Smoking a BIG turkey

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Hi All,

My spousal unit went out and bought a Butterball turkey for me to smoke on my WSM Bullet Thanksgiving - 22 lbs. worth! Yikes! I'm planning on getting up a little early and smoking it all day, probably at least 10 hours worth. Do you think that this will be enough for such a huge bird? Should I consider smoking it all night? If so, is there much chance that the bird will dry out if it is smoked for so long? I'm hoping that it won't be a problem since it is self-basting. I do like heavy smoked flavor since turkey seems too bland for me otherwise.

I'd appreciate any advice or suggestions on how to go about doing this.
 
Please do not slow smoke a turkey that large (or really any turkey for that matter). You are risking food poisoning as the bird will spend too much time in the so-called "danger zone" between 40 and 140*. Better to load up a full ring of charcoal, and cook at 325-350* with a dry water pan. Inject or rub as you prefer-- your Butterball is already brined.
 
Dean - I just putchased a Chicken/Turkey "Rocket" - a vertical stand fabricated from cast iron that claims to cut the cooking time in half. The center of the Rocket can be filled with beer or a marinade which also accelerates the cooking time. You might consider this for such a large bird.
 
Cooking it at 325~350 would definately be the way to go. I just did a 13.5 lb practice turkey and it took just 2.5 hours at that temp, although mine was an all natural bird that I brined myself. Obviously a 22 pounder would take more time than that. Not sure if a self basting would make adifference versus a brined bird.
 
Thanks for the replies. For safety's sake, I wonder if I could cook it on the smoker at 325 until the internal temp gets up to about 140F then knock it down to 200-250F so that it stays on longer and gets more smoke?
 
Just use more wood in the beginning. After it hits 140, it won't be absorbing smoke anymore.
 
As far as i know, you get the most smoke in the beginning of the cook when the meat is cold.

I?d rather keep a higher temp towards the end to get crispier skin.

Don Marco
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Edit :


?doh ! Doug was faster....
 
140* is the upper limit for smoke only when it comes to the smoke ring. The chemical reaction that causes the ring stops at 140* but the bird will still take on smoke flavor as long as it's sitting in the smokey environment.

Bill
 
Regardless, I think those who say they prefer a lot of smoke will ultimately come to realize that-- in the case of poultry-- less is indeed more.
 
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