Big turkey + UDS + rotisserie questions

I am smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving this year for my in-laws. Being that this is the first time, I don't want to screw it up. I plan on doing it in the UDS.

This is a big bird (20 pounds). (Yes, I know the arguments about unsafe temps for x amount of blah blah blah). Frozen, it has about a 12" diameter at it's widest point. I do NOT have a domed lid for the UDS. I do have a Weber rotisserie. My thought is I could mount the rotisserie low enough in the UDS to leave a few inches between the turkey and the flat lid. This would put the lowest point of the turkey about 18” to the bottom of the firebox. Is that too low? Should I bite the bullet and force my Weber kettle lid to fit the UDS? What if I used a pizza pan as a heat diffuser?

I’ve read temp/times that span anywhere from a few hours to half a day. My plan is to smoke it at 250 for 8 to 10 (30 min per pound) hours, than 350 until it hits 165 and the skin is crispy. Is there anything wrong with this plan?

I really don't want to buy the Weber kit and I don't have access to another drum to hack up.

polishdon said:

I must have read your post wrong then, cause it says "I do have a Weber rotisserie".

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I have the actual Weber branded spit and motor, not the ring.

I measured the frozen turkey and it has a circumference of 32", which means it has a diameter of about 10.2".

Something like this below. Weber spit would be about 8" from the top of the drum. I would pull the grate when using the spit. The heat diffuser will block direct heat on the bird. I can pull it when I'm not doing poultry.

chad said:

Balancing a 20# bird on a rotisserie, especially if you haven't used it before is a Thanksgiving Jackass movie moment waiting to happen! But, I digress, I'd either spatchcock it or set it upright on a Foster's can. Good luck.

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Yeah, my wife has concerns about bad things happening with that heavy of a bird.

I am going to do a chicken tomorrow to test it out but we may be doing beer can turkey instead. I just need to make sure I can clear the lid with it stand/sitting up.

Good point, willbird. My bird has a 10.2" diameter frozen. This may be a tight fit.

Test run yesterday. Spatchcocked a 5 lb bird. Brined it in salt, seasoning salt, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic powder, and apple cider vinegar. Rubbed it with same dry ingredients but added Cajun seasoning and Chinese five spice. Injected it with dry ingredients but added melted butter.

Used my new ET 732 and can't imagine smoking without one. Used one piece of hickory and some plum wood. 1 hour and 15 minutes later, the breast was at 165. It went from 145 to 165 in no time. I would have pron but the kid and her friend started tearing into it as soon as it hit the table. I can't believe how easy it pulled apart! My daughter pulled the leg and the thigh came off with it! Not sure if that is a sign it was overdone but the food disappeared quickly.

This is the way I am going to do the turkey, but use the Hurricane rub/injection.