First Cook - Turkey

[Rick Smith]

Hello all. So I got my WSM for Christmas and finally got to use it this week. I have the 18.5" model. I used the beginner recipe on this forum to smoke a 12 lb. turkey. I followed the instructions exactly EXCEPT for two things. Along with the rub I also injected some Cajun butter(Tony C?) into the bird and I didn't rub the skin with vegetable oil. The instructions stated it would take 2 1/2 to 3 hours to complete. Well it took mine 5 hours before the breast got to 160. In fact I had to add another chimney of charcoal(Kingsford) as the temp was down to 200. The bird when done looked like in the picture..nice and brown. Waiting anxiously 20 minutes to carve. Found the skin to be almost like leather and was too tough to chew. The meat both white and dark was delicious but on the tough side? So my question to you all:
Why did the skin get so tough? Is that normal for smoking?
The meat was tasty but again on the tough side. Is that normal for smoking fowl?

Any suggestions would be appreciated! I love smoked meats and want to make this work!!

 

[James Lake]

Hey Rick....welcome to the sight and it sounds like you had a great cook. I have done a few turkeys on my grills including my wsm and have enjoyed them. I have never been able to get great skin when smoking the turkey something that perplexes a lot of us here on the forum. The skin on my turkeys and chickens have always been rubbery. Not sure what instructions you were following what I have learned is that with smoking and grilling there are so many variables that will affect time. For instance if I were to take a bird straight out of the fridge and on to the smoker it would take longer than had I allowed the turkey to sit on the counter for an hour allowing it to come to room temperature prior to putting it on the smoker. Not sure what would have made your meat tough, again so many variable could make a difference. I would like to encourage you to keep smoking and to make subtle changes and to see what make a difference and what you enjoy most. Again....welcome and it's good to have you here.

 

[Jay]

Hello all. So I got my WSM for Christmas and finally got to use it this week. I have the 18.5" model. I used the beginner recipe on this forum to smoke a 12 lb. turkey. I followed the instructions exactly EXCEPT for two things. Along with the rub I also injected some Cajun butter(Tony C?) into the bird and I didn't rub the skin with vegetable oil. The instructions stated it would take 2 1/2 to 3 hours to complete. Well it took mine 5 hours before the breast got to 160. In fact I had to add another chimney of charcoal(Kingsford) as the temp was down to 200. The bird when done looked like in the picture..nice and brown. Waiting anxiously 20 minutes to carve. Found the skin to be almost like leather and was too tough to chew. The meat both white and dark was delicious but on the tough side? So my question to you all:
Why did the skin get so tough? Is that normal for smoking?
The meat was tasty but again on the tough side. Is that normal for smoking fowl?

Any suggestions would be appreciated! I love smoked meats and want to make this work!!

what was the temp of your smoker while cooking? having to reload charcoal on a turkey cook seems odd,how much charcoal did you initially start with? i have always done my turkeys on my 22.5 kettle using the fuse method and i wet brined,injected and rubbed on various occasions and manage to pull off some pretty decent skin,i always cook my bird breast side down for an hour in broth with celery and veggies,the broth slows the breast from cooking to fast while breast side down being that the white meat cooks quicker.try it all until you come across what works for you,good luck.5 hours seems like a long time to smoke your turkey maybe why it came out a bit tough