Turkey Reports - 2003

12 # sams turkey (comes with "enhanced" 8% chicken broth i think) so didn't brine. put mayo 1/4 cup under skin and wild willy's rub under skin and on. cheese cloth 2 layers soaked in olive oil and cooked breast side up. 4 oz hickory cookshack smokette set at 250. 4 hrs later internal breast 164 and thighs at 175. (left for golf course and came back and those were the temps. took it out right away and rested for 30 mins. I didn't like the rub taste and will try just salt/pepper/celery salt/sage next time. meat was moist both white and dark. the dark was cooked just fine. also put 1/2 orange and 1/2 apple in the cavity and rub in cavity too. the smoke taste was mild. Cooked with breast up and the skin was ugly grey/brown/black on the top side but the bottom side was deep golden brown. Skin also tough and rubbery. We don't ever eat the skin anyway but if that turkey had to be presented it would be graded ugly, maybe uglier. jan

Last week I did a 17 lb bird in my smokin tex. It was already solutioned but it needed to defrost one night and I soaked it in a pail of water with some salt and sugar in to thaw it. I then smoked it the next day for 11 hours at 230 degrees and it came out perfect. The six guys that were over to play poker cleaned it up!

I made 12 turkeys & 2 huge turkey breasts today....
They were in a salt, brown sugar, water & ice-in brine for two days....
Then in fresh water & ice for one day....
Made on my kook-rite (Nunnery-Freeman) smoker/cooker @ 425� with apple & hickory for 4 hours....
When I put the thermometer in each turkey-juice, clear and good juice-ran out out of the breast, and the temperature in each and every one was well above 180�, some even close to the 200� range....
We tried one of these at random and the meat, even the breast was moist & juicy....
.......

Forgot to mention these were 10-12# turkeys.

have smoked 2 more 12#s 8%"enhanced" put a bit of mustard under skin plus a salt,sugar, paprika, pepper rub underskin, 250* 3.7oz hickory both done at 4 hrs at 250 in cookshack. just right for me taste and moisture. jan

I've got a few leftovers from a 12 pound fresh turkey.

- Brined for 24 hrs with a modified version of Smokin' Okie's Holiday Turkey brine
- Smoked 4 hours at 250 in my Smokette with about 2 oz of hickory.
- Except for the skin (which was not unexpected), results were perfect!

10 lb wild turkey

Brined for 48 hours in a mix of:

5 qts water
1 1/4 cups kosher salt
1 cup maple syrup
1 onion sliced
9 peppercorns
4 bay leaves
4 strips of lemon peel

Skin was loosened and sprinkled with CS poultry rub

Covered with butter soaked cheesecloth

Smoked for 5 hours with one piece of applewood (door never opened until the end)

1 hour at 250
then 225
last 45 minutes back at 250 (only for serving convenience)

It was great.

The only thing I would do differently in the future would be to skip the rub for the Thanksgiving meal.

Stephen

Sorry - the above was all in a new Smokette. This was the 3rd time I had used it.

Question:

If I have a fresh layer of foil on the inside and I use a fresh drip tray underneath, is there any reason I could not use the drippings for things like gravy?

I had considered using a pan on the bottom rack under the bird, but it was just too big and I need all the room for the turkey alone.

Stephen

11lb fresh bird:
Brined 48 hours
Rubbed with CS rib rub (not chicken)
Put in 250 deg CS 55 over 1.3 oz Cherry and 0.8 oz Pecan
Opened at 2 hours for a spritz of oil on the skin
Thigh read 175 deg at 4 hours 40 minutes
Breast was perfect, juicy but no hint of mushiness.

Keep the times coming. I KNOW there are more reports out there.

Did 2 12-lbers, 275, done in about 3 1/2 hours.

If got to admit. For the longest, I only brined the turkeys for about 12 to 24 hours, but the last 4 or so I've done for 48 hours and they've really tasted great. Not mushy.

I see from the reports above others are having success with that length of time also.

The birds were perfectly moist and lots of flavor and actually did seem a little more moist than the 24 hour birds, but I could be guess.

Hey Robbie - did you get my e-mail? thx, russ

That's it????

No more turkeys from the forum members?

Come on, less than 10 replies. How's a guy to help everyone without your support

Post 'em if you got 'em.

We had a 12 lb whole turkey and a 8 lb breast. Brined both in Holiday mix for 24 hours, which we have never tried before. Baked the whole turkey and smoked the breast in a Smokette for 3-1/2 hours at 250 deg with 3 oz of apple.
I use a Maverick Redi-Check Smoker thermometer which works great. One probe for meat, one for smoker temps. Although there are some wide temperature swings, they are relative to the set temp, and the cook times are consistent.
Both birds were so juicy, we drained the serving tray twice. Came out perfect. Thanks for Turkey 101

Dale

Smoked a 13 lb turkey, brined for 20 hrs in Smokin' Okies Holiday brine. 250' for approx 4 hrs, breast @ 162', thighs @ 175'. Spectacular juicy bird ! Thanks Turkey 101. This is the first turkey I brinned....not the last

I did a 13 pounder a week ago. 36 hrs brine with SmokinOkies Holiday Brine. (Worked great, by the way. No saltiness issues this time. Was a fresh turkey with no univited salt added.)
Put on a single layer of buttered cheese cloth. Double layer would have been better.

Cooked that beast for 12 full hours at 220, or thereabouts. Trying for the 180 internal temp.

This was on the outlawed Brinkman offset cooker. Got tired of waiting when the sun went down, and finished that bird on the gas-powered Weber.

Good flavor. Really good.

Turkey in see-through mesh

Cooked a 13# turkey after brining for 48 hrs in Smokin's Holiday Brine. Cooked it at 250 in a Smokette for about 3 1/2 hours. At this point the breast temp was 167, but it was way too early to take out so I turned the temp down to 200 for a little over an hour. I then foiled in a cooler for another 2 hours. Turkey was still warm and was very moist. Received many compliments so I guess I'll get to do it again in a few weeks.
Side note: I've found that some of the sports and outdoor stores sell extra large zip lock bags in their camping areas which work very well for brining a large turkey.

I just posted a turkey pic. See above. Just adding this "reply" to get your attention!

Thanks Smokin. Looks like it worked.

I did a 14# turkey in the smokette. I cut up an apple and onion and put in cavity, then coated the turkey with honey. I then sprinkled with a special "Tex Joy" steak seasoning. I had bought a electronic thermo with 36" probe. I ran the probe through the top vent hole and set the thermo to alarm at 170 in the meatest part of the breast. I injected the turkey with cajun butter galic marinade. Use a large injected needle as you can only inject back through the hole you make with the needle. The wing and legs will take the injection easier
but anyway I let the bird go to 172 before I checked him. It was wonderful, the meat was delicious, tender and juicy. He also cooked to a golden brown with no burnig. I set the cooker at about 230- 235 and everything turned out great. I have no clue how long it took but it was in the neighborhood of 4.5 hours give or take 15 minutes.

12.38# turkey 6%added solution from the packer.CS chicken rub under the skin and on the skin,lemons,celery and onion in cavity. butter soaked cheesecloth covering the bird(big improvement) cheese cloth made the skin golden and alittle more crispy. 5hrs @ 250 opened the door twice to baste and let out moisture. It was perfect. Almost forgot 2oz of hickory. Larry

Most of my turkeys have been on my JR and just recently on the CS 160. I try to cook my birds using conventional cooking times as one would use in an electric oven. I usually cook in the 325 degree range. I don't like a bird to stay on any longer than it has to, usually 3 - 5 hours. On the CS, I cook them at 275 for 5 1/2 hours ( 12 lb birds ). All my birds I will rub with olive oil and insert them in a vinegar soaked ham stockinette to reduce the amount of black on a bird, the vinegar keeps the stockinette from sticking to the skin. I do not brine my birds.

I have not attempted a whole bird in my Smokette but I can report on two 6# turkey breasts (fresh) brined for seven hours in "Smokin Okie's Holiday Turkey Brine", a mayo rub followed by "Gourmet Gobbler" turkey rub. Startred in the Smokette at 200. After 6 hours int. temp. was 140. Increased temp to 235 and they reached 161 int.temp. in an additional 3 hrs. for a total of 9 hrs. cooking time. Used 1/3 cup of BBQ'ers Delight Sugar Maple Pellets. All my "tasters" and I agreed that the birds were wonderful with just enough smoke and a remarkable moistness!. I dont know what my most valuable tool is - my Smokette or your wonderful Forum! Merry Christmas - "Doc Yank"

I smoked a 12 lb turkey. Brined for 48 hours in the honey brine and then let it dry in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Put the rib rub under the skin and smoked with 2 oz of apple and 2 oz cherry in a smokette at 250 for 4 1/2 hours. White meat was at 160 when I took it out and it was great. Thanks Smokin for all your help!

Our turkey was a 13lber. Rubbed with olive oil including under the skin. Injected with a secret recipe. Rubbed with Cookshack Chicken rub including under the skin. Stuffed with sweet peppers, onions, apples, and oranges. Smoked with 2 oz. each apple and cherry at 250 for 7 hours. Perfect except for the rubbery skin. Criaped the skin in oven on broil. YUMMY! Also did an 8 pound boneless pork shoulder from wally world. Rubbed with olive oil and lots of spices and lots of dry mustard, but no sugar at all. Sat in the fridge for 36 hours. Smoked on 225 with lots of all kinds of wood including muscadine and oak for 14 hours. Sliced for thanksgiving dinner. Everyone said best they ever had. Used leftover turkey and pork with some of those tiny little shrimp and made big pot of gumbo. Oh my goodness! Still eatin on it. Wheeeeeedoggies!!!