Practice run for Thanksgiving


 
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Dave P

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With turkey day rapidly approaching and me still being fairly new at Q'ing, I did a practice run on a 13.5lb Purdue non-enhanced turkey. I used
the basic brine recipie found on this site and added about 1/2 cup maple syrup. I soaked it for about 15hrs. I used the standard method to fire her up and 3 chunks of apple wood. My target temp was 325-350 at the top vent. About 4 hrs later it was done (162 degrees in the breast). After it rested about 30 min, I carved it up and tried some....it was by far the BEST turkey I have ever had /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif . It was so incredibly moist and flavorful, we couldn't stop sampling it...I almost had to hide it so there would be some left for dinner!! Needless to say, my family will never settle for an "oven" turkey again! For a modest effort the results are amazing. Love that WSM and this site!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!
 
Hi Keri!

I used sand in a foiled water pan. IMO, the brining process infuses enough moisture that using water in the pan would not any value to the final product; plus the cleanup of the sand filled water pan is a snap...just peel off the top layer of foil /infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif .

The last few Thanksgivings, I have been using a Showtime Rotisserie for the bird...that makes a great turkey (compared to an oven). The results I got this weekend with the WSM was much better that the Showtime. I'm hooked on smoke /infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif
 
Keri,
I've cooked a number of turkeys on my WSM. I've always used Chris's Standard Method, 325-350 degree, no water in a foil lined pan, cook. 1-1/2 or 2 full chimneys of Kingsford is plenty for the 3+ hour cook. They have always turned out delicious. I've used prebasted birds and brined birds. Its easy no matter how you choose to do it and the family loves them.
 
Thanks, guys. We've smoked lots of turkeys over the years (on log-burners or on ECBs) but I've not yet done a whole turkey on the WSM. Ever since I've had the WSM, we've been frying all the turkeys we've done, so smoking a whole turkey just hasn't come up yet. I HAVE done whole breasts at 325 - 350 on the WSM with excellent results, as well as whole roasting-size chickens, both with sand in the pan and with an empty foil-lined pan.

You're right about brining - I picked that process up several years ago from the original Cooks Illustrated article, and have been a convert ever since.

Thanks for the turkey advice. Briskets and I are best buddies when it comes to smoking, but whole turkeys are a different story. I'll follow ya'll's and Chris's directions, and I'll bet that it turns out fine. <fingers crossed>

Keri C
Smokin on Tulsa Time
 
What's the size limit for a turkey on a WSM?

Did you have any room to spare on the 13.5 lb'er ?

Will
 
Dave, thanks for the info. I'm going to do a Thanksgiving turkey too, and I was wondering what kind of wood did you use, and how much of it?
 
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