First Time Turkey Help?

For me I cook on the BBQ or Smoker at the same Temps as the suggested Oven temps. 20 LB is a big turkey and to keep it safe this is the best. Use very little wood as poultry takes on smoke very easy.

Someone should chime in on Brining, I have not done that with Turkeys but hear it is great. I like a butter mixed with seasonings slathered all over and under the skin.

I highly recommend you brine the bird. Huge difference, especially since you're going to have to deal with the fact that the breast will finish before the lower half and the breast is prone to drying out. Brining makes it basically foolproof to have a tender, juicy bird. Just make sure you follow safe brining procedures. This link has probably the best brining info condensed in one place.
http://www.cookshack.com/brining-101

As for fears of salt making it taste too salty...as long as you add equal parts sugar with the salt (and you make sure the salt is dissolved in the brine), I've never had a bird taste too salty unless I left it in the brine to long..and by that i mean chicken parts brined nearly 24 hours!:shock: That was salty.

For some brine ideas, maybe replace the water with Apple Cider or other juices? Maybe replace the sugar with Honey, Maple Syrup or even Molasses if you dare? Then there are other aromatics and spices you can add for flavor. Again, check around Q-Talk for the last few days, there's dozens of recipes right here just from the last few days, and the title of the threads say "brine" in them.:wink:

I like to "smoke roast" meaning using my favorite seasonings on the bird. (lemmon pepper, lightly salt, pepper, garlic, onion,smokey mesquite, parsley flakes). put into an aluminum roaster pan with 1/4 inch of water, slice some apples, about 1/4 real pure maple syrup. cover the pan and bird with foil prick half dozen small holes in the foil. place on smkoer till internal temp is 180. its fool proof and your family will love you! good luck.

http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?p=1459633
This is very helpful resource for your fist turkey. Cheers.
Bobby

I always brine poultry before I smoke it. The ratio I use is 1 gallon water. one cup of salt, one cup of brown sugar. I have injected the turkey a couple of times, and other times, done nothing with it. A rub definitely helps and here you can go from very simple to more complex. In my mind, rubs are totally up to your own preference and taste. Do you like spicier flavors? Spicier rub, not so spicey? Then tone down the rub.
I like the smoky flavor of poultry, so I don't shy away from the wood smoke. In my mind, let 'er rip and add the wood.
Time is the key with a big bird. I did a 16 pounder a few weeks ago, and paying attention to the internal temp is key. If you don't have one, get a decent or good meat thermometer. Once you get the breast meat to 160 or so, wrap the bird and leave it on for another hour or so, pull it and let it rest for another hour or so before carving it up. With the brining, the meat will be moist, smoky flavor, great tasting.
Good luck - let us know how you made out!

Campfire Girl said:

Y'all please forgive me, but I don't think brine really does anything except waste time. I like a smokey flavor, isn't that why we smoke?

I inject a free range turkey and smoke it low and slow for up to 12 hours. The skin gets real dark and the meat is to die for.

Oh, I almost forgot. I like to baste the skin every few hours with the drippins.

Good luck with yours however you choose to do it.

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This shows one truth about BBQ that many have trouble grasping, leading to headaches and disputes. For many things in BBQ (almost everything really), there is rarely one right answer. Each person finds the way they produce the best product with and go from there.

What I would recommend is experiment first. Get a few smaller turkeys, or even chickens for that matter to save some money. Do each of them differently and record your results. Ask questions too about what you did and ask for suggestions. Besides getting practice in before the big day (making your chances of screw ups on T-day much lower), you will learn a lot and find the way YOU like best. That's what's truly most important!:thumb:

TheCrazyWhls2 said:

Yeah I've seen a few people mention the bigger birds need to go longer so that's not a concern of mine. Thanks for the wood tip! That butter mix sounds pretty good and might be a backup if I can't figure out a brine. What seasonings do you prefer to use?

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I just throw some things together. Salt, Pepper, Garlic, and herb mix usually works well. Rinse turkey and pat dry. I slightly melt the butter and mix in the spices, then lay a heavy layer all over the bird and under the skin. It is not pretty while raw, the butter will start to coagulate. The butter gives the bird a nice brown skin and a good flavor too. Another tip I learned is, prior to rubbing with butter is to submerse the breast into a bowl of ice for about 20-30 minutes before putting it on the smoker/grill. This in theory allows the legs and thighs to get done and not overcook the breast.

If you do the ice, pat dry and have the butter mixture ready (grill too) so you can work fast and get the bird on.

Brine your bird, and don't get intimidated. It's just another smoke. I would say go easy on the wood, I would use apple. Just cook it till it's done, the brine will help keep it moist. I cooked a turkey for 10hrs, not because I wanted to, it was my first with this new smoker, which I will be selling shortly, but it turned out great. Good luck.

Campfire Girl said:

Y'all please forgive me, but I don't think brine really does anything except waste time. I like a smokey flavor, isn't that why we smoke?

I inject a free range turkey and smoke it low and slow for up to 12 hours. The skin gets real dark and the meat is to die for.

Oh, I almost forgot. I like to baste the skin every few hours with the drippins.

Good luck with yours however you choose to do it.

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Interesting, how personal opinions vary. I have never brined a Turkey but have done many Chickens and there is definitely a difference when brined, flavor and texture. I also know it can do more damage than good at times. :tape:

A turkey smoked for 12 hours, what temps do you smoke at? I would love to know your injection ingredients, that I have not really done much at all.

The brining suggestions are good. I like to add a can of OJ concentrate (non Calcium kind) into my brine. Larger birds need to brine longer, I think. If you can give it 24 hrs that will be plenty.

I did a 19.5 lb turkey in a UDS yesterday for my Jaycees chapter. It took ~10 hrs, at 375-ish. It was probably done in 9 hrs - when I stuck in the probe it was already done. I used a drip pan below, which might have kept me from getting a crispy skin.

When cooking a larger bird, I prefer to cook over higher temps to get the bird out of the danger zone quickly. I have gone low and slow on smaller turkeys and never had a problem with them.

If you put your turkey in an aluminum pan and wrap it with 4-5 layers of aluminum foil you can hold it at temp for a few hours. Putting it in a cooler would be even more efficient. So plan to finish it early to cover the possible problems, and then store it away so keep it out of the oven area until the food is ready.