To WSM our Turkey or not?


 
C

Chuck Tatham

TVWBB Member
20 people coming for xmas dinner. 22 lb turk on order along with mega ham. I'm far from a wsm noob but my focus has been ribs and pp. My only poultry was early in my journey and the reviews were that the family would have preferred chewing on tinfoil. I know I over smoked it.

I like doing different things for guests....but i dont want the eye roll from the wife if I screw it up.

My wsm is 18. Dressing will be done outside the bird.

I was going to do a trial run but isnt it amazing how when you wait to do xmas shopping....you still have to do it?

Any sage advice?
 
Chuck,

Go for it but do not use too much smoke wood and you will be fine. Last 23 pound bird I did turned out fantastic. I actually cooked the thighs/legs on the lower grate and the breast on the top grate in a roaster rack. Not the best presentation, but everything was done at the same time. Let us know how it turns out.

Ray
 
I've cooked big birds several times on my 18" WSM. Like Ray said, go easy on the smoke wood as poultry seems to absorb the flavor readily.

I'd go with an empty foiled water pan and shoot for 300-350 cooking temps.

Put a bag of ice on the breasts for a half hour or so before the bird goes on the cooker, that will help them from overcooking while the dark meat gets done.

Good luck!
 
Like the man said,go easy on the smoke wood. I've done one turkey on my WSM. Not a total disaster,but I've been requested to do this years on the rotisserie! Not a problem!:-D
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chuck Tatham:
Should I brine? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would. If you have time, brine for 24 hours, then air dry in the fridge overnight before you cook it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Steve McKibben:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Chuck Tatham:
Should I brine? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I would. If you have time, brine for 24 hours, then air dry in the fridge overnight before you cook it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I brined our T'giving turkey with the recipe on this forum for 24 hours. Then air dried in the fridge for 24 hours. Put some oil on the bird and it was amazing! I roasted in the oven because we were out of town with no smoker, but it worked great. Best turkey I've ever had.
 
Chuck,

If your gonna brine, it is better to use a turkey that is not self basting.

I put foil on the legs and thighs for the first hour of my cook. This helped the whole bird to be done at the same time. You will have to improvise to keep your WSM in the 300-350 range. I used a coat hanger tied from the lid handle to the door handle. This allowed me to keep the door open as much as I need to allow more air flow. Good Luck!
 
I'll add to the merriment. Have done 2 turkeys this season on the WSM, both with the apple juice brine listed in our cooking section. Brined 1 for 48 hrs and one for about 36. Let rested after rinsing for at least 8 hrs uncovered in fridge. Both groups that ate them said it was the best turkey they ever had. Cooked at about 350 till done. Let rest for a good 1/2 hour tented before slicing.

Good luck and happy smokin'

Mark
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Was it an 18?

Did you have to go vertical with the breast?

Temps and time? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yes - 18 inch. Breast was horizontal and I cooked at 375 degrees for about 3 hours.

Ray
 
Sorry, late commentary, but perhaps it will give you an extra boost of confidence....

I definitely say go for it. I've only been smoking for two years, and by no means has it been a daily thing. The very first thing I ever smoked, even before I had my WSM and thus had to use an indirect method on my Char Griller gas/charcoal combo grill, was a turkey. Very balsy of me if I may say so myself, but it turned out great!

I read up as much as I could in the turkey section of the forum and picked a recipe I liked and went with it. I could be mixing this up, but the first year I think I took something of Chris' from the Cooking Topics section, and then last year did the Maple Syrup/Jack Daniels brine listed in the turkey forum. I like my meat heavily smoked, so I threw in several chunks of apple.

I am nowhere near an expert at this, but I had multiple people (and not just my loving mother) tell me that was the best turkey they'd ever had. If I could do that on my first try smoking anything, by reading and closely following the guidelines on this board, I'm sure you're going to be very please with your results.

In terms of time, this past year I did two all natural (never frozen, no solution added) birds right around 13 pounds each, one on top of the other, so I'm not sure how long the 22l will take. And unfortunately I was running around too much to really take any notes. But my suggestion is search through the turkey section of the board and you'll find everything you need.

Good luck!!!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by mk evenson:
Chuck, cook till done. Merry Christmas. Don't stress it, give yourself an extra 2 hours. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Late to the party as usual... but I use Alton Brown's Honey brine method on my WSM. Very few ingredients and they always turn out great. Did it this morning. An 18lb bird took about 3:15 and rested for 90 minutes before carving. I have cooked 2 18+lb birds at the same time at least twice now. Foil only on the bowl and use one (small) fist of Hickory for smoke.
 
so its on. Had a bit of trouble getting the temps up. Created a quick wind break and used Sanchez coat hangar on the door idea. Up to 310 after about 45 mins. Door cracked about half inch. Vents at 100 percent. 22 lb bird fits horiz. You have to drop the upper grate though. I used foil pie plates to catch drippings and 4 coke cans laying on sides on the lower grate with upper grate resting on them. Gives about 2 inches above lower.
 
Ok.....some learning. Counter intuitive to really open door quite a ways....but I have it gapped about 4 inches at the top and I am now nicely at 350.
 
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