189 replies to this topic

[BSLZackKiesel]

For the first time ever, my family won't be celebrating at my grandmother's house in Catonsville. She's getting older, so my aunt and uncle are hosting from their house in the hills of West Virginia. They had it custom-built for their retirement, and it's pretty incredible. It sits atop a pretty large mountain, and the view is absolutely breathtaking. Really looking forward to it, and the 4-day weekend.

[Mike in STL]

Never been a huge fan of the taste of smoked turkey for some reason.
 
And I guess its not as much the taste but how it has been cooked in terms of the meat being tougher.
 
Deep frying it is the way to go IMO.

If you brine it, even after smoking the juice pours out when you start cutting it up. Stays very moist.

I like deep fried too though.

[Mackus]

Any of the methods that are different than the traditional, just roast the turkey whole in the oven, method make it pretty easy to avoid overcooking and get really juicy meat.  There are even some tricks you can do to keep a whole bird juicy in the oven, such as icepacks on the white meat while letting the dark meat come up to room temp before roasting.

 

It is very easy to oversmoke turkey, though.  I only used about 3 tiny pieces of wood in addition to the charcoal and it had plenty of smoke flavor.

[McNulty]

For those that smoked, how long, what temp, etc.

[Mackus]

For those that smoked, how long, what temp, etc.

 

Pretty hot, at least compared to typical smoking temps.  Tried to keep it around 350, but it fell to 300 for most of the cook.  That's with the probe on the far end of my grill, on the opposite side of the turkey from the coals, so it was probably a good 25-50 degrees hotter on the other side.  It took me about 1:45 to smoke an 18 lb bird that had been butterflied.  Pulled it when the breasts hit at 160 deg in the thickest spot.  I orient it so that the legs are facing the hot end, so that they cook faster since they need to reach a higher temperature to be cooked through, and it worked out really well, the thickest part of the thigh was at 185 when I pulled it.

 

I was behind schedule, so only let it rest for like 5 min before carving, but it retained plenty of juices.

[NewMarketSean]

Gonna try to whip up these cocktails this Thanksgiving...

 

http://dishingupthed...tails-giveaway/

 

http://www.foodblogs...le-whiskey-sour

[SportsGuy]

Pretty hot, at least compared to typical smoking temps.  Tried to keep it around 350, but it fell to 300 for most of the cook.  That's with the probe on the far end of my grill, on the opposite side of the turkey from the coals, so it was probably a good 25-50 degrees hotter on the other side.  It took me about 1:45 to smoke an 18 lb bird that had been butterflied.  Pulled it when the breasts hit at 160 deg in the thickest spot.  I orient it so that the legs are facing the hot end, so that they cook faster since they need to reach a higher temperature to be cooked through, and it worked out really well, the thickest part of the thigh was at 185 when I pulled it.

 

I was behind schedule, so only let it rest for like 5 min before carving, but it retained plenty of juices.

That's all it took to cook it time wise?  That's pretty good.

 

But I think a lot of people cooking it for longer but at lower temps.

 

The problem is, much like a chicken, if you do that you don't get the crispy skin.

[Mackus]

Yeah butterflying it really reduces the cooktime.  Similar time for the one I did in the oven at 350 deg. 

 

I've smoked one at lower temps, more typically smoking temps in the 225-250 range and it probably took an extra hour.  Don't remember exactly.  I do remember that I wasn't in love with the crispness of the skin, so I put it in the oven under the broil for a few minutes after I pulled it to crisp up a bit, which did the trick.  This one, that I smoked more like 300-350, had skin that was quite crispy, moreso than the skin on the one I did in the oven.  I salted like 3 days ahead of time which I think really helped with the skin.

[The Epic]

We got

 

Beans

Greens

Potatoes

Tomatoes...

 

Nobody? NOBODY?!?

 

Eff you all then. Buncha jerks.

 

I'm doing the same thing we do every year. Go over my grandmother's and get fat. Then my wife makes another dinner...I stuff in what I can. I get drunk and watch football.

[SportsGuy]

Yeah butterflying it really reduces the cooktime.  Similar time for the one I did in the oven at 350 deg. 

 

I've smoked one at lower temps, more typically smoking temps in the 225-250 range and it probably took an extra hour.  Don't remember exactly.  I do remember that I wasn't in love with the crispness of the skin, so I put it in the oven under the broil for a few minutes after I pulled it to crisp up a bit, which did the trick.  This one, that I smoked more like 300-350, had skin that was quite crispy, moreso than the skin on the one I did in the oven.  I salted like 3 days ahead of time which I think really helped with the skin.

Yea, I cook chicken at those temps.  The skin come out like fried chicken and it cooks faster too.

 

Are you injecting yours?  Or just a rub?
 

[Mackus]

Just the rub.  I'm sure injecting it would add some extra flavor and be worth the effort, I just don't have one of the injector needles so I've never done it. 

[McNulty]

What kinda rub Mack?

[SportsGuy]

What kinda rub Mack?

Sounds like a personal question

[McNulty]

What kinda rub Mack?

Sounds like a personal question

Well I'm trying to get hired by the Rangers

[Mackus]

One the one in the oven was just butter and dried herbs. On the one I smoked I the together a bbq rub of paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin. I had put salt and pepper on both a few days earlier and left in the fridge.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I find the standard roasting in the oven works best. If you brine it overnight and then wrap it in foil it really retains the juiciness.

Last half hour or so remove the foil to crisp the skin.

[Mike in STL]

I'm trying something new this time. I split two 15 pound turkeys in half. Going to smoke 3 halves, so about 23, 24 pounds. I got them in the brine tonight. Wednesday morning Im going to take it out of the brine, pay dry, and refridgerate uncovered until Thursday morning when I'll dry rub, then to the smoker. That extra day out of the wet brine I read makes for a drier skin/crisper skin, but the wet brine keeps the inside moist.

I don't know. Wet/dry brine. We'll see.

Hot ice. You heat up the ice cubes. Its the best of both worlds!

[BSLChrisStoner]

What do you like to drink with your meal?

[Mackus]

I find the standard roasting in the oven works best. If you brine it overnight and then wrap it in foil it really retains the juiciness.

Last half hour or so remove the foil to crisp the skin.

 

The only curveball in the regular roasting process is getting the white meat and dark meat to both be cooked correctly, because the white meat needs to get to only about 165 while the dark meat needs to get up to 185 to be cooked through.  Icing down the breasts while letting the thighs come to room temperature on the counter before roasting helps, and is also a fun after dinner activity depending on who you're cooking with.

[Mike in STL]

What do you like to drink with your meal?

Water, or Iced tea. Too much food to enjoy to have beer fill you up.

Black coffee before and with dessert. I like brandy and egg nog with cinnamon and nutmeg this time of year too.