OT: Smoked turkey
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Buy one at Country Pleasin....you have to get on a list and you may be too late but it's worth a try
You'll either need really large rolling papers or a bong big enough to fit the turkey.
Fried turkey x10 over smoked, but frying is a PITA epically if only doing one.
1. Brine overnight in salt water and/or whatever mix you want
2. let turkey come to room temp
3. rub with olive oil and/or butter
4. add/rub in whatever seasoning/spices you want
5. preheat smoker to 225
6. Most folks use a lighter wood (apple, cherry, hickory)
7. Use a meat thermometer and take it out at 164 degrees
8. Do not overcook
9. Smaller turkeys (8-10 lbs) are best
10. let stand 20 minutes before eating.
I inject mine before the brine, but I don't think that is standard.
1. Brine overnight in salt water and/or whatever mix you want
2. let turkey come to room temp
3. rub with olive oil and/or butter
4. add/rub in whatever seasoning/spices you want
5. preheat smoker to 225
6. Most folks use a lighter wood (apple, cherry, hickory)
7. Use a meat thermometer and take it out at 164 degrees
8. Do not overcook
9. Smaller turkeys (8-10 lbs) are best
10. let stand 20 minutes before eating.
I inject mine before the brine, but I don't think that is standard.
Dry brine with a rub of salt & seasonings of your choice overnight. Wet brines & injections can make the meat rubbery. Take out of fridge about 0-30 minutes before you light the coals & add more dry seasonings if you want. Use quality charcoal and a remote digital thermometer. Cook over indirect heat until 160 degrees. Let sit 20 minutes before carving. Easy peasy, you’ll have a delicious turkey.
This is what I do. Spatchcock. Brine overnight using this, it’s a bastardized version of the slaughterhouse poultry brine:
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
1 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS Old Bay
2 tsp Celery Seed
Rinse, pat dry, leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to allow some time for the skin to dry. Apply this rub liberally to the inside and outside of the bird. You can also put some pats of butter under the skin if you want.
Meatheads Simon and Garfunkel poultry rub
1 tablespoon dried crushed parsley
2 tablespoons dried crushed sage
1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
1 tablespoon dried crushed thyme
1 tablespoon dried crushed oregano
1 tablespoon dried crushed basil
1 tablespoon dried crushed bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
Smoke until the breast is about 158°
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
1 TBS Garlic Powder
1 TBS Onion Powder
1 TBS Old Bay
2 tsp Celery Seed
Rinse, pat dry, leave uncovered in the fridge overnight to allow some time for the skin to dry. Apply this rub liberally to the inside and outside of the bird. You can also put some pats of butter under the skin if you want.
Meatheads Simon and Garfunkel poultry rub
1 tablespoon dried crushed parsley
2 tablespoons dried crushed sage
1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
1 tablespoon dried crushed thyme
1 tablespoon dried crushed oregano
1 tablespoon dried crushed basil
1 tablespoon dried crushed bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar
Smoke until the breast is about 158°
Quit frying turkeys when I realized the oil cost more than the turkey. They do taste great, but if you do it right, smoked is just as good.
I was there yesterday, they were taking orders! There smoked chicken salad may be the best food I've ever eaten.
They freeze a bunch of them but I don't know about the shipping. If you get one you'll love it.
The 5 just before them is just as important. Done wrong (overcooked usually) either can be awful. But you’re right, tastes vary.
This looks great. Don’t have the space to spatchcock it but the rest is very helpful.
No worries. Just keep an eye on your breast temp so that it doesn’t overcook before the thighs finish. Whatever you decide to go with, let us know how it turns out.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday of the year and we are going to my aunt and uncle’s house in Baton Rouge this year. I’m used to cooking the bird and my uncle told me I don’t need to bring anything, so I really don’t know what to do with myself for the few days before Thanksgiving. Haha.
I have a ‘Drunk Turkey‘ rack that I ordered several years ago from a guy somewhere in Texas. Beer can fits perfectly in the center section. You have to have a smoker tall enough for that thing to stand upright in. The turkeys I’ve done that way have been really good, really juicy, and I injected the Cajun butter marinade into it.
2nd this one, we like it better than fried.
A big pair of scissors helps with cutting through the bones.
I've smoked a 28# turkey on a weber kettle with one of these.
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Interesting article on beer can chicken.
Most people overcook. Pick the deepest part of the breast and take to 157, no higher.
Second problem is the skin can get rubbery when you smoke a turkey (see method below). If that's an issue, get the oven to 425-450, take the turkey out of the smoker and stick in the oven for about 15 minutes max to crisp the skin
I prefer a dry overnight, although I usually do a compound butter under the breast skin
I get the skin as dry as possible before going on the smoker, and I salt it well so it dries out and gets crispy and brown. Do not like any kind of mop or sauce on skin, that just increases the rubbery texture
If I have a bird over 12 pounds, I spatcock before going in the smoker, cuts cooking time in half, and more even cooking of the meat, particularly the dark meat.
I bought a pair of tin snips from Home Depot several years ago that I use solely for this ha.
I don’t use oil anymore. I received this for Christmas several years back and thought it would be a gimmick until I tried it. It obviously takes longer than traditional frying, but will surprise you when you realize it comes out just like a fried one. Used it a few times at the tailgate for the eggbowl and everyone has always been impressed.
ETA - fried is much better than smoked, IMO.
Oil-less Turkey Fryer | The Big Easy®
The Big Easy® Oil-less Turkey Fryer is powered by TRU-Infrared™ cooking technology, delivering juicy results inside and a crispy outside every time.
Excellent advice here. Something that helps with the skin is to lightly dust the skin with corn starch. This helps get any moisture out of the skin so it will crisp up. Towards the end of the cook spray the bird with Pam cooking spray or similar.
Brine with salt, sugar, peppercorns and bay leaf overnight. Pat it dry. Inject it with Cajun butter. Put in the smoker cold and set to 350F. Smoke to 162F and wrap with foil. Should carry over to 165F. Let it rest in the oven for 45 mins. You’re welcome.
The brine, spatchcock and smoke is the only way since oil is so damn high. Only way I fry any more is if me and a few neighbors chip in on oil and drink Bloody Marys on Thanksgiving morning and fry all ours together in same oil. Malcolm Reed has several smoked version videos on YouTube as does MeatChurch and several others. Hint: go ahead and order a brining bag now from Amazon before they are all gone, makes it much easier to brine in a bucket, cooler, or just on fridge rack. They sell kits w/ brine and rub but those are over priced but the oversized zip lock brine bag I got this week was only $6 and will hold up to a 20# one
Frying is the way to go but if you want to smoke it, definitely follow the dry brine above. Dry brine is the way for chicken or turkey
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