First Turkey in a SM020

300 is close to the 325 most people do their bird at. The brining will help a "little" but not accelerate a lot.

It was just under 4 hours, sounds right for that temp.

And a bird that big, I brine my turkeys for 2 days, takes a while to penetrate all the way, but 24 is a good minimum.

I've noticed the same thing eyebuster and thought the brining made a difference. We also cook smaller birds in our Elite than in our oven, so I guess that has to be taken into consideration. But when alls said and done, for some reason, it seems like they cook faster in the smoker than the oven. Maybe, its cause the house smells so good when we cook the birds in the oven (its like torture), and we don't have the same smells in the house with the smoker outside.

Just a thought about temps:

I know all of the new folks are using an independent therm,they have ACTUALLY checked for accuracy,and then are checking the ACTUAL cooking temp at the rack.

If not,your settings have the same credibility,as the COLOR of SHIRT you wear when you cook!!!

i.e.,the speed limit on Ca interstates can be 55mph,thus we KNOW all the traffic is not going slower,or faster.

Just a couple of thoughts.

I calibrated my Maverick, and it was dead on. I then compared the Maverick to the Cookshack thermometer, and they were within a couple degrees of each other. So the Cookshack is giving me an accurate oven temperature right by the rack nearest the middle of the smoker.

Why are the birds cooking faster considering we smoke at lower temps than the oven? Please don't tell me it's our imagination, which it very well could be.

OK. Just called my wife at work, and she says "At Thanksgiving, a 20 lb. bird takes 5.5 hrs in the oven at 325* BUT, and this is a big but, the holiday bird has stuffing in it, and the smoker bird doesn't. She says "Without the stuffing, the holiday bird will cook in 3-3.5 hrs. That's the difference. Smart, isn't she? See. We can tell time, but we're cooking two different products. Duh!!

To say nothing about different products, enhancement, and your bringing.........

OH well as that once famous (now who might that have been)BBQ God said its done when its done!

I know a bird with stuffing takes longer than one without. Just never thought about it and wondered why mine were getting done faster in the smoker. Sometimes the obvious eludes us.

Don't tell the bride,but if you tell a pro cook,the stuffing was cooked inside,the pro will remember the previous obligation,they forgot to mention, that must take them away from your occasion.

They hope the flowers they have sent,will make up for their absence.

They will really miss the incorrectly cooked turkey,and the possible food poisoning.

Please send pictures ,and they hope to see you at July Fourth when they can look forward to the grilled hotdogs.

The stuffed bird is done in the oven. The bird at the lower temp of the smoker is always naked. Otherwise, you're right, I might need flowers.

I hope you're not saying that all of us that stuff our Thanksgiving birds and put them in the oven are at risk. There'd be millions of sick people out there.

Probably,when they can dissect the statistics,you are correct about many folks being at risk.

How many of us heard about the old family picnic,where folks got the "24 hr flu"?

Sometimes,the victims weren't around to report?

I guess, if all of us know what temp to cook stuffing to[often containing eggs,and other raw ingredients],which most food safety courses rate approx.145*- 160* internal.

We naturally want the breast at slightly under 160*.

Interesting ,when we chart the different cooking depths,several inches apart, and still are achieve to achieve 160*.

I understand there are carryover temps,but the chart for all different sized birds,and cooking temps must require a supercomputer to graph.

I have nothing but praise for those cooks that can always pull it off.

Yes,it is true,that the high temps of an oven,can make anything very well done,and if they don't achieve toxins,can kill many bacteria.

Did someone mention toxins?

Most pros ,don't feel they can always project that time,temp,doneness line and achieve quality.

Just a couple of thoughts.

Dang. My grandmother, my mother, my wife have always stuffed their turkeys. No one got sick. Why don't we have warnings on the package, TV, the net? I wouldn't attempt to say you're wrong.

People thoroughly cook them with the stuffing. My wife makes sure the stuffing hits 160* Maybe that's why the white meat always turned out so dry making me prefer the dark or gravy. Also, stuffing goes in then immediately into a preheated oven.

If we're taking the white meat to 160* or smoking the birds, you make a valid point. The Cookshack and the brining have given me the most moist birds I've ever eaten. That might be the trade. Moist bird or a dry one with internal stuffing. A couple more practice birds without the stuffing before Thanksgivng, and maybe we stop stuffing them. They sure are moist you're way.

Smokin' is the goto guy for brining on the bbq circuit.

We find that his brines help us take the breast to around 167 º,so we have that extra cushion.

Using the oven,for hotter cooking,you may find that folks are checking deep in the thigh for about 165º.

Yes,our families followed the gov't safety guidelines-if they ever saw an internal therm.

Pork would be cooked forever,or at least to 180º-185º at 350º,and let the carryover carry it up to 200º.

Now chefs may pull out at 137 º and let the carryover go to 145º.

Many families liked beef pot roast,as it could cook forever,or maybe 250º.

Yes,gravy was a natural necessity in many of our homes.

As I said,there are cooks that can pull it all off,and I treasure them.

Many worked very hard for long periods of time.

Our family of deep coal miners got a turkey from the company at holidays.

We always fought to get the nice 28 pounder to stuff and cook.

Chefs will get two 14 pounders,and put the dressing in a pan to finish the last 45 mins.

As to warnings,we don't hear them about uncooked eggs in mayo,raw oysters on the half shell, tobacco,or ground beef,or unwashed lettuces,or granny's potato salad and deviled eggs in the warm picnic sun,or salmonella from poultry,or sugar in the diet,or saturated fats,or excess salt,or letting the large Thanksgiving meal set out all day for visitors,leaving the uncooked poltry out on the kitchen counter,for a few hrs,.....whoops,maybe we are now hearing these?

Difficult for the gov't to say "if you cook everything to our no margin of a problem,you probably won't like to eat it".

Think how many food producers/campaign contributors might sue.

Hard for a food producer to start out scaring off the consumer and crippling their industry.

I'd say that most producers recommend cooking unstuffed poultry,and using special precautions/handling-if you chose to cook it stuffed.

Yes,I've cooked them stuffed.

Maybe now,I find the ease of producing a consistent,quality product,with the concern for risk minimized ,aids my decision making.

Just a thought.

quote:

Originally posted by Pags:
Dang. My grandmother, my mother, my wife have always stuffed their turkeys. No one got sick. Why don't we have warnings on the package, TV, the net? I wouldn't attempt to say you're wrong.

This isn't new info, it's been a frequent topic every year on TV and Butterball always say that it's a risky thing.

But there is so much turkey info out there, it would be easy to miss.

Besides, SMOKE the stuffing...

Now that's a good reason not to stuff the bird.