Cut up a big turkey for smoking?


 
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Dave M

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Hi folks,

We ended up with a big 20 lb turkey for Christmas dinner. I think it's too big to do whole, so I was considering cutting it into pieces and then follow Chris's tips for smoking bone-in turkey breast, but with all the parts. http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/turkey5.html

I found this site that shows pretty clearly how to slice it up:
http://www.hormel.com/templates/knowledge/knowledge.asp?catitemid=37&id=436

I'd like to do Keri's brine recipe and smoke with apple wood. It's going to be an experimental day, I bought some Cowboy lump charcoal and it will be my first time with lump. Nothing like putting the pressure on!
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Thoughts?
 
Dave,
The biggest that I have cooked was 14 lbs. However, here is a thread showing where someone did a 28 lb turkey. I have not been on here in a good while because of other activities. If this URL does not work, then go to somewhere around page 13 of this forum, depending on the number of posts. It really may depend upon how comfortable you are. If you decide to do only half of it, then you can do the other half and make changes.
 
Rodgers and Larry, thanks for the repies. I hadn't seen those threads about the big birds. I guess I'm going to have to re-think! Doing it whole would be my preference, I just want it to come out good.
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For Thanksgiving, using Keri's recipe, I did a bunch of turkey thighs and drums on the WSM to complement the conventional turkey in the oven. They were much better than the whole oven turkey. Whole or pieces, yours should be great.
 
I hope everybody had a great Christmas. The cold Michigan weather was fighting me. I went out at 10 am to get things started and found the coals from the previous smoke were frozen in the bottom of the smoker. I tried to light some coals and dump them on top, I figured with the lid on things would melt pronto. Wrong.
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I ended up propping the base upside down on the turkey fryer burner and melting it out. Since it was 11:30 before I was ready to go with a 4pm target dinner time I decided to whack up the bird and do it in pieces. Worked great!

It sat at 280-290 at the lid for an hour and a half or so, then I added another chimney full of burning lump and it eventually got up to around 360.

Took the pieces off the smoker around 3:15, wrapped in foil and put in a warm cooler. Like in Keri's turkey post, they were still very hot when I pulled them out about an hour later. Used the drippings to make a quick gravy, and everybody raved about the whole shebang. I've decided the next time I have to do this I'll skip the dark meat and just do two big breasts. If it's moist it seems to be what everybody goes for.

Thanks for the help!
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I did turkey "parts" christmas day. I feel like there's less waste when you just do the parts you want. I did a large breast and 4 drumsticks.

It was cold here. but not bad for late December in Iowa. The parts took right at 3 hrs, wrapped them in double foil,went in the cooler and we were off to the inlaws about 40 miles away. Still nice and hot and very juicy on arrival.
 
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