Turkey, Not In The Oven

[Scott Johnston]

This coming weekend I want to fire up the bullet water smoker and smoke a 12 pound turkey. Has anyone attempted this before? I am going to start to defrost this big bird in the refrig over the next couple of days. Brine it on Friday and smoke it on Saturday.

1) Do you smoke it whole or cut it up? Breast side up or down? Vertical? Turn it a couple of times when it is smoking?

2) Did you stuff the cavity with anything? I was thinking apples, onions and herbs

3) How long did it take? Did you finish it off in the oven? Use a thermometer?

4) Any other suggestions? Did you wrap the wings in foil at some point?

5) Did you prep the skin with oil or butter of dry it off before smoking?

Thanks in advance!

[plunk]

i've never smoked a turkey myself, but a friend has done it several times. it always comes out great. he smokes it whole, does not stuff it, and pretty much cooks it all day. he doesn't even brine his and it comes out moist and flavorfull.

[Scott Johnston]

I was wondering about the brining! If the turkey is self-basting there would be no need. Since there is a pan of water in the cooker and some steam comes up from that, I would think most items in the smoker would not dry out as long as you do not over smoke...err...over cook them.

Guess I will write it all down and take pictures!

i've never smoked a turkey myself, but a friend has done it several times. it always comes out great. he smokes it whole, does not stuff it, and pretty much cooks it all day. he doesn't even brine his and it comes out moist and flavorfull.

[mdt]

Here is some info:

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[bioesq]

This coming weekend I want to fire up the bullet water smoker and smoke a 12 pound turkey. Has anyone attempted this before? I am going to start to defrost this big bird in the refrig over the next couple of days. Brine it on Friday and smoke it on Saturday.

1) Do you smoke it whole or cut it up? Breast side up or down? Vertical? Turn it a couple of times when it is smoking?

2) Did you stuff the cavity with anything? I was thinking apples, onions and herbs

3) How long did it take? Did you finish it off in the oven? Use a thermometer?

4) Any other suggestions? Did you wrap the wings in foil at some point?

5) Did you prep the skin with oil or butter of dry it off before smoking?

Thanks in advance!

I smoke mine on a 22 1/2" Weber, whole, breast side up, unstuffed and with no oil or butter on the skin (that will make it darken too quickly). There is no need to turn it, but you'll need to check it after a while and see if the skin is getting too dark-- if so, cover it with foil. I season mine, inside and out, with a combination of coarse ground black pepper and some Tony Chachere's. It usually takes about four-five hours in a covered Weber, but your bullet water smoker may take longer.

I prefer hickory wood for flavor, but have gotten nice results with cherry, too.

[zoramargolis]

I smoke my Thanksgiving turkey every year. I wish I had a real smoker, but I have to improvise with my Weber kettle. A 14 pound turkey is about the biggest I can do. I use a 24 hour herb brine in advance (in an ice chest, since there's no room in my fridge). I always rinse, dry and oil the turkey before putting it in the smoker. I put it in unstuffed, though a loose aggregation of onions and herbs probably wouldn't affect the heat/smoke penetration to the interior too much. I make a circle of charcoal around the perimeter of the fire grate, put a drip/steam tray filled with white wine, onion celery, carrot and herbs in the center, drizzle wet wood chips on the coals and set the turkey above the drip tray, breast side up. I seal the seam between the lid and the base with foil for the initial smoke period and leave the top vent open partway.

After about 45 minutes, I remove the foil, add some more charcoal, and assess the color of the bird. If it doesn't seem smoky-looking enough, I might add some more wet smoke chips, but I usually don't because I like lightly smoked meat so the turkey flavor is still there. Basting is a waste of effort, because the skin gets kind of crusty, and the liquid just runs off it. The liquid in the tray is what keeps the meat moist anyway, so I'll add a little bit of hot water to the tray, if it has boiled down too far. I don't turn the bird.

Once the bird is done, I strain what is left in the drip tray and add it to the gravy. Never had any complaints, and often have heard: "This is the best turkey I've ever eaten."

[edenman]

I smoke my Thanksgiving turkey every year. I wish I had a real smoker, but I have to improvise with my Weber kettle. A 14 pound turkey is about the biggest I can do. I use a 24 hour herb brine in advance (in an ice chest, since there's no room in my fridge). I always rinse, dry and oil the turkey before putting it in the smoker. I put it in unstuffed, though a loose aggregation of onions and herbs probably wouldn't affect the heat/smoke penetration to the interior too much. I make a circle of charcoal around the perimeter of the fire grate, put a drip/steam tray filled with white wine, onion celery, carrot and herbs in the center, drizzle wet wood chips on the coals and set the turkey above the drip tray, breast side up. I seal the seam between the lid and the base with foil for the initial smoke period and leave the top vent open partway.

After about 45 minutes, I remove the foil, add some more charcoal, and assess the color of the bird. If it doesn't seem smoky-looking enough, I might add some more wet smoke chips, but I usually don't because I like lightly smoked meat so the turkey flavor is still there. Basting is a waste of effort, because the skin gets kind of crusty, and the liquid just runs off it. The liquid in the tray is what keeps the meat moist anyway, so I'll add a little bit of hot water to the tray, if it has boiled down too far. I don't turn the bird.

Once the bird is done, I strain what is left in the drip tray and add it to the gravy. Never had any complaints, and often have heard: "This is the best turkey I've ever eaten."

Zora, what do you use for the "drip/steam" tray?

I'm definitely going to have to start using my "I didn't want to pay for a real 22inch weber" grill to do some smoking, and this definitely sounds like the sort of thing that it would be perfect for (although I want to try making pastrami at some point)

[deangold]

This coming weekend I want to fire up the bullet water smoker and smoke a 12 pound turkey. Has anyone attempted this before? I am going to start to defrost this big bird in the refrig over the next couple of days. Brine it on Friday and smoke it on Saturday.

1) Do you smoke it whole or cut it up? Breast side up or down? Vertical? Turn it a couple of times when it is smoking?

I smoke it breast side down for about 4 hours then turn it breast side up for the rest.

2) Did you stuff the cavity with anything? I was thinking apples, onions and herbs

No stuffing of the type to be eaten afterwards as it will be too smoky. I put a few lemons or tangerines and a few hears of garlic and some pieces of smashed ginger.

3) How long did it take? Did you finish it off in the oven? Use a thermometer?

8 or so hours over a slow fire but I was using a 14-16 pound bird. I cooked it to an internal temp of 160 and did the leg test. When the leg wiggles easily and is about to fall off the bird, its done. This ain't about rare and juicy. Its about getting the maximum amount of smoke in the flesh.

4) Any other suggestions? Did you wrap the wings in foil at some point?

I used sake in the steam/drip pan. The cheapest I could find. The sake adds a wonderful texture to the bird and helps drain off the fat. Trim the skin as much as you can, it gets tough. I found little difference between brining and not brining when I used the sake. A $5.99 jug of cheap sake is way easier than figuring out the logistics of brining a huge turkey.

5) Did you prep the skin with oil or butter of dry it off before smoking?

Oil. and I loosened the skin by sliding my hands under it. I add a pesto of green herbs (rosemary and thyme) garlic and olive oil. I rub this inside the cavaty and under the skin, then just use my oily hands to rub the outside of the skin.

I actually prefer to chill the bird and eat it the next day with veganaise and good strong mustard.

[zoramargolis]

Zora, what do you use for the "drip/steam" tray?

I use disposable aluminum baking pans--either one "brownie pan" or two loaf pans. Most supermarkets sell them.

[Ilaine]

This coming weekend I want to fire up the bullet water smoker and smoke a 12 pound turkey. Has anyone attempted this before? I am going to start to defrost this big bird in the refrig over the next couple of days. Brine it on Friday and smoke it on Saturday.

We do brine first, the standard Cook's Illustrated brine, and cook in a New Braunfels Texas smoker with an offset firebox, using indirect heat.

Use real wood charcoal and some hickory chunks. Try to keep temp in smoker around 300. Rack of course must be low enough to fit the turkey.

Keep the backside closer to the fire since the drumsticks need to cook longer than the breast.

Rotate a couple of times depending on how it's browning, as part is closer to the fire than the other part.

We don't wrap anything. We don't tie the turkey, just let it flop. Let the smoke pour over it all.

Rub liberally with olive oil first. Last time we put an apple inside the cavity and that seemed to add something.

(Not giving details on the brine unless you don't have access to the Cook's Illustrated/Best Recipe guide -- you can do a much shorter brining time if the brine is stronger and so forth. We brine in the extra fridge in what used to be my husband's primary beer fermenter, a ten gallon food grade plastic tub. But recently I saw humongous Zip locks, 10 and 20 gallons, and I think you could use one of these if you were careful.)

[plunk]

I apologize if this topic is a bit early, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and these cooler mornings and evenings have got me thinking how I am going to prepare my bird this year. I've read about roasting and/or smoking a turkey with a charcoal kettle grill, but I'm wondering if anybody has tried it with a propane grill? My problem is that my grill (Webber Genesis) only has two burners - front and back - making it nearly impossible to employ an indirect cooking method. Does anybody have any suggestions?

[JPW]

When I do a bird on my propane grill it's for one of two reasons--

1)It's too effing hot to have the oven on for hours at a time

2) I want to cook other stuff in my oven.

I just pretend it's an oven with wheels and insert the bird on a roasting tray and rack.

[plunk]

When I do a bird on my propane grill it's for one of two reasons--

1)It's too effing hot to have the oven on for hours at a time

2) I want to cook other stuff in my oven.

I just pretend it's an oven with wheels and insert the bird on a roasting tray and rack.

I suppose those are the main reasons why I would like to do my bird on the grill, too. I was just wondering if there was any way for me to get any additional benefits or enhancements from using the grill.

[xcanuck]

I suppose you could put some soaked wood chips in an aluminum foil pouch with a few holes poked in it. Toss that on the burner. You should get some benefit from smoke that you couldn't do in the oven.

[Tweaked]

For various reasons, my parents are going to be attempting the bbq Thanksgiving turkey this year, they have a rotissery (sp?) attachment for their new gas grill.

Two issues of concern:

Make sure you have an extra propane tank, in case the first one runs out of juice

How are we going to get the bacon to stay on a spinning turkey

[JPW]

How are we going to get the bacon to stay on a spinning turkey

toothpicks

[agm]

How are we going to get the bacon to stay on a spinning turkey

Loosen the skin, and put the bacon under it?

[Stretch]

toothpicks

Staples!

[xcanuck]

How are we going to get the bacon to stay on a spinning turkey

Butcher's twine?

[Ilaine]

I apologize if this topic is a bit early, but Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and these cooler mornings and evenings have got me thinking how I am going to prepare my bird this year. I've read about roasting and/or smoking a turkey with a charcoal kettle grill, but I'm wondering if anybody has tried it with a propane grill? My problem is that my grill (Webber Genesis) only has two burners - front and back - making it nearly impossible to employ an indirect cooking method. Does anybody have any suggestions?

My dad, living in Cajun country (well, Baton Rouge) was one of the first to jump on the fried turkey bandwagon, and I've learned quite a bit watching and helping over the years.

Let's see, safety first. Don't do it on a wooden deck, period. Don't do it near the house. Driveway or patio, concrete or brick is the way to go. Flat, though, no slopes, no wobbles.

Thaw the turkey completely and wipe clean and dry. You do not want to be putting moisture into a pot of boiling grease. It will explode. That said, some will inject marinade into the turkey. I think a rub is safer. I would not brine first. The oil will keep moisture from evaporating.

Peanut oil is ideal, it has a high smoking temperature, and it tastes good.

You can buy a kit at Walmart or Home Depot, and these are good. My dad used to use a crab pot and now he uses one of the kits.

Finished result will be oily on the outside, moist on the inside.

I've posted before on smoking a turkey, link here.

[plunk]

Ahhh, yes. The deep fried Thanksgiving turkey. I've yet to partake. Believe me, I want to, but my very limited outdoor space makes such a venture way to dangerous to attempt.

[Scott Johnston]

I saw a show where J. Pepin cut the turkey in half and put the entire thing on the grill. Cut down on the cooking time as well.

[JPW]

I saw a show where J. Pepin cut the turkey in half and put the entire thing on the grill. Cut down on the cooking time as well.

Hmmm....

Maybe he could borrow the 22 inch cast iron skillet that Al Dente just got and do the Tuscan classic -- Turkey under a brick.

[xcanuck]

I'm surprised this thread hasn't been hijacked by mention of turducken.

[edenman]

Tonight I bought a 10# turkey at WF and I plan on frying it this weekend. Peanut oil was $6.09/qt at WF, and Safeway didn't have any peanut oil at all (although they did have canola oil at $9/gal and vegetable oil for $7.20/gal).

1) Is canola an acceptible substitute for peanut oil?

2) Anybody know where I can get 3-4 gallons of peanut oil without spending a fortune?

I assume costco has peanut oil...should I just bite the membership bullet? Anybody know how much it runs there?

[TinDC]

The Safeway in Georgetown (aka the Social Safeway) had gallons of peanut oil yesterday. They were at the end of an aisle towards the front of the store. I didn't look at the price because we already fried our turkey on Thanksgiving.

[chef4cook]

Tonight I bought a 10# turkey at WF and I plan on frying it this weekend. Peanut oil was $6.09/qt at WF, and Safeway didn't have any peanut oil at all (although they did have canola oil at $9/gal and vegetable oil for $7.20/gal).

1) Is canola an acceptible substitute for peanut oil?

2) Anybody know where I can get 3-4 gallons of peanut oil without spending a fortune?

I assume costco has peanut oil...should I just bite the membership bullet? Anybody know how much it runs there?

Yes, you can use canola oil. Same goes for grapeseed oil although that will be more $$$

[edenman]

Yes, you can use canola oil.

For any interested turkey fry fanatics, I ended up going with canola...it was much cheaper than peanut, even at costco. Since my pot is quite large, I had to buy 6.25 gallons, and peanut was going to be almost 2x as expensive. Also, I had to custom-construct a turkey lifter, as the one I bought at L&T wouldn't fit down to the bottom of my pot. Two metal rods from the hardware store, bent into the appropriate shapes (one in the pot, and one for lifting), and it all turned out just fine. Crispy delicious skin, juicy meat that went like hotcakes after I carved it. I only did a brine this time, but I'm definitely going to try injecting marinade next time I give it a go.

And now I have alot of canola oil filtered and back in the jugs it came in. If i'm not planning on using it for a while, is putting it in the freezer preferable to just leaving it at room temp? I have a good bit of spare freezer space, but no fridge space to speak of.

[Demetrius]

Wegmans was having a blowout sale on turkeys at the end of the holiday season, and as a result my wife purchased a nineteen pound beauty and promptly introduced her to the freezer.

In an effort to clear space for the forty pounds of strawberries we picked last weekend at Belvedere Plantation, the turkey was thawed and is practically ready to be cooked.

On the drive into work this morning or a subsequent phone call thereafter Amberleigh suggested smoking this gobbler inside in our gas stove. I understood that while it would be easier to control the temperature inside the gas stove, the potential for the house to smell liked smoked turkey, etc... might prove to be an issue. Instead I countered that maybe we could rig up some sort of smoking contraption on our Weber gas grill.

Can anyone who has smoked a turkey before please weigh in with either a suggestion, recommendation or helpful guidance? Is the taste better than a turkey cooked in an oven?

Thank you.

[plunk]

I smoke turkeys and chickens on my Weber bullet smoker and they come out great. If you're using a gas grill, you can place wood chips in a foil pouch, poke some holes in it, and throw it right on the flame (underneath the actuall grill). I've had less success with this method.

[zoramargolis]

I smoked many turkeys in my regular charcoal Weber kettle, but never one that large. You will probably have difficulty closing the lid. What I suggest you do is:

1) arrange the hot coals in a ring around the outer edge of the kettle.

2) Put a drip pan with water, wine and aromatics in the center, under the turkey

3) drizzle soaked wood chips (I like hickory, apple or cherry) over the hot coals

4) center the turkey on the grate over the drip pan

5) put the cover on (it will probably rest on top of the turkey)

6) use heavy-duty aluminum foil to seal the space between the lid and the kettle. You'll have to remove and replace the foil periodically in order to add more charcoal, and also to add more liquid to the drip pan if it boils down too much. If you can keep a lot of soot out of the pan, and keeping it from boiling dry, the strained and de-fatted drippings make a fabulous addition to gravy or bbq sauce.