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smoking a turkey

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segen77

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Looking to smoke a turkey for thanksgiving this year, and need some pointers.

I have an 18.5 WSM, so I will have to remove the top grate and smoke on the bottom to get it to fit. Looking for any advice, on preparation, recommended wood, and anything else I need to know.
 
First, I would suggest that you definitely do an overnight cure. It really takes your turkey up a notch. There are many cures to choose from. This was my last one and it was very good;
2 gallons. Water
1 3/4 cups. Morton Kosher Salt
1/2 cup. White Sugaring
2 Tbs. Morton Tender Quick
2 Tbs. Onion Powder
2 Tbs. Garlic Powder
2 Tbs. Paprika
1 Tbs White Pepper
1 Tsp. Mustard Seed
1 Tsp. Powdered Sage (I used 1/2 t. Marjoram, Rosemary & Thyme)

I also slid two 1/8th "pucks" of butter under the skin over the Breast meat just before placing it on the Weber.

After that, I would go by what Weber instructs as to the number of briquettes to use and the frequency of adding charcoal. Use of wood chips is completely a matter of choice as it pertains to amount of smoke taste. Good luck and purchase an extra turkey and freeze it for a July practice for your next Thanksgiving.
 
Lots of opinions but I alwayd brine mine. Can't help with a WSM as I use an old school smoke house and manage the fire
 
I've done turkey on the top grate of my 18 without issue. Unless you are doing a monster bird shouldn't need to drop to lower grate. I also heartily recommend brining. In particular, i love a brine with molasses in it, the colour it gives the finished bird is out of this world!
 
13 lbr on a 18" Kettle Grill. Kid at work we bought a Kettle for. I don't brine - just shoot up with Tony C's and use a cpl different rubs ( not at same time) under and on skin and stuff the butt full on onions n orange wedges.



My Turkey Cooks: 3 hrs at 275-300*
















I bought 11 Turkeys last Thanksgiving cuz they were $.59/lb. 1 for Thanksgiving and for freezer all 13-15 lbrs. Smoke one every 6 weeks. If you do inject - inject small amounts in many places.
 
Also.....

Here is a lengthy thread with a collection of Turkey cooks that may help you find much helpful information on the process as well as the end result.

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

It includes help on icing the breasts to keep them cooler so they won't dry out before they are done.

.
 
As for the WSM method, I have done it in the 22.5" and even then I used the bottom grate. My advice... get rid of the water pan, but put the bird on a rack inside of a roasting pan (to deflect a little bit of the direct heat and to collect the drippings) on the lower grate. Get the heat up around 400, and let her rip. No spatch necessary IMO.
 
Another one for Patio Daddio's Turkey Brine, used this last year and did mine in an 18.5 WSM. Just foiled the bowl, no water, no sand etc. Put the bird on top rack and a foil pan on the bottom to collect drippings. Cranked her up to 350F, put the probe in the thigh, cooked until thigh read 165, out to rest under a foil tent. Was a beautiful bird that went faster than the "family recipe" bird.
 
See the TALKIN' TURKEY THREAD for a plethora of tips, tricks and advice.

Here's a thread I did for a turkey I cooked last holiday season.

Personally, I've grown to prefer the traditional, simple seasonings for turkey: butter, herbs, brine, smoke.

Here was the final product last year:

PB280047_zpscb0eca65.jpg
 
I've smoked a few now and they are always a hit. My recommendations:

1. Only do it if you brine it for at least 24 hours. I use orange juice and apple cider in my brine.

2. Get a Turkey cannon and learn how to truss.

3. As far as rubb goes on a Thanksgiving turkey, use a rosemary, oil, white wine rubb. PM me for a specific recipe.

Good Luck
 
I appreciate all the great advice. I really need to do a couple of test runs over the next month to be sure I have it down. The one thing I have noticed is that it's best to cook at a higher temp for a shorter time. I've never done a bird of any kind so I didn't think about this, but it makes sense. I'm used to low and slow...
 
I would be the obnomally on that.....but I an not cooking in a tin can :shock:
 
My last full bird used a brine with 96 oz. orange juice and 96oz. cranberry juice, 1-1/2 cup k-salt, 2 cup brown sugar, 2tbl cinnamon & 2tbl all spice. Heated up to dissolve the salt, cooled and brined for 48 hrs. (From memory) also, I bought cheap juice from a dollar store.

This was really good and made the house smell great when heating up the brine.
 
segen77 said:
The one thing I have noticed is that it's best to cook at a higher temp for a shorter time. I've never done a bird of any kind so I didn't think about this, but it makes sense. I'm used to low and slow...
Click to expand...

At a higher temperature the skin isn't as rubbery as if you cooked at the lower temperature. Also lower temperatures mean longer cook times, which in turn could help to dry out the breast meat.
 
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