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TALKIN' TURKEY!! (The official/unofficial turkey thread)

foppa78 said:
I brined my Butterball. Am I screwed?
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No worries. I'm no EXPERT, but I've brined Butterballs and they turned out great. I didn't alter my brine recipe or anything. I think the worse thing that can happen is that the brine just not take as well. I mean if there's already a brine (which is basically what the "enhancement" is) in the bird, then your new brine may not get into the meat as well.


It's so hard to find birds that don't have the 8% solution, I've not noticed an issue.
 
TravelingJ said:
Great thread! Thanks guys for all the tips. I didn't know what I was going to do for the holidays. Yesterday I hit up Whole Foods for some Dry Aged ribeyes (new Jumbo Joe, have to break it in right) and my girlfriend shows up at the meat counter with a 10lb fresh turkey. The label says less than 4% water added. I figure I'll still do a brine, and get it on the grill on Thursday. I've never taken on a project this big for slower cooking, and we might have a few traveling friends over since none of us can make it back to our families.

One of the posts above showed a kettle with the coals on both sides of the bird. Is that the suggested method? I'm going to be using the new Jumbo Joe 18" grill, so I'm not really sure how to set things up. Should I grab a pair of those charcoal baskets? I like the look of that Williams Sonoma turkey gravy base, picking that up tomorrow!
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That's a great setup. You don't necessarily need the charcoal baskets, although they are nice. Set up your kettle for indirect cooking. Put a 1/2 pan for a drip pan right in the middle of the charcoal grate. Place charcoal on either side of it. You can also use foil wrapped bricks on either side of the drip pan to keep the charcoal at bay if you want. Then just place charcoal between the bricks or drip pan and the outside of the kettle. Place a chunk of wood amongst each pile of charcoal, then add about 3-5 lit pieces of charcoal onto one end of each of the charcoal piles. I like to keep my top vent open and adjust the bottom vent until I get the temp where I want it. I like 325-350 for turkey or chicken. Dial it in and let it ride.
 
sash501 said:
Read the first page of this thread for the first time today. For us noobs, what internal temp on a turkey are we looking for? Also, what is the cook time? So relieved to hear that it isn't a long one as there are many other dishes to prepare, but what is the cook time?
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Do with the same target temps as whole chicken, which (FOR ME) are 155-160 in the breast and 165-170 in the thigh. I usually pull the turkey from the smoker when I get 150ish in the breast and 160-165 in the thigh. It'll ride the other 5 degrees for carryover and resting. I try to avoid taking the breast above 165.

I cook mine at a higher temp, anywhere from 350 to 450 (watch out for any sugar in the rub if you go much hotter than 350. At 425, you're looking at 2-2.5 hours and 3.5-4 hours at 325-350. At least that's been my experience.
 
Subzerogriller said:
Awesome thread! I smoked a rockin' turkey last year on the kettle, but my dad has decided that it wasn't a big enough bird (this guy is a turkey junky on the level of the dad from "A Christmas Story"). So this year, I have a TWENTY TWO POUND bird. Any idea on how long I should plan on cooking this? I'm planning to run in the neighborhood of 300 degrees, as long as the winds don't mess up my wsm.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
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I hope someone chimes in cause I have the same pound bird going on my 22" WSM.
 
Here's a chart I found for 350 degrees that seems right based on my experiences:

http://allrecipes.com/howto/turkey-cooking-time-guide/

You said you were going at 300, so I'd add an hour to their suggestion of 3.5-4 hours, which is what my time is between for a 350 degree cook.

You could bump it up to 325 too.

Either way, I'd guess at least 4 hours for a 20 lber. Probably more like 5 at 300. Just check it at 2 hours and see if it's about 1/2 way, then adjust temps as necessary.
 
Hey Wampus

Are you still using a Turkey Cannon? I have one but I so seldom make turkeys (like once a year) and I can't remember how long it took using one. The website says only 7 minutes per pound but I don't remember it cooking that fast.
 
Great thread ladies and gentlemen.

Here is a bird I did on my WSM in 2011. I did that one low and slow on my WSM 18.5 before I knew better. It turned out great but I have done high heat cooks since with my birds and they've all been great.

I have never rubbed under the skin. Anyone have a good herb butter or similar type recipe?

I have a 16#er this year. I plan on letting the cooker soar to 350-400 and using my turkey cannon. Think I can get it done in 2-2.5 hrs?

This will be my first year doing one on my offset. I'm going to have to try some of these gravy recipes. I had my turkey raising guy save me the giblets but I might just roast them and give them to the dog at this point.

Anyone have any brine recipes they swear by? Also I want that brining bucket thing posted a few pages back. Awesome. Link?


5463111611_ce550c7cb7_z.jpg


5463688518_8613c114af_z.jpg
 
Wampus said:
That's a great setup. You don't necessarily need the charcoal baskets, although they are nice. Set up your kettle for indirect cooking. Put a 1/2 pan for a drip pan right in the middle of the charcoal grate. Place charcoal on either side of it. You can also use foil wrapped bricks on either side of the drip pan to keep the charcoal at bay if you want. Then just place charcoal between the bricks or drip pan and the outside of the kettle. Place a chunk of wood amongst each pile of charcoal, then add about 3-5 lit pieces of charcoal onto one end of each of the charcoal piles. I like to keep my top vent open and adjust the bottom vent until I get the temp where I want it. I like 325-350 for turkey or chicken. Dial it in and let it ride.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply. I picked up the Williams Sonoma gravy base today-the people in the store went nuts when I hit the counter with that "it's the best thing evar!!!!" and offered the tip of adding a bit of apple brandy along with the milk and drippings. Home Depot failed me on the hinged grate today, but I'll make due. I did grab a bag of apple wood chunks while I was there.

So you suggest charcoal on both sides of a drip pan, and not charcoal far on one side and the bird on the other? Does this whole setup work with dressing in the bird? I saw several references to stuffing with aromatics, but didn't catch any with dressing...
 
MS2SB said:
I did a bird that size a few years back and it took a LONG time, 5-6 hours if I remember correctly and that was at closer to 350*.
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Wampus said:
Here's a chart I found for 350 degrees that seems right based on my experiences:

http://allrecipes.com/howto/turkey-cooking-time-guide/

You said you were going at 300, so I'd add an hour to their suggestion of 3.5-4 hours, which is what my time is between for a 350 degree cook.

You could bump it up to 325 too.

Either way, I'd guess at least 4 hours for a 20 lber. Probably more like 5 at 300. Just check it at 2 hours and see if it's about 1/2 way, then adjust temps as necessary.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice. I've had problems keeping the temps up on my wsm lately; I'm thinking it's a wind thing, and we're not supposed to have much in the way of wind on Thursday (~5 mph), so hopefully I'll be able to get the temps up closer to 325-350. I'll probably plan on an 8 hour cook; that way, if I can't maintain higher temps I should be OK, and if I do get the temps up and the thing is finished in 6 hours, I can foil and cooler it. Can't wait - turkey, squash, and (of course) a couple fatties on the smoker! Gonna be a great day!
 
Oldyote said:
Hey Wampus

Are you still using a Turkey Cannon? I have one but I so seldom make turkeys (like once a year) and I can't remember how long it took using one. The website says only 7 minutes per pound but I don't remember it cooking that fast.
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I use the cannon any time I can fit a turkey on it and still get it in the smoker.

Here's a couple of threads I put up when I used it at different temps:
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=120995 3.5 hour cook time at moderate temps
http://www.bbq-brethren.com/forum/showthread.php?t=104719 2 hour cook time at higher temps


TravelingJ said:
So you suggest charcoal on both sides of a drip pan, and not charcoal far on one side and the bird on the other? Does this whole setup work with dressing in the bird? I saw several references to stuffing with aromatics, but didn't catch any with dressing...
Click to expand...

That's how I've done it. If you use bricks or something as a way to block the direct heat from scorching the thighs you won't have to worry about uneven cooking and having to turn the bird 1/2 way through. If you put coals RIGHT up against the drip pan, they can be kinda close. That's why I've put bricks by the drip pan, THEN coals outside the bricks to block the heat a bit.

I don't put dressing in the bird, but if you do, treat it like if it were in the oven....you'll have to let it cook longer. Make sure you check the temp of the stuffing inside.

I usually just stuff aromatics in the cavity (1 onion halved, 1 orange halved, 1 lemon halved) if I'm not using the cannon.


Subzerogriller said:
Thanks for the advice. I've had problems keeping the temps up on my wsm lately; I'm thinking it's a wind thing, and we're not supposed to have much in the way of wind on Thursday (~5 mph), so hopefully I'll be able to get the temps up closer to 325-350. I'll probably plan on an 8 hour cook; that way, if I can't maintain higher temps I should be OK, and if I do get the temps up and the thing is finished in 6 hours, I can foil and cooler it. Can't wait - turkey, squash, and (of course) a couple fatties on the smoker! Gonna be a great day!
Click to expand...

You could wrap up the WSM in a blanket or canvas tarp (just make sure the leave space for the vents to breathe) to help block the wind too if you need to.
 
For all of you 22" WSM owners...will a spatchcocked 22 lb. bird fit?

My brother picked up the bird, and I'm worried about time. Not sure I'll have the time to do a 6 hour cook.

Gonna have the turkey on the bottom shelf and a ham on the top, and trying to keep the temp around 300 so I don't dry out the ham.
 
I'm trying to catch up on this thread and have found a lot of great info especially the cannon. I'm smoking a 21 pounder (fresh) and am going back and forth about brining or injecting. I've always brined and then roasted. But, this being the first smoked turkey I'm not sure. I appreciate any suggestion

Thanks, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Pron on Thursday
 
sash501 said:
Do I truss the bird before I brine? Does it matter?
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I've never trussed before brining...if you do, it'll make it harder for you to apply rub under the wings and between the legs/breast area. I always truss before smoking, mainly to have a better appearance when it comes off the smoker.
 
+1 no need to truss before the brine.

Open the bag, pull the giblets out and then toss it in your bucket.
 
Wampus said:
That's how I've done it. If you use bricks or something as a way to block the direct heat from scorching the thighs you won't have to worry about uneven cooking and having to turn the bird 1/2 way through. If you put coals RIGHT up against the drip pan, they can be kinda close. That's why I've put bricks by the drip pan, THEN coals outside the bricks to block the heat a bit.

I don't put dressing in the bird, but if you do, treat it like if it were in the oven....you'll have to let it cook longer. Make sure you check the temp of the stuffing inside.

I usually just stuff aromatics in the cavity (1 onion halved, 1 orange halved, 1 lemon halved) if I'm not using the cannon.
Click to expand...

Got it. Thanks again!

We just watched the Alton Brown show on turkey that we DVR'ed earlier this week. I don't think I learned a single thing, that I hadn't already read on this thread! The show did convince the lil lady to stuff with aromatics, and not dressing. It was pretty awesome to say Altons facts and tid-bits right before he did-so thank you to everyone that has contributed to this thread.
 
sdpike said:
I'm trying to catch up on this thread and have found a lot of great info especially the cannon. I'm smoking a 21 pounder (fresh) and am going back and forth about brining or injecting. I've always brined and then roasted. But, this being the first smoked turkey I'm not sure. I appreciate any suggestion

Thanks, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Pron on Thursday
Click to expand...

If you have an oven roasting recipe that you like, just replace the oven with your smoker! Cook at same temps, same recipe, same brine, whatever, just smoke it instead of baking it. You only add another dimension to the flavor with the smoke.
 
Rover24 said:
For all of you 22" WSM owners...will a spatchcocked 22 lb. bird fit?

My brother picked up the bird, and I'm worried about time. Not sure I'll have the time to do a 6 hour cook.

Gonna have the turkey on the bottom shelf and a ham on the top, and trying to keep the temp around 300 so I don't dry out the ham.
Click to expand...

I don't have a 22" WSM, but I've fit a spatchcocked turkey on my 22" UDS grate:

IMG_6201.jpg
 
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