Cookin' A Small Turkey

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I'm planning to cook a self-basting turkey in my WSM using the method posted on the virtualweberbullit site. That recipe calls for a 12-14 lb bird. I have a 10.25 pound bird. I assume that I need to adjust the cooking time downward. Anyone have an idea how long a little bird will take at 325-50 degrees in a WSM? Thanks in advance for whatever advice you can give! /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
Ben, welcome to the board!

Probably it will take less time, but you should never go by time alone. Actual meat temperature is the only way ti tell how done it is. If you have a poldler probe, you want 160 in the breast, and 175 in the thigh. I would put the probe in after about an hour of cooking.

Just so you know, a question like this would be better placed into the Beginner's Forum...
 
The recommended roasting time in a conventional oven for a bird in the 8 - 12 lb range is 2 3/4 to 3 hours. The 12-pounder I did in the WSM last week should have come out at 2 3/4 hours, although I let it stay a hair over three which was a bit too long in my opinion - got a little over the desired temp.

I would start checking temps on a 10-lb bird after two hours at the latest, earlier if you have a Polder-type thermo that you can leave in the breast. That's if you're running oven-comparable temps of 325 - 350 in the WSM. You want the breast at about 160 and the interior of the thigh at 175 - 180. The drumstick should move very easily in the joint, and the juices running out of the interior thigh joint when you poke it with a fork should be mostly clear and not dark pink.

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><font size="-1">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Jason M. Park:
[qb]Just so you know, a question like this would be better placed into the Beginner's Forum... [/qb] <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>I don't know, it's hard to tell where to draw the line. This "small turkey" thread was posted right after a "big ole bird" thread. Not sure if either one is advanced.

Sometimes I wonder if having two categories makes any sense. /infopop/emoticons/icon_confused.gif

Regards,
Chris
 
Chris, I've often questioned the necessity for both an "Advanced" and "Beginner" section. The beginner section seems to get much more use and is used by beginners and veterans alike. I don't consider myself a beginner anymore, but I still learn alot from the beginner forum. Perhaps, you could convert the "Advanced" section into a "Competition" section as has been suggested by Matt Goin.
 
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