Turkey Disaster?

NO!...When doing turkeys on my 020, my temp controller never reached 300*. If I remember right most of the time it got up around 268* and that was at the end.

I don't remember Smokin' sayin' 11 hrs on brining a turkey, maybe I missed that part, not that it will hurt you.

Couple of questions.

Why 11 hours? I know S.O. and he recommends more like 48 hours for a 15 lb bird. Did I say that somewhere?

For the temp, have you verified the temp with another thermometer? IS the bird or is a grate touching the thermometer inside the smoker?

Hey Bobby,

It obvious that you are practicing for Thanksgiving, so talk to us, how did it turn out. Was there anything that you didn't like?

Since you have the 020, I'll give you a little tip...I was much happier on mine when using the pegs that let the rack be as CLOSE to the woodbox as it can be...just cooked nicer, better finish temp for legs too breast. You just have to make sure the turkey doesn't get into the back internal probe, I also liked to cook at 275*.

Indeed it was a practise round, great suggestions all. I personally was not overly thrilled with the taste, as I found it too smokey (2 chunks hickory), yet my father in law claimed it to be the best bird every! So, next time I am going to switch to another, lighter flavored wood.

Might want to use one chunk instead of two. Poultry takes on smoke very well and will pick up smoke from a well seasoned smoker. I've used Alder wood or Almond rather than hickory. Works well.

ALMOND??? What the heck Pags! You West Coast folks always have nuts and seeds on your minds...LOL!

Bobby...another question, did you use a cheese cloth? It will help the smoke from creosoting on the outside of your bird and it does help make the bird nicer looking. I would use cherry, pecan, and oak. All the pieces would be 2/3rds the size of a golf ball and no taller then the golf ball. I also liked to preheat the smoker, just the way you did.

Apple works well also.

Anyone here ever tried Pecan? I'm tempted to use it this year.

Have used pecan when I was using traeger pellets. kind of nice. I would call it like a sweet hickory

When I was cooking with a stick burner used Pecan all the time. During 2007 we catered a lot of low & slow BBQ, used over 300 cords of split pecan. Got it fre for splitting from our friends pecan plantation!! Nice mild wood.
I use a little pecan in the amerique, mostly hickory, cherry, sugar maple or alder with fish.
CS smokers just don't use much wood

I've gone through a bag of pecan. Use it like you'd use Alder on poultry and fish. Nice, mild.

quote:

Originally posted by MaxQ:
Anyone here ever tried Pecan? I'm tempted to use it this year.

I'll use Pecan over Hickory every time. Me? I think because most places cook with Hickory over the years that I'm burned out on that flavor.

My two faves?

Pecan and Cherry followed by Mesquite (yes, the pellets smoke really well)

I will say what I always say. DON'T experiment on TDay. Or if you do, do two birds two different ways and compare.

The cheese cloth wasn't used, next time that along with the wood selection are the two main changes.

Update my father in law ate the whole bird! He is not a turkey lover as it tends to be too dry. Bless him for having my turkey 2 meals per day for a week!

Now there's a success story!