Turkey Q's

Tatoosh · 05-06-2012, 06:16 AM

I have a Weber 22.5 OTG grill and will be called upon to smoke a turkey for next Thanksgiving. A ways off you may notice, but I hate trying to sort it out the night before. Along with the Weber, I have a Smokenator that I like since it keeps the heat from being directly on the meat.

So, I'm figuring to smoke the turkey in the Weber, with the Smokenator. Temps won't get high enough to actually cook it because here in the Philippines the charcoal just isn't all that good. But it will get in the 200F range tops. I plan to smoke for three hours or more, using the cute little Hickory disposable tins. They go for two to three hours. One or two of the tins should have the bird fairly well smoked, but any suggestions for a minimum smoke time on 14 lb to 16 lb bird is welcome.

To finish the bird I figured bringing it into the house and finishing it in my oven where hitting 350F or 400F is not a problem.

So, I was thinking I would rub under the skin with a compound butter and the outside with a mix of salt, pepper, and corn starch. But should I do that after smoking, before I put it in the oven or before I start the whole smoking process? Will the compound butter inhibit the turkey taking the smoke?

What I want is a moist turkey, with that good smoked taste, and a crispy skin. The stuffing I do in the half/half approach. I cook (in the oven up until now) half of my stuffing in the turkey for half the cooking time. The stuffing is in a cheesecloth sack for easy removal. Half way through, I pull the stuffing out of the bird. The stuffing has absorbed some of the turkey's juices and picked up those flavors. Then it gets mixed in with the other half of the stuffing and finished outside the bird.

The idea is to let the bird finish and not overcook it because I was trying to get the stuffing finished and safe to eat, which is a problem sometimes when it finishes inside the turkey.

Any ideas for good smoke flavor, rubbing or not with butter under the skin, and so forth will be most welcome. I've never Weber'ed a turkey before and this will be an adventure.

05-06-2012, 06:16 AM	#1
Tatoosh Full Fledged Farker Join Date: 04-21-12 Location: Whatcom County, Washington Name/Nickname : Tatoosh	Turkey Q's I have a Weber 22.5 OTG grill and will be called upon to smoke a turkey for next Thanksgiving. A ways off you may notice, but I hate trying to sort it out the night before. Along with the Weber, I have a Smokenator that I like since it keeps the heat from being directly on the meat. So, I'm figuring to smoke the turkey in the Weber, with the Smokenator. Temps won't get high enough to actually cook it because here in the Philippines the charcoal just isn't all that good. But it will get in the 200F range tops. I plan to smoke for three hours or more, using the cute little Hickory disposable tins. They go for two to three hours. One or two of the tins should have the bird fairly well smoked, but any suggestions for a minimum smoke time on 14 lb to 16 lb bird is welcome. To finish the bird I figured bringing it into the house and finishing it in my oven where hitting 350F or 400F is not a problem. So, I was thinking I would rub under the skin with a compound butter and the outside with a mix of salt, pepper, and corn starch. But should I do that after smoking, before I put it in the oven or before I start the whole smoking process? Will the compound butter inhibit the turkey taking the smoke? What I want is a moist turkey, with that good smoked taste, and a crispy skin. The stuffing I do in the half/half approach. I cook (in the oven up until now) half of my stuffing in the turkey for half the cooking time. The stuffing is in a cheesecloth sack for easy removal. Half way through, I pull the stuffing out of the bird. The stuffing has absorbed some of the turkey's juices and picked up those flavors. Then it gets mixed in with the other half of the stuffing and finished outside the bird. The idea is to let the bird finish and not overcook it because I was trying to get the stuffing finished and safe to eat, which is a problem sometimes when it finishes inside the turkey. Any ideas for good smoke flavor, rubbing or not with butter under the skin, and so forth will be most welcome. I've never Weber'ed a turkey before and this will be an adventure. __________________ Back in the USA after a decade abroad - smoking on Big Chief electric & Weber Q200 (P)