Help with Christmas turkey


 
D

David J

New member
Hi all
I've only had my WSM since July so I am very much a newbie to the whole art of smoking & still learning how to use this cooker. I am planning on smoking a 14 lb. self basting turkey for Christmas dinner. I have successfully cooked 2 of these before but the outside temperature was in the 70's the first time & the mid 40's the second time. Christmas day looks like it's going to be in the high 20's, maybey low 30's at best here. The way I cooked them before was with 1 full lit chimney & then add 1 unlit chimney on top & wait until all coals were white before adding wood chunks & putting the bird on. In both cases I was able to keep the grate temp close to 325 for the the 3 hours it took to cook the turkey. I have a feeling though that I may need more coals to deal with the lower outside temp. I'm just not sure of how to go about it. Use more initially or add more when the cooker temp begins to drop? Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David J:
Hi all
I've only had my WSM since July so I am very much a newbie to the whole art of smoking & still learning how to use this cooker. I am planning on smoking a 14 lb. self basting turkey for Christmas dinner. I have successfully cooked 2 of these before but the outside temperature was in the 70's the first time & the mid 40's the second time. Christmas day looks like it's going to be in the high 20's, maybey low 30's at best here. The way I cooked them before was with 1 full lit chimney & then add 1 unlit chimney on top & wait until all coals were white before adding wood chunks & putting the bird on. In both cases I was able to keep the grate temp close to 325 for the the 3 hours it took to cook the turkey. I have a feeling though that I may need more coals to deal with the lower outside temp. I'm just not sure of how to go about it. Use more initially or add more when the cooker temp begins to drop? Any suggestions would be much appreciated. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


I would plan on cooking just like you did when it was 70* out. Only thing I would change is to add more unlit in the beginning just incase you need it. It's always easier to add coals before you start cooking. I do not notice a huge difference when cooking when it's 70-80* outside compared to when it's 20-30* outside. The one thing that will make a dramatic difference is wind. As long as the forecast is not calling for wind gusts, you should be okay! Good luck!!
 
Thanks Larry. So maybe add another half chimney of unlit to be safe? I don't know about the wind factor at this point. The forcasts here in the Boston area change by the hour it seems.
 
Larry is right. The wind will be your biggest problem. If it's blowing when you get ready to cook and you can't keep the wind off the smoker I would think about lighting what was in the ring and the chimney at the same time.Start out with plenty of heat. I use a full brinkman water pan and find that it is easier to bring the temps down than to get them up in windy conditions.

Good luck
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David J:
Thanks Larry. So maybe add another half chimney of unlit to be safe? I don't know about the wind factor at this point. The forcasts here in the Boston area change by the hour it seems. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

That should work. My rule of thumb is to put more charcoal in the ring that I think I need in the beginning of the cook, versus having to add more during the cook. You can always reuse any leftover charcoal, just make sure you get it out of the cooker after it has completely extinguished. If you leave it in for too long it will become damp, charcoal will suck up any moisture around it! Good luck with the turkey cook!! Looking forward to the results!
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">So maybe add another half chimney of unlit to be safe? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
David,

I would add a full chimney of unlit. As others have said, you can re-use the leftover coals.

Good luck and Merry Christmas.

Ray
 
Thank you all for your advice. The latest weather forcast is that it's going to be around 40 on Christmas. I'm not quite as worried about pulling this off now.
 
Just an update for all of you. The turkey came out awesome & I had no trouble keeping a steady temp while cooking it. Thanks again everyone. I took a picture of it if you are interested.
My Christmas Turkey
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by David J:
Just an update for all of you. The turkey came out awesome & I had no trouble keeping a steady temp while cooking it. Thanks again everyone. I took a picture of it if you are interested.
My Christmas Turkey </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Looks good enough to eat. Nice going. Looks like you and yours ate well Christmas.
My wife doesn't like turkey for some reason so my poultry cooking is limited to chicken. I think her mother was a lousy turkey cook, but she was forced to eat it as a kid growing up. Every once in a while I do a boneless breast, using most of it for taking sandwiches to work.
Again, nice going from one Dave to another.
 
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