Hi Heat Turkey for Thanksgiving this weekend


 
Len Dennis

Len Dennis

TVWBB Diamond Member
Planning on doing a hi heat (325) turkey for Thanksgiving dinner this weeked. I normally use a foiled saucer in the water pan for my low temp smokes but have a question.

For this hi heat bird:

1)should I leave the foiled saucer in the pan?
2)just leave the unfoiled pan in place?

or

3) take the water pan completely out and leave nothing but the top rack (with the bird) and the middle rack with a 'drip pan' directly over the coals?

(tried search function--came up empty)
 
I do my turkeys in the kettle on the top rack. I don't use the bowl (diffuser) but I do have a drip tray on the bottom rack. I don't go insane with the charcoal. Using the ring in my 18" I cover the bottom with charcoal and then I put in about a half chimney of fully lit charcoal spread out over the bed of charcoal. Typically it burns up right about the time the turkey is done (approx 2+ hours)

I'm going to do this year's turkey in the 26" kettle. I'll use the charcoal trays that come with the 26 on each side, turkey in the middle over a drip tray
 
ChuckO said:
I do my turkeys in the kettle on the top rack. I don't use the bowl (diffuser) but I do have a drip tray on the bottom rack. I don't go insane with the charcoal. Using the ring in my 18" I cover the bottom with charcoal and then I put in about a half chimney of fully lit charcoal spread out over the bed of charcoal. Typically it burns up right about the time the turkey is done (approx 2+ hours)

I'm going to do this year's turkey in the 26" kettle. I'll use the charcoal trays that come with the 26 on each side, turkey in the middle over a drip tray
Click to expand...

I should have mentioned i'm using the WSM and smoking with apple. But I see your point, doing a hi heat there's really no reason to try to moderate the heat . In fact, having the second rack with a drip tray will tend to "spread" out the heat similar to what the bowl would do.
 
Len Dennis said:
In fact, having the second rack with a drip tray will tend to "spread" out the heat similar to what the bowl would do.
Click to expand...
More importantly it will catch the drippings that are much needed for the gravy for the mandatory mashed-tatters. You can put all your fixins' in the drip tray so they'll cook along with the Turkey. You might have to pull some of the fixins' out, as some of them will burn a little bit
 
I found that having the drip tray on the second rack for my hi heat p.p. , very little liquid accumulated and what did, burnt on and was useless. I've got a feeling the drip tray really needs to be raised well above the second rack so it is as far as possible from the coals.
 
Did last years turkey on a kettle but going to do this years on my 22" WSM. I did the turkey in a pan using celery stalks to keep the bottom off the pan. Results were really good. I'd go for foiled empty water pan and start with a good amount of lit coals.
 
Len Dennis said:
I should have mentioned i'm using the WSM and smoking with apple. But I see your point, doing a hi heat there's really no reason to try to moderate the heat . In fact, having the second rack with a drip tray will tend to "spread" out the heat similar to what the bowl would do.
Click to expand...

Len, trust me on this! No water pan, drip pan, or any other thing. Let those bird drippings drop right onto those coals. I have done plenty of chickens this way, and they turn out fantastic. Actually, this is the way I am doing my Thanksgiving turkey. Also, if you can hang it, even better!
 
Ryan P.K. said:
Len, trust me on this! No water pan, drip pan, or any other thing. Let those bird drippings drop right onto those coals. I have done plenty of chickens this way, and they turn out fantastic. Actually, this is the way I am doing my Thanksgiving turkey. Also, if you can hang it, even better!
Click to expand...

I know what you're saying (when I rotisserie on my gasser, chicken is great) BUT this guarantees I have to make artificial gravy (ie no drippings). It's enough I'm not telling the wife that I'm doing an injected/rubbed cajun bird (instead of her traditional no-spice bird). I can get away with a "sorry, the drippings just didn't work out" story but not "there are no drippings because I didn't try to save them" .

I'm going to use four bricks on the lower rack to support the (aluminium) drip tray right under the bird. At least, this way I tried. If it works, great. If not, I won't bother next time (unless there isn't a next time in which case, you'll know I'm dead ;) ;) ;) because no one (except me and my B.I.L. ) liked my cajun smoked bird.

I will definitely keep your idea in mind for next year if this doesn't quite work out. Thanks.
 
When i smoke turkeys in my 18.5 I use 2 lit chimneys full of a mixture of lump and kbb. I made a Piedmont Pan so i use that without water. I also added 1 lid vent and 2 intake vents which lets me run at 350-360F with two 15lb birds and the door closed for 3.5 hours.
 
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