Question about my first smoked turkey!


 
J

JeffreyAM

New member
Dudes! I am so stoked about smoking my first turkey for Thanksgiving! But I'm a little worried! I thank the Lord every day for this website.

I am worried that I will ruin the whole meal and end up ordering pizza to go with the mashed potatoes and gravy!

Anyway, obviously this is my first turkey. I am following the self basting recipe, but I couldn't find one between 12-16 pounds, so I had to get an 18.5 pounder. I figured some of that weight is packaging and the giblets and such, but I'm wondering if I need to do anything different because of the size?

I read that larger is not better because the dark meat will be done, but the white meat next to the bone may not be.

Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated by me, and all the other 'first time turkey smokers', I am sure! A little help Brothers!

BTW, I have several briskets, ribs, pork roasts, meatloafs, and even pheasant under my belt. My only real problem has been keeping my temps. high enough. I think I found the problem, as I was using an after market charcoal chiminey that I just found out, was about half the size of the Weber brand's! I now have one and hope this will correct my temp. problems. I live in northwest Indiana and the weather here now is anything but conducive to smoking!

Thanks.

Jeff
 
I just saw that there is a 'turkey talk' forum board! I apologize, I'm new at this. Maybe this can be moved to the appropriate section!

Thanks.

Jeff
 
Don't worry, no way you'll be ordering pizza when it's all said and done!

Just follow the directions you had found, don't worry about the extra size just know it will take a little bit longer. If your having lower temp issues it may actually benefit you a bit with a bigger bird, more even done temp. Having said that I still cook turkey hot, a fair bit hotter than most and enjoy the results. I usually aim for the 425 range, not that you should or shouldn't just my opinion.

For the dark meat finishing first I really woldn't worry about that, in fact I would be more concerned about the opposite. I would bring the breast meat up to 155 and the dark meat to around `175 before resting the bird. Usually to do this I put a little ice on the breast before putting it on the smoker so that it isn't dry by the time it is finished. When resting I would rest with the breast down. Not necesary but just my opinion.

Hope this helps a bit!

Clark
 
Jeff I would soak that bird in a simple brine before I started cooking that way it still comes out juicy ,if you have to leave it in the smoker a little longer because of the weight .
 
Jeff, Have done both unbrined and brined turkeys with great results. Matter of fact there is a brined bird on my smoker right now.The advice you've received is all good. Just don't put too much smoke wood when you do it. I put no more than three good size chunks. That's it. It's easy to over smoke poultry. Decide if you want to do high heat or low smoke(each is good). Get the smoker set and pull off when at the proper temps. Stand back for all the raves about your bird. Good luck
 
Anywhere from 225 to 375.
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Temp in this case will only impact two things: 1) when it's finished, and 2) whether you get a crisp skin or not. Higher temps (350+) will yield a faster cook and a crispy skin.
 
Hey Jeff, it depends on a few things. what time do you want it done by/ I personally would open all the vents wide and let it go as hot as it will get.

CLark
 
Forgot to mention that is about 50 degrees and raining. I'm at 250 degrees now. Good smoke though.

Thanks.

Jeff
 
Thanks Clark.

They are full open. Was a pain in the bum to get my charcoal going with the weather though.

Want to have food on the table at 3:00 p.m. Put bird on at 10:30 a.m.

She's an 18 pounder, so I started a little early.

Thanks.

Jeff
 
I would've started a bit early too. It's easier to rest the bird for a bit longer than it is to hurry the cook up.

Let us know how it turns out!
 
Now it's down to 200 degrees. This is my ongoing nemisis! Low temps. I don't know what to do. I took the side panel off and stirred the charcoal and it didn't get any hotter. ****!! Might have to finish in the oven.

Help!!
 
Well, we didn't have to order pizza.

I got a couple, 'the turkey is fabulous' comments, but you know what? The comments just didn't make the work seem worth it! And I know you all know what I am talking about. You know that feeling you get after a perfect cook, when people say, 'this is the best (fill in the blank) I have ever had.' And you know that they mean it.

Anyway, I figured that most everybody would be tending to their own Turkey day activities, so once I stopped getting replies, I knew I would have to improvise. So, I just dug deeper into the WSM website and found 'cooking in the cold and wind' section and studied it a little. It all came down to the cold wind for my problem. So, I had to figure out some way to protect my cook from the wind. Not having the materials or time to fabricate a cooking box, I did the next best thing.....moved the smoker into my attached garage!
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I know, I know...not a very safe thing to do, but guess what? Temp got up to 275 degrees in no time and the turkey was perfect for eating 45 minutes before dinner time. We actually had to wait for the rolls to get done instead of the bird! Plenty of time to rest and carve, it was close to perfection other than the trouble shooting.

So, lesson learned here is that I need a cooking box/shelter for my smoker ASAP. The things we will do to smoke in the Midwest in the colder months! Anybody have any good plans for a box.

Check these pics out. http://photobucket.com/JeffreyAM-turkeycook

FYI - if you are planning on shooting bambi in the morning, remove your hunting clothes from the garage before you relocate your WSM there to finish a cook! Also, my yearly blood test results came back Monday and for the first time in my life, I have high cholesterol!

Thanks.

Jeff
 
Hi Jeff - Sorry I got in on your dilemma too late to throw my useless .02 in. lol. What a great post and fun read. From the looks of your pictures you had a great smoke. Getting all the air you could in the bottom and creating some windbreak was the right answer. At least you didn't have to move it in the house to one of the bathrooms. lol. I lived in Alaska for 40 years and 2 months and did plenty of cooking in my garage. I think your dinner guests just didn't express themselves as much as they should have. Great looking cook. Bob B
 
Thanks guys. I enjoyed the cook and the posting.

Anyway, to be honest, the skin was a bit rubbery. It looked awesome, but I think because of the issues I had with the temps, the skin didn't get crispy. I think if I got the temp up, the skin would have turned out better. BTW, I put a wet rub under the skin and on the outside. I don't know if that would affect the texture of the skin or not, but all the research I found on rubbing the turkey said to put it under and on the skin for the best flavor.

Hope this helps.

Jeff
 
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