Smoking turkey

[just mike]

Hey all,

Yes I'm new here, and I haven't taken the time to search the archives, but I have a ? about smoking a turkey.

What are the rules? I tried one today with an injection and a rub, but by the time it was done.........it didn't look very pretty. Looked burnt! I sprayed it with apple juice (cause I was doing a butt at the same time, and thought it wouldn't hurt) throughout the cooking time. 45 mins per lb. /12 lbs. @ 210-230 degrees.

It was dry, and didn't look very pretty.

What did I do wrong?

Thanks,
Mike

[Thom Emery]

Sounds like you cooked too long
What were you using What smoker?

[txpgapro]

I brine my turkeys and inject with apple juice. Last time I wrapped the birds in cheesecloth and they were great! Moist, tender, and sweet!

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/1540/p00021493kj.th.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p00021493kj.jpg)

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5100/p00021514zw.th.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p00021514zw.jpg)
http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/3355/p00021558vo.th.jpg (http://img42.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p00021558vo.jpg)
http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/663/p00021661nj.th.jpg (http://img515.imageshack.us/my.php?image=p00021661nj.jpg)

[david brace]

That'sa nice looking bird, PGA...But what was the total time in for them?

DB

[S & M]

I always wrap my bird about 3.5 hours in and I fill the cavity with a stick of butter and half cup apple juice half cup chicken broth. Tastes so good if you put it on top of your head your tounge would beat your brains out trying to get to it.

[just mike]

Thom,

I was using a custom built smoker. I'll try to post those pictures today after work.

Was 45 mins a lb too long? How long should I smoke it?

To brine or not to brine, please explain.

Thanks
Mike

[jgh1204]

Cant go with time on poultry, gotta go with temp. I go with 165 degrees where the thigh meets the body. Some people want 170 or more.

[Thom Emery]

It would be hard to do a Butt and Bird at the same temp and time You need low and slow fer one and
325 at bout 20 min a pound But its not time its internal temp Times are just for rough planning
Yea if the bird wasnt brinned I would have
Most you buy have been
Mike Did those Birds nice at Thanksgiving
They was purty pics to look at The cheesecloth
helped the Birds skin

[txpgapro]

Those big birds were between 12-14 pounds and they all got the same time in the pit, about 10 hours at around 220*.

[Paul Taylor]

Hey Mike, you can take & wrap up the turkey in soppin'/drenching(water) cheesecloth & keep misting it every 30 minutes for the first 6 hours. Do this breast side down. BTW, go ahead & inject it or prep it as you did before. Then after 6 hours, take the cloth off, turn the bird breast side up . & smoke untill the breast reaches 165 degrees IT. That should fix you up.

Paul Taylor

[Sweetdaddy]

I smoke a few turkeys every year for friends and family. I rub the bird with italian dressing and apply texas bbq rub all over skin and under the skin as far as i can get it. In the cavity i add butter, chopped celery, garlic cloves, green bell pepper. I refrigerate over night. Before smoking I put the turkey in a turkey bag. On top of bag I will make about 6 8 inch slits with a knife to allow smoke to enter. Smoke the turkey until internal temp reaches 165 in the thigh. The bag keeps the bird from turning too dark from the smoke plus it helps keep it moist. Never had a complaint on any turkeys yet!! Also, I never smoke a bird over 14 pounds.
Sweetness

[bigwheel]

Well I only smoke Turkeys on T-gving and wind up doing it like this last time. Up at 5 AM. Shoot up with Fab C and rub with Headcountry Regular. Breast down over charcoal and chunks with a waterpan in the middle and a raw picnic on top. Get a big fire ripping and go back to bed. Let it chuckle away till well past daylight and the fire is just a shadow of its former self. Wrap and throw in the hot box for a few hours or till it time to eat. Ohhh brudder..that was some good bird. Tolerable butt too.

bigwheel

[just mike]

This was my first turkey & I guess I treated it like a butt.....WRONG!

Ok...now for the ?'s...

-Brine?-yes or no, what are the benefits? how long to brine? is it a simple salt & water concoction? anybody add more stuff to the brine?

-Wrap in wet cheesecloth? when...at the start or how long after it's been on? (2 different answers here) S&M-you mentioned wrapping your turkey, did you mean in cheese cloth, too? or something else?

-Thom-325*/20 mins lb
-Mike-10 hours @ 220*
I know to reach 165* but what brought you guys to this conclusion? I would love to know your reasons. Two great Q'ers, totally different views. I know that there as many ways to do it as there are q'ers, just curious.

Mike-BTW-your turkey looks great! nothing like mine!!

OK-to rub or not to rub, that is the question. I think that's what burnt up!

One more-in a pan? with liquid? Would that make it soggy on the bottom? Mike, your pics don't show pans or water.

I know.....alot of ?'s, but a couple of guys at work want me to smoke them some turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. Gotta start practicing now!

Oh-S&M, love the butter, apple juice & broth thing, does anybody else stuff the cavity? if so, with what?

Anybody wanna come tutor for the day? FL's nice this time of year, and the beer is flowin'!

OK, I'm done now. Just waiting for the "gods" to speak. Oh yeah, and you too Santa! ;)

Thanks,
Mike

[txpgapro]

My brine is 1/2 gallon of a apple cider, 1/2 gallon of apple juice, 3 cups Kosher salt, 3 cups of brown sugar, and any spices you like, such as thyme, bay leaf, garlic, rosemary, cinnamon. I put the mixture in a ice chest and mix well. Then add ice, block or milk carton if available. Add the washed turkeys. Get birds as submerged as possible. Leave overnight or longer as long as brine is ice cold. I then drain, inject more apple juice in the meat, rub with TXBBQRub under the skin and all over the bird. Wrap with the cheese cloth and then load in the smoker.

[jgh1204]

The brine does two things, 1st Flavor, gets salt and whatever else into the interior meat of the chicken. 2nd, moisture, the salt allows the chicken to absorb extra water and holds onto during cooking.

Cons to brining, some people dont like it. They say it changes the texture, etc. I happen to disagree with that, but you know how THEY are.

[bigwheel]

No brine. Most any turkey you be able to lay hands on handy these days has been already brined at the factory..aint no sense in re-inventing the wheel here. No. Forget the cheese cloth. Thats an old wives tale from the Smoke n Spice book. Cook it breastes down the whole time and squirt it with butter flavor Pam a few times right afore the end..which is 175 in the thigh. Might have to prop some utenstils against either side of the breastes bone so it cant get out of its assigned postion. Forget about the pop up timer thing cuz if you take it out it just leave a big hole to leak out juice. 350-400 works for me. Shouldnt take long. I only use the time for pound thing on cakes and pies and stuff. Now if you want the very best..give it a spin direct over the coals or propane or whutever on the Rotess. That will make you chunk rocks at smoked turkey..which will in turn make you throw double rocks at fried turkey. Not sure whut them cajuns was smoking on that deal. Did I ever tell ya about the time I nearly burnt down my house trying to fry a turkey? Now dont get me being redundant here. Also wrap it and let it rest an hour or two or three in the hotbox. That makes all them varied temps get happy and decide to co-exist as a happy medium.

bigwheel


This was my first turkey & I guess I treated it like a butt.....WRONG!

Ok...now for the ?'s...

-Brine?-yes or no, what are the benefits? how long to brine? is it a simple salt & water concoction? anybody add more stuff to the brine?

-Wrap in wet cheesecloth? when...at the start or how long after it's been on? (2 different answers here) S&M-you mentioned wrapping your turkey, did you mean in cheese cloth, too? or something else?

-Thom-325*/20 mins lb
-Mike-10 hours @ 220*
I know to reach 165* but what brought you guys to this conclusion? I would love to know your reasons. Two great Q'ers, totally different views. I know that there as many ways to do it as there are q'ers, just curious.

Mike-BTW-your turkey looks great! nothing like mine!!

OK-to rub or not to rub, that is the question. I think that's what burnt up!

One more-in a pan? with liquid? Would that make it soggy on the bottom? Mike, your pics don't show pans or water.

I know.....alot of ?'s, but a couple of guys at work want me to smoke them some turkeys for Thanksgiving this year. Gotta start practicing now!

Oh-S&M, love the butter, apple juice & broth thing, does anybody else stuff the cavity? if so, with what?

Anybody wanna come tutor for the day? FL's nice this time of year, and the beer is flowin'!

OK, I'm done now. Just waiting for the "gods" to speak. Oh yeah, and you too Santa! ;)

Thanks,
Mike

[txpgapro]

No brine. Most any turkey you be able to lay hands on handy these days has been already brined at the factory..aint no sense in re-inventing the wheel here. No. Forget the cheese cloth. Thats an old wives tale from the Smoke n Spice book. Cook it breastes down the whole time and squirt it with butter flavor Pam a few times right afore the end..which is 175 in the thigh. Might have to prop some utenstils against either side of the breastes bone so it cant get out of its assigned postion. Forget about the pop up timer thing cuz if you take it out it just leave a big hole to leak out juice. 350-400 works for me. Shouldnt take long. I only use the time for pound thing on cakes and pies and stuff. Now if you want the very best..give it a spin direct over the coals or propane or whutever on the Rotess. That will make you chunk rocks at smoked turkey..which will in turn make you throw double rocks at fried turkey. Not sure whut them cajuns was smoking on that deal. Did I ever tell ya about the time I nearly burnt down my house trying to fry a turkey? Now dont get me being redundant here. Also wrap it and let it rest an hour or two or three in the hotbox. That makes all them varied temps get happy and decide to co-exist as a happy medium.

bigwheel




For once I couldn't disagree more with the Wheel! Nothing better than a nice smoked turkey. Moist, juicy and full of flavor. Only thing commerical birds are brined in is salt. No spices, no flavors. The best birds are home brined in salt and sugar and spices. And if you like a golden brown turkey(see pics) use the cheesecloth. I've only tried it once but it really does keep the color and it does not dry out the bird. I did fail to say earlier that when I wrap the cheeselcoth on the turkey, I dipped it in melted butter that had rub in it as well.

[OWENMUSTANG]

I have yet to smoke a bird but, brines are something i believe in 100%
last thanksgiving, we did 2 birds from from the same place about the same weight. my brined bird, fantastic! moist, and well, gone. the non brined bird was slightly dry, and lacked that something extra that the brined bird had. both were good. but the left overs tell the tale. brined, a picked over carcass. non brined, plenty for several sandwiches the next day..

[david brace]

The only thing I knew about brine was that boxers used it to toughen their hands. Then I started discussing it with these fellers, and that's the way I'm gonna do it for Thanksgiving next.

DB

[TexLaw]

I'm a big brine fan. I also hear that store-bought turkeys are brined at the factory, but I see significant differences in flavor, texture, and moisture when I brine them at home. I like the difference on all three counts, so I stick with it. My favorite brine is the Alton Brown orange juice brine. If I remember, and I get the chance, I'll dig it up and put it in the recipe section.


TL

[Zeeman]

I'm a big brine fan. I also hear that store-bought turkeys are brined at the factory, but I see significant differences in flavor, texture, and moisture when I brine them at home. I like the difference on all three counts, so I stick with it. My favorite brine is the Alton Brown orange juice brine. If I remember, and I get the chance, I'll dig it up and put it in the recipe section.TL

Tex, I think I got this from you sometimes ago

VEGETABLE STOCK BRINE

21-cup container
1-quart vegetable stock
½ cup kosher salt
¼ cup dark brown sugar
3-5 bay leaves
1-2 tsp black peppercorns
1 quart orange juice
Add water to equal 21 cups total of everything

Bring stock, salt, sugar, pepper, and bay leaves to boil.
Cut fire/add orange juice, water.
Place in fridge till cooled.
Add whole/halves chicken, 12 hours (legs quarters/breasts 5-6 hours) or 1 turkey (24 hours)

[Steve-O]

Basic brine:
1 gal water
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
spices

use whatever salt you want, but kosher or sea salt is best. Raw sugar if you got it. Put whatever spices you want to taste IN the chicken.

The brine will pull out the juice of the chicken, then, when homeostasis is achieved, the juice will flow back into the chick with the spices. Takes 12-24 hours. The longer the saltier it get's.

If you use liquid that has salt or sugar (stock or juice) in it, you will need to reduce the salt/sugar. Always use these proportions or the juices won't flow right.

[bigwheel]

Well I has brined a few pumped turkeys in my day..and will say it might add a slight amount of flavor but it do nearly always put it on the cusp of too salty. You hit it with a little over salty rub on top a factory pump and a ho made salt water soak....and whamo you done off the charts on the salinity factor. The risk aint worth the added benefits in my book and that dont even count messing around with it for two days in the brine. If you will cook it at the temps and times wrote on the package the turkey come it you cant go wrong..less you wont to bump up the heat a little which dont hurt a thing..makes it mo betta in fact. Just always keep it breastes down and pull at 175 in the thigh. If your cooking in an offset not only keep him breastes down but also feeting toward the firebox. The backbone up configuraton allows the others less noble parts of the bird to baste the breastes from the inside. Took me forever to teach Emeril that trick when he static roasting whole chickens. Face down be the only way to fly for a bird. Now if you bound and determined to torture one to death for 72 hrs at 210...brining might make it slightly mo edible than an unbrined littermate. I aint sure cuz I dont do dumb stuff like that:)

bigwheel

[just mike]

WOW...

Thanks guys for all the great info....now I'm off to experiment. I will let you know how it comes out.

Might even post some pics.......IF I can get this D*MN computer to cooperate.

Mike

[OWENMUSTANG]

bigwheel,
what about beer can turkey?
(i'm a big fan of b/c chicken. turkey has to be good right?)

[bigwheel]

Well I have eat beer can chicken that was purty good..dont normally make it myself. Have done a variant of it on Turkeys a few times Whereas the bird is kept sitting up on a holder normally used for frying turkeys. Works ok..expecially if you doin them direct cuz it makes the heat spank their booties instead of their breastes. Now with the optional water pan or in the offset mode I like em mo betta just laid face down.

bigwheel


bigwheel,
what about beer can turkey?
(i'm a big fan of b/c chicken. turkey has to be good right?)

[Thom Emery]

Yea one of those Fosters Lager Cans lol

[bigwheel]

Well if anybody ever accuse me of wasting a nice big can of perfectly good Fosters by sticking it up a nasty old Turkeys butt...will assure you they lying like a rug or whutever. I got certain standards ya know? And it do not include expending good suds on barnyard avians who eat their own poo poo or happen to drown in a rainstorm cuz they too dumb to point the nose down instead of up. Know whut I mean? Hey congrats on the new moderator job. Dont think they could have found a mo betta person for the task even if they had of axed my advice about it afore rushing to judgement or whutever:) Many blessings on you and hope you and yours be shaping up for a very happy Easter Holiday.

bigwheel

[david brace]

I see some Beer Can Chicken cookbooks out there. Anyone have one and are they worth it? Ebay also has some fo sale...I'm considering it to add to the library.

DB

[Steve-O]

Turkeys are too big. Unless you use a fosters or have a huge grill.

You can get the same effect by stuffing them with green apples and onion. Then smoke till they are done.

[OWENMUSTANG]

quick question for those who have done it.
looks like wrapping mr tom in cheese cloth might be the the way to go.on cheese cloth, is this washable? or do you discard and replace?

[Bad Santa]

Discard cheesecloth after using.

[OWENMUSTANG]

one time use, cool.
anybody know where to find this in convenient quanity size?

[TexLaw]

If you have a restaurant supply store nearby, check that. If not, check a Sam's or Costco. If you don't have those, either, check your supermarket. If you must, check online.


TL

[Bad Santa]

Grocery store is best bet for home use, unless you want to buy a big roll of it. Comes in packets and is in the baking aisle usually or try looking with the canning goods or kitchen gadget section....

[Barnet in SoCal]

The Spanek company -- a very nice, homegrown operation -- makes vertical roasters for chickens and turkeys. No affiliation with them etc etc blah blah blah, just a satisfied customer. I have both of them, and the turkeys (and chickens) I've done have been mighty good. I did 'em in a Weber kettle as shown in the video, using briquets and apple wood chunks. I'll have to experiment some when I finally get my offset pit this summer. Haven't tried anything else they sell.

www.spanek.com

Their website is fun.... click on the "products" button and poke around. They have lots of little videos showing how to use the roasters.

[Big Mike]

I get mine at the grocery store. It is in the aisle with the kitchen gadgets.


Mike

[bigwheel]

Well this fella tole me one time him and his pals accidentally ate the cheese cloth. Tastes just like roast turkey to them folks most likely. Now this also be the same fella who also accidentally ate the cotton twine off one of the tied up pot roasts one time too. They taste just like pot roast from whut the fella say. Some folks just aint normal huh?

bigwheel


quick question for those who have done it.
looks like wrapping mr tom in cheese cloth might be the the way to go.on cheese cloth, is this washable? or do you discard and replace?

[Bad Santa]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :shock: :shock: