re: Smoked Turkey Thread.

You need to smoke at about 350. Lower smoke temperatures are not necessary and make the skin rubbery.

LINK

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AncientTiger

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What temp do you smoke at again and again??

I follow franklin's turkey smoking method. I'm doing a 14 lb turkey this year and using pecan logs on my sidebox smoker.

Recipe

9 lb turkey
2 Cups Koscher Salt
2 Cups White Sugar
Coarse Ground Black Pepper
aluminum turkey roasting pan
1 lb butter, cubed
Aluminum foil
½ cup flour
½ white onion chopped a
3 cups turkey stock


Add some water to a pot and boil. Add salt and sugar and stir until dissolved. Once dissolved, add ice to cool down. Cut off the loose skin on both ends because it will burn. Remove innards and neck. Once brine is cool, add to bucket stir well. Put turkey in a bucket or pot and let sit overnight in a fridge (or ice chest). Can let sit 2 nights if wanted.

Remove turkey from brine. Sprinkle kosher salt and coarse black pepper liberally all over turkey and in cavity. If rub isn’t sticking, add olive oil to skin.

Once grill reaches temp of 325-350, put turkey on , legs toward the fire box. Fill water pan. About 1.5 hours in, check the bird to see if color is dark. If dark, take temperature. It should be around 155. If it is, add turkey to aluminum pan. Add 1 lb butter, cut into pads all over turkey and inside cavity. Tent the pan with aluminum foil. Cool at 325 until the internal temp is 165 (roughly 1-1.5 hours) in both thigh and breast. Let rest 30 min with foil tented.

Gravy
Make roux with half cup flour and butter from drippings. In a separate pot, boil the turkey stock (or chicken stock). Once roux turns chocolate color (or blonde if you prefer), cut heat off and add half a chopped white onion to the roux to let it cool. After onion has cooked down a bit and roux has cooled off (doesn’t need to be cold, just not scalding hot), add roux to turkey stock (or chicken stock) to your desired consistency. Stir until well mixed and boil gently for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

As far as a whole bird, I think spatchcock is the way to go to get the most consistently cooked bird every time. Only negative is presentation. I would dry brine, but before you brine make sure it has not already been brined before packaging. If you over brine it can make the meat mushy.

Dry bring and definitely spatchcock

Wife just picked up a 19lb birdzilla from Trader Joe's.

Out of hardwood charcoal, need to venture out for more.

Driving all over town looking for hardwood charcoal. Unbelievable

1. 15lb non-brined bird from Trader Joe's

2. Went in the brine this morning. Will take out tomorrow morning then let dry in the fridge. 24 hours seems to be the sweet spot for a wet brine turkey.

3. Making my own dry rub. Half I'll add to butter for a compound butter to go under the skin. Rest goes on the outside. Will spatchcock prior to application.

4. Smoking on my WSM at 325 with apple wood. All cooking will be handled by my BBQ Guru DigiQ (this thing has made smoking anything a breeze!). I'll also have a roasting pan under the bird with onions, carrots, celery, and whole garlic with some white wine to catch the drippings for the gravy.

5. Remove at 160 IT, foil tent for an hour inside.

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I go pure fruit wood for all poultry. Usually apple

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Soaking them or going in dry?