-basted' solution)
2. What type of fuel and wood (and how much wood) did you use?
3. How confident are you of the UDS temp? 2 hours for 10 lbs does seem fast.
4. "It looked good. Tasted bad". That really doesn't tell us much. What was bad about it? Too salty? Too bland? What was it that you didn't like?
5. I gotta ask... Was it refrigerated while in the brine? I'm sure it was, but i gotta ask :)
 
try cutting the sugar in half I use 1 cup kosher salt (enhanced-free bird) 1/2 cup light brown sugar


and one gal juice (half apple, half cranberry) and one gal heavily iced water



and brined overnight.



cloves can be tricky try using a tablespoon each of whole peppercorns and whole allspice berries
 
Ron_L said:
I have a bunch of questions...
Click to expand...

1. Was it a pre-brined turkey? (i.e., treated with some sort of 'self-basted' solution) YES THAT IS WHY I USED LESS KOSHER SALT, JUST LIKE THE VIDEO.
2. What type of fuel and wood (and how much wood) did you use?
KINGSFORD BLUE WITH 2 TINY PIECES OF CHERRY (ABOUT THE SIZE OF 2 STICKS OF BUTTER)
3. How confident are you of the UDS temp? 2 hours for 10 lbs does seem fast. CHECKED THE ET732 ON BOILING WATER AND IS RIGHT ON AT 212
4. "It looked good. Tasted bad". That really doesn't tell us much. What was bad about it? Too salty? Too bland? What was it that you didn't like?
TASTED LIKE RUBBER, TOO WET, TASTED UNDER COOKED. YOU COULD OF TOLD ME I WAS EATING CAMEL.
5. I gotta ask... Was it refrigerated while in the brine? I'm sure it was, but i gotta ask YES IT WAS.
 
the flip-flopping turkey's name must have been willard. :wink:

i need to find a good smoked turkey thread as i promised the fam i'd smoke my first on for thanksgiving....
 
Is it possible it was that way because he said he stuffed the bird. Should you not do that when smoking it???
 
Johnny_Crunch said:
Turkey is one of my easiest things to smoke. I do think you brined it way too long and over did it with the add ons. Just use a basic brine overnight next time and rub it down. I think KISS might change your results. I wouldn't give up. A delicious smoked turkey is worth the effort. They are one of my favorites. Don't give up yet.
Click to expand...

What size bird?
What cooking temp do you use? I was trying get crispy skin using 325 degrees and butter baste.
 
Pappy said:
What size bird?
What cooking temp do you use? I was trying get crispy skin using 325 degrees and butter baste.
Click to expand...


Any size from 10-14. I try to cook from 325-375. I don't baste it after it starts cooking at all. I prefer to keep the lid closed until it is ready. I will put some butter on top when I put it on and I also cover the breast with bacon to drop some grease into it and hopefully slow the cooking down so it does not get before the thighs.
 
Pappy said:
SMOKED TURKEY DID A FLIP-FLOP

Tried to smoke a whole 10 pound turkey. It turned out bad. I used the brine that is in the video. It sat in the brine for 2 days. Maybe that was too long? Rinsed the brine, refrigerated for 12 hours uncovered, stuffed with apples and onions, added some butter and rub before it placed it in a 325 degree UDS. Basted it with butter 3 times. It only took 2 hours for the breast to reach 160 degrees. The thighs were at 175 degrees. I was surprised how fast it cooked. It looked good, tasted bad. Turned out to be the 2nd worst turkey I have ever eaten. Worst one was the one I made and couple of months ago with no brine. It tasted rubbery or under cooked. 3 out of 4 people did not like it. I gave it all to the 1 person that liked it.

No more turkey’s for me. I’m going to have to stick with pork butts and ribs.
Click to expand...

Smoked turkey is great and is one of my favorite things to smoke.

I put in bold the things in your process that I would do differently.


  • 2 days of brine is not brining your turkey, it is curing your turkey. 24 hours is plenty. 12 hours will work.
    • I use 1 cup of salt (kosher) to 1 gallon of water
  • Refrigerating your turkey for an additional 12 hours AFTER it is brined is unnecessary.
  • You mentioned you added butter & rub. Where did you add it? on top of the skin won't do you any good. butter and/or rub should be applied beneath the skin.
  • 325 degrees is quite a bit lower than I smoke a turkey. I like it to be in the 350-375 neighborhood. Also I cook mine indirectly (in a UDS this would mean a baffle/heat sink between meat & fire)
The reason it cooked so quickly was the 60 hours it was brined (48 in brine + 12 sitting in fridge with brine residue still in turkey). In comparison, the last Turkey I brined for a total of 16 hours.
The low temp and the extreme brine time contributed to your rubbery texture

Here are some resources: http://sirporkalot.com/?s=brine
 
SirPorkaLot said:
Smoked turkey is great and is one of my favorite things to smoke.

I put in bold the things in your process that I would do differently.


  • 2 days of brine is not brining your turkey, it is curing your turkey. 24 hours is plenty. 12 hours will work.
    • I use 1 cup of salt (kosher) to 1 gallon of water
  • Refrigerating your turkey for an additional 12 hours AFTER it is brined is unnecessary.
  • You mentioned you added butter & rub. Where did you add it? on top of the skin won't do you any good. butter and/or rub should be applied beneath the skin.
  • 325 degrees is quite a bit lower than I smoke a turkey. I like it to be in the 350-375 neighborhood. Also I cook mine indirectly (in a UDS this would mean a baffle/heat sink between meat & fire)
The reason it cooked so quickly was the 60 hours it was brined (48 in brine + 12 sitting in fridge with brine residue still in turkey). In comparison, the last Turkey I brined for a total of 16 hours.
The low temp and the extreme brine time contributed to your rubbery texture

Here are some resources: http://sirporkalot.com/?s=brine
Click to expand...

You said you brined your turkey but then your site says you shouldnt...? ummmm
 
samfsu said:
You said you brined your turkey but then your site says you shouldnt...? ummmm
Click to expand...

Good catch!

I typically do NOT brine your standard store bought turkey because it is already brined (if I do, it is not for long)

I also do NOT typically buy standard store bought turkeys. if you went on to read the rest of that post you will notice I searched until I found a fresh turkey (not brined, not frozen, etc)

:thumb:
 
SirPorkaLot said:
Good catch!

I typically do NOT brine your standard store bought turkey because it is already brined (if I do, it is not for long)

I also do NOT typically buy standard store bought turkeys. if you went on to read the rest of that post you will notice I searched until I found a fresh turkey (not brined, not frozen, etc)

:thumb:
Click to expand...

Come on you cant expect me to read until the end, you had all those pretty pictures of turkeys in there ;)
 
This is what it looked like.

IMG_3626.jpg
 
The bird looks good. Sorry it didn't taste good to you.

Pappy said:
1. Was it a pre-brined turkey? (i.e., treated with some sort of 'self-basted' solution) YES THAT IS WHY I USED LESS KOSHER SALT, JUST LIKE THE VIDEO.
Click to expand...

I didn't watch the video until now, but his brine recipe has way too much salt into. A guideline for brining is 1 cup of K salt per gallon of water. His recipe is 1 cup to two quarts, which is double the norm. When you cut the salt in half (1/2 cup for 2 quarts) you were back to the normal salt levels. I normally don't use self-basting birds, but if I were going to I would have used 1/4 cup for he 2 quart, or 1/2 cup per gallon.

I also agree that the time in the brine was too long, especially for the salt level.

4. "It looked good. Tasted bad". That really doesn't tell us much. What was bad about it? Too salty? Too bland? What was it that you didn't like?
TASTED LIKE RUBBER, TOO WET, TASTED UNDER COOKED. YOU COULD OF TOLD ME I WAS EATING CAMEL.
Click to expand...

I've never tried camel :-D

I have to be honest, I'm not sure what too wet means, but rubbery and undercooked sure sounds like it was undercooked. Did the leg/thigh joint move freely and were the juices clear from the thigh? This all could have been from the salt level in the brine and the length of time in the brine as well.

zwylde1 said:
Is it possible it was that way because he said he stuffed the bird. Should you not do that when smoking it???
Click to expand...

That guidance is usually for turkeys that are smoked at lower temps with an edible stuffing. At 225, for example, the stuffing can be in the danger zone for too long and may not be safe to eat. This turkey was cooked at 325, which isn't really smoking, it is roasting over a wood fire. Plus, the stuff inside the cavity apples and onions to add moisture and flavor to the bird. I do that every time I cook a turkey (I also add carrots, celery, oranges and fresh herbs) without any issues.
 
I brined one turkey years ago (before I had the healthy guidance of this great place) and my results sound alot like what you got. Back then I cooked my turkey in the oven but it came out rubbery and tasteless.

I think my problem was same as yours, too long in the brine. Since that awful experience I have perfected the cajun injected smoked turkey. It is a favorite at my house.

I'm trying brine again this year but will do a practice run before Thanksgiving and will follow the Turky 101 pdf that's been circulating the forum for the past month. Do a search for it, best guide I've seen.
 
if you prefer crispy skin try smoking the bird to about 120 then drop him in the hot oil makes a great turkey. You can also do this a couple days ahead of time and put the bird in the frig. when your ready heat up the oil and drop him in.
 
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