1: FEC100 - Hickory blend pellets.
2: 12-1/2# Butterball (smoked 11/21)
14-1/2# Northwest (smoked 11/27)
20-1/2# Foster Farms (smoked 11/29)
10-1/2# Butterball (smoked 11/29)
3: Brined the 14-1/2# Northwest Turkey in Smokin's Holiday Brine for 24 hours followed by 2-hours drain in refr. Did not brine either of the Butterball's as they were "enhanced". The 20-1/2# turkey was for a neighbor and delivered to me just before going into smoker, so no brine for that one. Spatchcocked each turkey (first time trying that). Made paste of Butter + Mayo + Amazing Taste Malibu Rub, and put under skin on breast meat, and also rubbed all over skin. Another sprinkle of the Malibu rub on skin and then into smoker. I find coating skin with mix of butter + mayo yields golden brown skin (also works good on chickens).
4: Smoker temp was 275*.
5: 3-1/2 hours for the 12-1/2# & 14-1/2# birds.
4-1/2 hours for the 20-1/2# bird.
2-3/4 hours for the 10-1/2# bird.
6: Smoked on 3 different days.
Loved the way the spatchcocked birds cooked - will keep doing that again. When breast meat came up to 160* temp, leg/thigh temps were 175*-180* each time, so all was good there! In addition to shorter cook times than I've had with whole turkeys previously, spatchcocking the birds also allowed easier separation of skin from breast meat to allow for placing the rub mix there. I am now converted to that method rather than splitting in half or cooking whole - and same for chickens now also. I tend to go for results rather than presentation.