Smoked turkey did a flip-flop

[Pappy]

This is what it looked like.

[Ron_L]

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

Originally Posted by Pappy

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.

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.

I've never tried camel

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.

Originally Posted by zwylde1

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

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.

[Pappy]

Originally Posted by Ron_L

Did the leg/thigh joint move freely and were the juices clear from the thigh?

One leg joint had some pink juice. The other was clear.

[thomasjurisd]

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.

[bones64]

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.