How to Hot cook on a 14 ?


 
S

Steve Petrone

TVWBB Platinum Member
I plan to spatchcock a turkey for Thanksgiving. What is the best way to run a HOT 14" WSM?

My goal is to cook at 325-350.

I assume no water and use a heat Shield.
I assume use lump not Kingsford charcoal.

Do I use any unlit lump?
Do I use 2 chimneys of glowing lump? Will a 14 hold 2 chimneys?
How hot can I run for 2 1/2-3 hours?

Finally, a different question, how large of a turkey can I fit in a 14=1/2 top shelf, 1/2 second shelf?

Thanks
 
Steve, I am a 14"WSM user. If it was me, I would just do the turkey on a 22" kettle. Just for convenience. Flavor should be equal.
Briquettes, not lump. I can't imagine 2 full chimneys of lump in the small WSM. Good luck, and I hope it is tasty however you do it.
 
I agree, if you have a kettle, this is where they truly excell! I have not done a turkey any other method since the first year I did it (I was maybe 17) the only times I have not done it is when I didn’t cook.
There are many methods but, the old tried and true 11 minutes/per lb. unstuffed, full baskets basic indirect method.
Never a failure in 40+ years multiple birds every year, some have been better than others but, not a flop, in the crop!
I’ve been known to take a 22” with me “just in case” back when I had a full sized Suburban!
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
I agree, if you have a kettle, this is where they truly excell! I have not done a turkey any other method since the first year I did it (I was maybe 17) the only times I have not done it is when I didn’t cook.
There are many methods but, the old tried and true 11 minutes/per lb. unstuffed, full baskets basic indirect method.
Never a failure in 40+ years multiple birds every year, some have been better than others but, not a flop, in the crop!
I’ve been known to take a 22” with me “just in case” back when I had a full sized Suburban!
Click to expand...

How do you set the vents on your kettle?

I might try that this year.
 
You guys are a lot of help...I have an inherited gasser and a 14.5 Wsm. No 22 Kettle right now.

Need to feed 8 people for Thanksgiving.

Last year was my first spatchcocked bird cooked on my son's large green egg. So, the plan was to split a bird and do 1/2 on each grate. Anybody cook hot on a 14.5 ? Thanks
 
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I think you are looking at a chimney and a half TOPS.
For what its worth ..... personally I would use the gasser, with
some wood chips in foil, or maybe both. Cook on the 14 for a couple
hours at whatever temp you can maintain, and finish off on the gasser.
 
Kelley Brown said:
How do you set the vents on your kettle?

I might try that this year.
Click to expand...

Pretty much full throttle. I’ve tried shutting down half, less than half and full open really works the best. I started out with big (22-25 lb.) turkeys but as numbers decreased so did bird size, I think I have a 16 lb. one on hand for this year.
Let me know if you need help.
But, always travel with vents closed in the Suburban!:D
 
Steve, relax.
I believe your temps are obtainable on a WSM! While I don't have a 14, but to get my 18 or 22 WSM up to high heat I ran it with out the water pan and either cracked the door a bit, or put something under the lid to help get more air into the smoker. I think the temps you're looking for can be easily achieved by doing either (or both) of these things. I have only used Kingsford blue, and I have gotten temps well north of 300 in my WSM. But as far as how much the 14" will hold, if the smoker is nearby, see how much unlit lump or coal you can fit in it, then put it back in the bag. If it were me,
If you have time, I would suggest a trial run. Laos it up with hot lump/charcoal, see how much it will hold, how to achieve the temps you want, and how long it will stay at those temps. For myself, the small cost of the coals is well worth the peace of mind I would gain from a trial run.
It is doable on the 14", no pan, vents wide open, and prop the lid or crack the door and you should be good to go!!
Good luck,
Tim
 
Kelley Brown said:
Thanks! Will start wide open and then calibrate. I think our bird is about 11#.
Click to expand...

I started doing them way before I’d ever even thought of using any kind of thermometer. The old lesson was everything wide open would give you about 500 initially so. That’s what I have always done. Full vents, FULL baskets with a few unlit(10 each side) touch it off, clean the grate and load. Don’t peek for the first hour and a half.
11 lb. bird right about ~2 hours.
If you have questions about carving, take a look at the “Krispy skin” thread.
Happy to have helped someone else.
 
Trial run...A+
I split a 7.4 lb. bone-in breast in half and put it on at 3.30pm, one on each grate. One full chimney of lump, plus a few pieces to top it off with with 4 small chips of hickory.
Cook started at 247, went to 300 in 30 minutes, all vents wide open.
Temp climbed to 347. At 1.5 hours one breast was at 161, the other at 164.
They had beautiful skin.
Thanks for all the help and comments.
 
The Little Weber worked like a champ. No need to adjust...set it and forget it.
The smoke was perfect for me. For most people...I'll do two small pieces of hickory.
Juicy as can be. This was a pumped breast as purchased.
Off the smoker, it was glazed with No.5 Sauce. The thought was the glaze would help it retain moisture and give a hint of that sauce.
 
Steve, the reason I asked how big the turkey was that instead of halving it you could remove the top rack and vertically roast it on the bottom rack.

Tim
 
Steve, I'm glad it worked just as you had hoped! To me, a trial run like you did today is worth it if for nothing more than your peace of mind! Sure there will be some variances next time, but you have the hardest parts figured out. Again, glad it worked out!
Tim
 
There is much to learn when doing something for the first time...I do not have much experience with lump-still learning.

Timothy, thanks for the though of vertical roasting-I would not have thought about that.

Last year I did my first spatchcocked turkey on a large green egg. The ability to cook the the whole turkey and not dry out any one part of the bird speaks volumes about spatchcock cooking. Despite not being "whole", they are beautiful birds. they cook quicker as well.
 
I think Timothy has the best solution between space and presentation!
I’m not a big fan of vertical roasting in general but, in the instance I think it’s a great idea!
 
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