Really Large Turkey


 
T

Thom Tomlinson

TVWBB Member
I tracked down a string about large turkeys using the search engine. The string referenced a 24 lb turkey. I've been asked to smoke two 30 pound heritage turkeys in October. I'm interested in hearing anything you have to offer on cooking a bird this large.
 
holy cow. Or holy turkey, I guess. Those are huge. Frankly... are they going to fit in the WSM? Even one at a time?

Sorry, I have no experience smoking turkeys that large. But boy, you can bring some leftovers over if you'd like!
 
Thom
You can not smoke a turkey that size low and slow safely without brining and adding a cure (Tender Quick) to inhibit bacteria growth. I would recommend smoking at a 325º pit temp and shoot for 175 internal in the thick part of the thigh. You will get a 5º temp climb during the rest once it get's pulled off the cooker.
Jim
 
Thanks Jim. I was concerned about the cooking temp and drying. I will probably use the water pan with an apple juice mixture to help keep the bird moist.

I'm doing a site visit next week to make sure the bird will fit in the smoker. I also plan to see if it will fit in my turkey fryer. I now plan to fry one and cook the other in the bullet.
 
I am would be very wtachful if your going to put apple juice in your water pan. I did it once and before I knew it it turned to syrup and started smoking really bad. I find you need to keep a watcxhful eye on it when useing high temps.
 
Your best bet might be to split it in half - one half on each rack in your WSM. I don't think you'd have enough room to leave it as a split-whole and left flat on one rack.

None the less, once you've brined any poultry and cooked it, it's really hard to go back to plain-jane. For such a big bird, I'd highly recommend brining it - it will add alot to your taste and moisture content.

Brian
 
I would definitely split in half. Did a 34#'er for Lion's Club last fall. They wanted to deep fry but obviously even a half turkey would not fit in the pot. Ended up brining both halves and smoking on two Weber kettles. Moist, great taste and no leftovers. Under lower heat of a WSM I would be concerned about outside drying out before inside got up to temp. This is a large piece of meat.
 
I did a 22#er last year around New Years, did it around 245-250. It turned out tuff as heck. May have just been an old bird, but I'll stick with the 12-13 #ers for now on. Maybe I should have done it at 325-350. Didn't brine it either. Wasn't dry, just really tuff.
 
Thom -
I recently smoked my first turkey on the WSM and the results were absolutly incredible. The turkey I smoked was about 12#.

Check in the Cooking section of this site; under "Turkey" you'll find the instructions I followed.

1. You must brine the turkey.

2. Do not put water in the pan, instead wrap the pan in foil, stretching slightly so the foil does not touch the bottom of the pan.

3. I cooked between 300-325 degrees and the 12# turkey took just over 2 hours

4. As with all poultry, go easy on the smoke.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Al Silverman:
Stick with plain water in the water pan. The juice won't add anything to the flavor of the turkey.

Al </div></BLOCKQUOTE>True. Nor will water in the pan keep the turkey moist. It will buffer cooker temps but has a negligible effect on the turkey's moistness. That comes from the turkey itself and from not overcooking.
 
I don't think bigger means better in this instance. Too many variables with such a large bird. I would think more of something smaller would produce a better product.
 
I personally would never even attempt a bird this size - HOWEVER they are paying me to cook for a party where all of the food was raised on their farm. The two turkeys in question were not sold because of their size. They are both Narragansett turkeys - a heritage breed with much more succulent meat than commercial raised whites. I'm also cooking half a pig and a couple of tri tips along with numerous sides.
 
Hey Thom,

I was thinking the cut off top of a sankey keg with spear would make a good vertical roaster for a large bird, but maybe not that large. Would need to dismantle the spear to remove the rubber seal first.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by rex clingan:
Hey Thom,

I was thinking the cut off top of a sankey keg with spear would make a good vertical roaster for a large bird, but maybe not that large. Would need to dismantle the spear to remove the rubber seal first. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Keg Turkey Fryer
 
You could also reduce the cooker size requirement by reducing the size of the bird. Cut it as a hotel. That will leave you the back and wing tips (for stock), the whole breast with attached wings, and the two leg quarters (which you can separate to leg and thigh if you wish). Smoke/roast at a higher heat. You can platter the breast over a mound of fruited rice (or the like) which will keep both the breast and the rice warm, and lay the quarters alongside. Done right it will look very much like a whole bird on the platter but will be easier to manage.

I have several Narragansetts on the ranch as well. If you've not had their meat before you will enjoy it. Much better than mass-produced.
 
Thom - sorry I missed your earlier post on the temperature. I banked coals on one side of kettle and temperature was running around 350. When I do this this method I lay alum foil down under the bird (on bottom of grill) and turn up one end to buffer heat from the coals. Turned bird around once during the cook.

Dan
 
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