Thoughts on Smoked Turkey

Thoughts: Don't.
Not until you have done one or more that you like and are confident you can pull it off.
Nothing sez Thanksgiving like a Family Feud.
And a chitbird could be the catalyst.

You could do a breast, and do the bird traditional.
That way you get to try your hand, without the drama.

Experiment with a bone in breast. Buy two. Season one on the outside maybe inject with flavor if you want or leave the inside alone, then brine the other. See what you prefer. I like well done smoked turkey!

I like done in pieces. Only way I know to get both parts done correctly.

Well lets find a compromise. I started smoking my Thanksgiving birds 4 years ago, and mom gave me the stink eye the first year because it wasnt our "tradition". Now everyone is asking around 4th of July if I am hosting Thanksgiving this year.

I say go for it but with a caveat.

How many people are you needing to feed? If its alot, go with 2 smaller birds and have plenty of sides. Instead of an 18-20lb bird do a couple of 12lb instead. Smoke one bird go traditional with the other and then everyone can have some of both and make a little competition about which is better.

Spatchcock (great word for butterfying) the bird you are going to smoke, reduces cook time and if anything this will be the biggest issue you face. Getting the food on the table at the right time.

If its a smaller group, say less than 10 maybe go traditional and skip the smoke until you have tried it first.

I will have between 22-28 people, I am going to roast one bird, smoke another and do a stuffed/remoulade pork loin.

Personally, I don't like smoked turkey. Tried whole, just breasts, and just legs. This past weekend I cooked it just over lump with a 12 hr brine and a basic rub and it was lovely.

DJ321 said:

Thanks for the input folks! If I do it, it will just be a small bird, about 12 lbs. This will be for a get together at a relatives house down the street and there will be plenty of other food in case it doesn't turn out the way i would like it too. I'm leaning towards agreeing with SonnyE in regards to cooking one or two that I'm happy with before cooking for a family gathering.
Thanks to all for the advice.

Click to expand...

Times kinda short for practice runs this year. That's why I said don't.

But not discouraging you, so try something like a breast or smaller bird. Have a back-up plan.
And have a VERY Happy Thanksgiving! :clap2:

brine,2 hours smoke and then into a cooking bag and into the oven til temp is reached,

On a WSM, go with just foil in the pan and cook hotter than you are used to for butts. Unless it a natural bird from a butcher it will be pre-brined...as much as a 17% solution, so be careful. In my opinion, one of the easiest things to smoke.

Holiday seasonings brine, easy smoke, let it rest a bit while you make the gravy and serve. I use lump coal and add a few pieces of post oak. Turkey takes smoke easy so doesn't need a lot and a mellow wood. Do the herb butter under the skin trick to keep it juicy and flavorful.

Recommend spatchcock or just the breasts depending on what you eat, prevents drying out the white to get the dark done. Use a roasting pan so you can reserve the juices and still make the gravy.

Pellet cookers at high temps put out a fine bird IMO.

Simply put: If you can smoke a pork butt then you can smoke a turkey.

For generation after generation people have been putting turkeys into the oven and roasting for hours until done. They use different types of stuffing's and those little pop up timers (LOL). Guess what? Anyone can make a great turkey this way, but wouldn't it be great to go one step further...?

Smoked turkey is more flavorful and tender than one roasted in the oven. Breaking away from tradition can be hard, but The Brethren are here to guide you with your questions. You'll find pages upon pages of information and previously asked questions in our Official/Unofficial Talkin' Turkey Thead http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120494

Smoking a turkey is really very simple, however most people tend to over think the process making something easy, more difficult.

Turkey, like most poultry has a lighter more delicate flavor. One does not want to lose the lighter flavor of the meat with an overpowering smoke flavor. The difference between a great turkey and a good turkey may be the type of wood you are using, the amount of wood, or possibly the temperature you are cooking at. Because of this careful consideration should be given to the smoking temperature, the type of wood you plan to use, as well as the amount of wood being used.

You will get many recommendations, but I prefer to smoke my turkeys at 325 degrees and I prefer apple wood chunks, or an apple/cherry wood chunk mixture.

I also feel one should really consider the benefit of using a brine, not only for moisture, but for imparting great flavors as well. If you plan to brine, make sure you do not select an "Enhanced" turkey as these birds have already been brined by the processor. If the bird is "Enhanced" and you brine it, you may end up with a slightly over-salty flavored turkey, and it may also effect the texture of the meat.

I prefer the flavors imparted by Patio Daddio's Ultimate Thanksgiving Brine.... The flavor is truly awesome!!!!
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1087814&postcount=1

Here is a guide to smoking the turkey by the same person.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1450009&postcount=1

There is also a good article in Smoke Signals Magazine starting on page 26...
http://issue13.smokesignalsmagazine.com/

From the archives - Wampus Smokes a Turkey.....This mirrors the article in Smoke signals.
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=176618

and of course the Brethren Unofficial Turkey Thread....
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120494


To Brine or Not to Brine
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showpost.php?p=1464686&postcount=1

I liked then smoked on a pellet smoker since it puts off a lighter smoke profile and stick burner not so much . I would smoke one and cook another one in the oven to be safe , lol .

I have never had good luck with the skin on a smoked turkey. (For that matter chicken, either). So if your skin isn't crispy or is overpowered with smoke, just remove it and serve the meat. No reason to ruin folks taste buds with bad skin, when the meat is still yummy. :wink:

Used to do them smoked or on a rotisserie. Great eats. Now just to much work for the wife so in the oven it goes. Yes, im old and in a wheelchai that adds to the difficulty. I always iced the breast for an hour before cooking. When the breast was 165, the rest of the bird was done.

mbshop said:

Used to do them smoked. I always iced the breast for an hour before cooking. When the breast was 165, the rest of the bird was done.

Click to expand...

This...

Spatchcock, then dry brine and I occasionally inject a lemon herb butter. I notice a difference but it’s not huge and my family are big dieters so for them I skip the butter.

Then I smoke in a disposable pan (12 lbs and under will fit in a full hotel pan) on a bed of celery, onion, and carrot with some chicken stock to keep drippings from burning. Also I say go for it, don’t listen to the people saying to wait. Cook your usual turkeys in the oven and smoked one as a “side” too, Turkey is so cheap there’s no reason not too make an extra 12 pounder.

Agreed on icing the breasts. I took it on a couple years ago when my dad suddenly couldn't do it with no test run (we all know God hates a coward) and if you just keep telling yourself that your smoker is not hotter than an oven (or shouldn't be) and your family hasn't had any mishaps with that, you can't do too much worse. Guess what I'm saying is there's plenty of room for error if you follow the "fundamentals." After discovering this site my turkey has improved, but for the first go at it with no real idea what the heck I was doing, it turned out great

I like the franklin BBQ method.
Remove turkey skin, season with your choosen rub, smoke to an internal of 120f @ 250-275f - then wrap in tinfoil with butter to finish (upsidedown).
Pull at an internal of 155f and let carry over take you to 160f internal