Smoking turkey?

I can't offer any tips or tricks, but I can offer my criticisms of the meat afterwards...

finder_87 said

I can't offer any tips or tricks, but I can offer my criticisms of the meat afterwards...

That's very generous of you.

I've decided I'm going to try this one with a few minor variations: http://www.smoking-meat.com/november-7-2013-smoked-turkey-with-bacon-butter

Bacon butter? Seriously? Heck yes!

Bender said

Any of you good at smoking meat? I've had a smoker for about a year now and made some crazy good stuff in it. Mostly pork but some beef too. I'm going to try a turkey for Christmas. Anyone ever try? Any tips? Any other good smoking recipes?

I bought a smoker this summer, and have been going hog wild (pun intended) with it, with some pretty good results, and a few miserable failures (turns out there's a reason you don't often see smoked veggies). So far my best success has been my smoked Salmon, and Steelhead (you may have tried it at the Christmas party), but I am still looking for the magic recipe for babyback ribs (any suggestions?). Anyways, I smoked a whole 15lb turkey the week after Thanksgiving (bought turkey on clearance), and it was amazing. the family is now demanding that I smoke a turkey from now on for thanksgiving and Christmas.

A couple of things to keep in mind. The skin comes out rubbery instead of crispy, so if you intend to eat the skin you may want to pull it from the smoker early and stick in in the oven to finish it off. Make sure to brine for a long time (I did 18 hours), and use lots of rub (preferably under the skin). I did not inject the meat, but I may try that next time. Do not let it get over temp or it will dry out fast. Use an accurate thermometer between the thigh, and the breast (not touching the bone), and pull it as soon as you hit ~160 (mine took about 5 hours). Cover it with foil it will continue to rise to about 165.

The result was the most juicy, tender turkey I have ever tasted. It does have a pretty strong smoke flavor from spending so much time in the smoker, so make sure to use a mild wood (I used alder, and apple wood).

I highly recommend you bring some in to the next club meeting so we can test it for you 🙂

Thanks for the tips. I actually just came in from putting the turkey in the brine. I'm planning to pull it tomorrow evening and let it dry out in the fridge to help with the rubbery skin. What temp did you smoke it at? I'm getting a lot of conflicting reports on that. I'm planning to use some cherry wood I got from my parents house with some apple wood.

I've got a good thermometer. I'm using the Maverick that shows the smoker temp and the meat temp. Really works great. I missed the smoked fishat the party but I made some amazing smoked salmon at the coast earlier this year. I also made a decent tri tip. Heck the pulled pork I did came out great too. The only thing I wasn't huge on that I did was a bacon wrapped pork tenderloin. It was good but not amazing. I just can't get enough pulled pork though!!!

I use a slightly modified version of the 3-2-1 approach for my pork baby back ribs. Clean and rub well. 2.5 hours in apple smoke. 1.5 hours wrapped in double foil with a little apple juice. 1 hour back in the apple smoke. Everything around 225 degrees. Incredible ribs and it's almost fool proof. Throw some skin on chicken thighs under them so they'll get dripped on and you've got two great meals!

The most difficulty I ever experienced with smoking a turkey was what end to draw from. 😁
=====

Bender said

What temp did you smoke it at? I'm getting a lot of conflicting reports on that.

I did mine at 230, and pulled the turkey off when it hit 185. It continued to cook more then I expected, so I think I would pull it off closer to 175 - 180 next time.

How'd the turkey turn out?
=====

Came out great but you really have to be careful with what you try to use the leftovers for. 😁 Smoked turkey enchiladas or something like that would be pretty weird. For the record I smoked a 11.5lb turkey for 5 and 1/2 hours at 235-250.

Next up on the smoker...maybe a brisket?

Try salmon next….

Specialsoundman said

Try salmon next….

I did that at the coast while we were there. There was some problem with the ice machine at the dock and they couldn't store the fish so we got that mornings catch for half off. Can't beat that!