WSM or Performer for Turkey?


 
Khanh Hoang

Khanh Hoang

TVWBB Fan
For Thanksgiving we had Tri-Tip and Pork loin rib roast which turned out great.. but my wife missed having Turkey, so for New Years, we are planning to smoke Turkey. I was able to score a 20lb bird from Costco for $0.29lb... $6.. I plan on brining it for a day prior to the New Years Day Dinner (which will have family over again...) .. so the question is.. do I cook it on the WSM or the Performer.. I think it's going to be a 5-6 hr cook and wanted it around 325F... I'm leaning towards the Performer because we like crispy skin ...but any expert advice here will be appreciated..

a side note, when I did the tritip and loin roast, in order to keep the WSM around the 325F mark, I had to use a blow-dryer to keep the temp constant... the initial chimney and a half only lasted about 45 min before it started to drop down to 300F... 300F was easy and stable, this with empty water pan... is 300F OK on Turkey? My concern with the Performer is it will require more charcoal half-way thru the cook

I'm good with pork butts and ribs but learning with other meats..
my wife is scared of our meat intake since I got addicted to bbq.. I'm trying to slow down and eat moderately.. had tofu and rice for dinner tonight so you know what that means...
 
Khanh Hoang said:
For Thanksgiving we had Tri-Tip and Pork loin rib roast which turned out great.. but my wife missed having Turkey, so for New Years, we are planning to smoke Turkey. I was able to score a 20lb bird from Costco for $0.29lb... $6.. I plan on brining it for a day prior to the New Years Day. I'm leaning towards the Performer because we like crispy skin ...but any expert advice here will be appreciated..
My concern with the Performer is it will require more charcoal half-way thru the cook

Khanh
Here is a link that is worth reading. http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?37815-1st-Kettle-Turkey-for-Christmas&highlight=Kettle+turkey

Search the words "kettle turkey" to read other posts.
A 20lb turkey cooked on the grilling rack may not give you any clearance under the lid. If you are willing to improvise you will have an excellent result. I would recommend you lower the turkey into the kettle. Two to three inches of clearance under the lid is ideal with coals on either side. I use a broiler pan placed on top of fire brick. I add stock to the pan.
Adding coals every hour or so is no great deal.

I'm not sure, can't remember why I did not add these photos to the post above but here are a couple more of this same cook. I lifted the bird and turned it for even cooking although I don't know that was necessary.
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You can also open the fuel door on your smoker to get the temps up. I cut a second dome vent in mine for that purpose.
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My vote is for wsm. I never cooked on a kettle but you will probably have to refuel on the kettle a few times.
 
Khanh Hoang said:
Thanks Gary, I really need an idea going about doing this...you helped a bunch!!!
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I'm sure the WSM will be an easier route to go. Another way to get your temps up is to lay a big spike across part of the mid section under the lid. The issue with the WSM for high temps is the airflow restriction. Three vents to one. If you open up the lid a small amount that will give you high temps too.
I chose to work with the kettle because it reacts more quickly and is less affected by weather so for Christmas, snow and cold temps the kettle was my preferred method.
 
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Gary S said:
I'm sure the WSM will be an easier route to go. Another way to get your temps up is to lay a big spike across part of the lid. The issue with the WSM for high temps is the airflow restriction. Three vents to one. If you open up the lid a small amount that will give you high temps too.
I chose to work with the kettle because it reacts more quickly and is less affected by weather so for Christmas, snow and cold temps the kettle was my preferred method.
Click to expand...

The other thing I'm concern with the WSM is with the higher temp cooks, with the door open, I might have to add fuel during the 5-6 hr cook... Worst case I can always use my Char Griller as it has plenty of room.. I just like the easy cleanup of the Performer.. guess I'm getting spoiled with weber products
 
Just cook it with no heat sink at all. No water pan, no clay saucer, nothing. That's how I cook chicken. Works great. Gets to about 325-340 no fuss.
 
Khanh Hoang said:
For Thanksgiving we had Tri-Tip and Pork loin rib roast which turned out great.. but my wife missed having Turkey, so for New Years, we are planning to smoke Turkey. I was able to score a 20lb bird from Costco for $0.29lb... $6.. I plan on brining it for a day prior to the New Years Day Dinner (which will have family over again...) .. so the question is.. do I cook it on the WSM or the Performer.. I think it's going to be a 5-6 hr cook and wanted it around 325F... I'm leaning towards the Performer because we like crispy skin ...but any expert advice here will be appreciated..
Click to expand...

I've found that when I run my 18.5 wsm wide open, it's around 325-340, and each turkey takes around 10 minutes/lb. I use a dry pan. I think your turkey would only take around 3hrs and 20 minutes.

A performer would have a tendency to be hotter than that, maybe in the high 300s to mid 400 range (unless you are careful in how you handle the coals and/or air intake). I like to keep a probe in my turkeys and I'm not sure if the probe cord can survive the higher temps of the kettle, thus for those reasons I'd use the wsm: easier to hold temps around 325, unlikely to ruin a probe wire.
 
I cooked two birds over thanksgiving break, both on my 18.5 WSM. One was a 14lb and the other a 13lb. I was able go maintain 350F temps by starting with 2 heaping chimneys of lump, then after dumping them in I topped the fire ring off with kbb. Had to run all vents open and lid cracked but it held 350 for the whole 2.5 hours it took to cook. I was using a windbreak but the temps were in the low 30's when I cooked the first bird. Skin was very crisp on both birds with that method.
 
Paul Pearson said:
I cooked two birds over thanksgiving break, both on my 18.5 WSM. One was a 14lb and the other a 13lb. I was able go maintain 350F temps by starting with 2 heaping chimneys of lump, then after dumping them in I topped the fire ring off with kbb. Had to run all vents open and lid cracked but it held 350 for the whole 2.5 hours it took to cook. I was using a windbreak but the temps were in the low 30's when I cooked the first bird. Skin was very crisp on both birds with that method.
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Thanks Paul!.. when you mean crack the lid.. you are talking about the dome.. correct? how much of a crack?
Lump burns faster than kbb correct?
 
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Jay R. said:
I've found that when I run my 18.5 wsm wide open, it's around 325-340, and each turkey takes around 10 minutes/lb. I use a dry pan. I think your turkey would only take around 3hrs and 20 minutes.

A performer would have a tendency to be hotter than that, maybe in the high 300s to mid 400 range (unless you are careful in how you handle the coals and/or air intake). I like to keep a probe in my turkeys and I'm not sure if the probe cord can survive the higher temps of the kettle, thus for those reasons I'd use the wsm: easier to hold temps around 325, unlikely to ruin a probe wire.
Click to expand...

Thanks Jay, might have to go this route
 
I meant the top dome/lid of the WSM yes. I just sit one edge down on the grill grate where it meets the normal resting place for the lid and the other sits on top of the lip on the mid section.

The lump will burn faster than kbb which was why I lit 2 chimneys full of lump and then topped that off with kbb. Thought being that I would bet the high heat from the lump then as the kbb lit up it would give me a longer burn. After 2.5 hours I had about 3/4 or a bit more of a chimneys worth of coals leftover.
 
Paul Pearson said:
I meant the top dome/lid of the WSM yes. I just sit one edge down on the grill grate where it meets the normal resting place for the lid and the other sits on top of the lip on the mid section.

The lump will burn faster than kbb which was why I lit 2 chimneys full of lump and then topped that off with kbb. Thought being that I would bet the high heat from the lump then as the kbb lit up it would give me a longer burn. After 2.5 hours I had about 3/4 or a bit more of a chimneys worth of coals leftover.
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Got it! Will pick up some lump coal tomorrow.. I have about 70lbs of KBB
 
I have cooked a turkey on both and the WSM is way easier unless you have a rotisserie. What size WSM? If you have the 22" I highly suggest Spatchcoking your turkey.
 
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