Mahogany is a Good Color for a Turkey


 
Keith Jenkins

Keith Jenkins

TVWBB Fan
Decided to smoke our Thanksgiving turkey a few days early, since rain is forecast for later in the week.

Started with a 13 lb stock Butterball:

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Cooked in my 18" WSM over Royal Oak lump with some hickory chunks, and a dry (but foiled) water pan.

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Though the boned turkey is destined for the freezer until Thursday, quality control sampling by myself as well as our daughter-in-law give it two(y).
 
Actually, I'm intrigued; are you saying you are freezing it tonight and serving it Thursday? Can you elaborate on that process?
 
I started the turkey at about 7:40 this morning, and pulled it out about noon. We had it boned, in zip lock bags and in the refrigerator by early afternoon, and it went into the freezer earlier this evening. We will move some of the bags of turkey back to the refrigerator early Wednesday to thaw, and then heat the turkey (sans the zip lock bags) in the oven in a pan covered with foil and perhaps a little additional water on Thursday. If I had smoked it closer to Thursday (say Wednesday) we might not have frozen the turkey we planned to eat on Thursday, but we felt that keeping the turkey in the refrigerator from today though early Thursday was just too much time to be safe. I do like to smoke ahead (though maybe not this far in advance) for two other reasons. 1) I've learned the hard way that timing BBQ to be ready at a specific time is very risky, and; 2) when I've been tending a smoker for hours, I find that my sense of smell and taste tend to be a bit overwhelmed. For me, I get more enjoyment by eating my handiwork a day or more later when my smell and taste have returned to normal.
 
Ah... I missed the boned note in your initial thread and thought you were freezing a whole, cooked turkey. Sorry to put you through all of that lol but thanks.
 
BFletcher said:
Ah... I missed the boned note in your initial thread and thought you were freezing a whole, cooked turkey. Sorry to put you through all of that lol but thanks.
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No worries. Happy Thanksgiving, my fellow Buckeye (I grew up in NE Ohio).

Edit: Doing the turkey this way means we won't have the Norman Rockwell turkey carving moment on Thursday, but we're fine with that.
 
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Keith Jenkins said:
I started the turkey at about 7:40 this morning, and pulled it out about noon. We had it boned, in zip lock bags and in the refrigerator by early afternoon, and it went into the freezer earlier this evening. We will move some of the bags of turkey back to the refrigerator early Wednesday to thaw, and then heat the turkey (sans the zip lock bags) in the oven in a pan covered with foil and perhaps a little additional water on Thursday. If I had smoked it closer to Thursday (say Wednesday) we might not have frozen the turkey we planned to eat on Thursday, but we felt that keeping the turkey in the refrigerator from today though early Thursday was just too much time to be safe. I do like to smoke ahead (though maybe not this far in advance) for two other reasons. 1) I've learned the hard way that timing BBQ to be ready at a specific time is very risky, and; 2) when I've been tending a smoker for hours, I find that my sense of smell and taste tend to be a bit overwhelmed. For me, I get more enjoyment by eating my handiwork a day or more later when my smell and taste have returned to normal.
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This happens to me as well. I’m going to try to keep out of the smoke Thursday so I can enjoy the meal.
 
I always just lay the turkey down on the top rack when I cook them. Never thought about standing one up in the WSM using the lower rack. Looks great!
What temp do you cook at?
 
RLittle said:
I always just lay the turkey down on the top rack when I cook them. Never thought about standing one up in the WSM using the lower rack. Looks great!
What temp do you cook at?
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I was shooting for between 300F and 350F - precise temperature control isn't my forte, particularly when using lump. I was using an ATC (a Pitmaster IQ 110) and it still took me a bit to get the temperature dialed in. It did overshoot my target, as it got up to 370F, at which point I had to shut the damper on the ATC completely until it dropped back into the range I wanted. I smoked a lot of rubber-skinned poultry before I figured out to use only a dry water pan with poultry. This particular turkey came out great, with the skin crisping up just right.
 
TonyUK said:
Looks grate Keith. (y)
Any particular reason the door on the WSM is on upside down?
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Yes, indeed there is. I learned this trick from an upside door modification write-up that Chris has on the Virtual Weber Bullet site. I just find that the door seals a bit better to the midsection opening, since in that position the latch edge of the door falls against the outside of the midsection instead of falling away from it. Also, the edge opposite the latch wants to fall outward, pressing the door lip inside the smoker against the inside surface of the midsection. Unfortunately, this trick doesn't work on the 22" WSM, because the top of the door opening is rounded, preventing the door from be used upside down. I don't know if the door can be installed upside down in the 14.5" WSM or not, since I only have an 18". I've never had to prop the door open as Chris described in the upside down door write-up though, as my issue is usually trying to keep the temperature down, rather than trying to raise it.
 
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