Wanted to do a turkey to practice with the Amerique. Read the turkey posts for the last two years. Got a 14 1/2 pound fresh turkey. Brined it in “Williams–Sonoma” turkey brine for 48 hours. Rubbed the skin with canola oil. Placed pats of butter (~1/4 cup total) beneath the skin and used Rufus Teague rub throughout. Set the smoker temperature at 250°F with approximately 2 ounces of CS hickory chunk.
About one hour later we checked on the turkey. When I opened the door I was confronted by a gray/black carcass. It was covered in what appeared to be soot. I tried to rub the black particles off the skin without success. One look by my wife and the turkey was covered in a roasting pan with f---.
At 5 1/2 hours, was able to convince the wife to remove the 'foil' and finish for 30 min. at 300°. The turkey appeared anemic and was definitely blackish gray.
The meat was bitter, skin was inedible, and only the deepest part of the meat could be eaten. Most of the meat and bones were used for Turkey soup. Even that had to be diluted with fresh chicken stock.
After much consideration, I think it was the wood chunks being wet. We are full-time RV years and the wood is kept in a plastic box. The box doesn't seal. We have been in some areas with rather high humidity and it has rained once a week for last few months. Wood is 7 months old.
Thinking back, I recall that there was a lot of dark gray smoke to start, which I usually see disappear in just a few minutes. This time, it was still present at the one hour mark and I almost gagged getting the turkey out when we went to look at it.
Do I need to look for fresh wood or can I simply put it in the smoker and dry it out by putting the smoker at say 150° for 10 hours? Any other suggestions? This was our first disaster with the smoker and has everyone talking about using the oven to cook this year's turkey.