Too Much Smoke


 

Charles Howse

TVWBB Wizard
Friends,
Even though it's a terrible day here in West Tennessee, I smoked a spatchcocked Turkey for supper.
Temperature-wise, it came out great.
I used 2 chunks of Apple over 1 1/2 chimneys of Kingsford Blue.
All vents wide open the entire cook; empty water pan.
It hit 165 in the breast in exactly 3 hours!!

Problem is, the skin is WAY too dark from the smoke.
Can't I drape with foil in this situation to reduce the amount of smoke hitting the bird??
If not, what would you do? It looked beautiful about 2 hrs in.

BTW, after eating...this was the BEST turkey I've ever done!
Moist, tender, smokey. Seasoned with Tony Chachere's!
Everyone is full!!
 
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On one hand you say it was the best turkey you ever had...

Then you say it was too Smokey on the skin

Sounds to me like the skin was dark cuz it was cooked on high heat... Not from too much smoke.

I'm not sure why you care what the skin looks like either.
 
On one hand you say it was the best turkey you ever had...

Then you say it was too Smokey on the skin

Sounds to me like the skin was dark cuz it was cooked on high heat... Not from too much smoke.

I'm not sure why you care what the skin looks like either.

Hi MartinB,
The skin needs to not be so dark because I want it to not be so dark.
 
Charles, you may get away with tenting it with foil when you get the good color. That works in an oven but I've never tried it on a WSM. An alternative is to wrap in foil when the skin gets to the color you want. I would try the tent first and see what happens You want what you want - nothing wrong with that. LOL :wsm:
 
You could have burned sugar in your rub, but I'd try maybe less wood. Make sure your charcoal is fully lit so you aren't getting smoke from that. Did you have the water pan in?
 
Tenting or foiling is going to cost you the crisp texture you want. Try less wood.
I know what you mean, two hours in, it has the most beautiful color and by carving time, it looks like it’s one step from black.
I’ve learned to accept that.
 
You think it could be from the seasoning you applied?

Hi James N,
I used Tony Chachere's, as I have before. It has no sugar in it, and I didn't apply a lot.
Now that I think about it, the last 2 turkeys I smoked were done the same way, and only one was a little darker than I wanted.

As far as tenting with foil, I've seen it done in videos on YouTube (HowToBBQRight), and it worked well.
 
You could have burned sugar in your rub, but I'd try maybe less wood. Make sure your charcoal is fully lit so you aren't getting smoke from that. Did you have the water pan in?

Hi Dustin,
As I explained above, Tony Chachere's has no sugar in it.
Yes, I used an empty water pan.
Less wood is a good idea, thanks.
 
Tenting or foiling is going to cost you the crisp texture you want. Try less wood.
I know what you mean, two hours in, it has the most beautiful color and by carving time, it looks like it’s one step from black.
I’ve learned to accept that.

Hello again, Timothy,
I hate to hear that you accept 'one step from black'. This should be an issue we can figure out. :D
I will try less wood.
 
Try putting in olive oil soaked cheesecloth on the skin for the first hour. Still gets smoke but won't get as dark. I did it this last Thanksgiving turned out perfect. Good luck
 
Hello again, Timothy,
I hate to hear that you accept 'one step from black'. This should be an issue we can figure out. :D
I will try less wood.

Learning to accept an occasional hiccup does in no way deter my pursuit of excellence. I have learned to accept the outcome of a different experiment and determine what the cause may have been. I may have over simplified, it’s not really one step from Black but, usually darker than “Norman Rockwell” would have painted.
Have not used Tony Cachere in a long time but, I seem to remember it having quite a bit of paprika in it. Paprika will burn fairly easily and give the black finish.
The oiled chescloth is a GREAT idea!
 
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Learning to accept an occasional hiccup does in no way deter my pursuit of excellence. I have learned to accept the outcome of a different experiment and determine what the cause may have been. I may have over simplified, it’s not really one step from Black but, usually darker than “Norman Rockwell” would have painted.
Have not used Tony Cachere in a long time but, I seem to remember it having quite a bit of paprika in it. Paprika will burn fairly easily and give the black finish.
The oiled chescloth is a GREAT idea!

No harm intended. I frequently accept less than perfect in all aspects of life! :D
Per the Ingredients list on the container, there is no Paprika in Tony's.
Did you get a chance to watch the video I referenced above? I like this guy, he has lots of great recipes and tips.
 
Here's a picture of Greenberg Turkeys. They smoke the heck out of them though.

https://gobblegobble.com/

Thanks for that, Dustin. That's how dark my bird was (I'll take a pic next time). Again, it was a fantastic eat, even the skin; just too dark for my preference.
I smoke meats for lots of friends, and I want to deliver something that will make them gasp, and say "WOW, that looks great!" :D

I've been instructed to get that other turkey out of the freezer and smoke it asap. That will be a great opportunity to DO the things that I forgot on this one...
Poke holes in the skin to let the fat out,
Spray with cooking oil,
Use only 1 chunk of Apple wood,
Tent when color is perfect.

Wish me luck!
 
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