Thanksgiving Turkey

Roaniecowpony

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I'm going to venture back on the wild side and give a smoked (lightly) turkey a go again. It's been decades since I've done one. I just didn't do it well and I thought it tasted way too smokey.

So, I'm thinking now that I have a pellet grill that has perfect smoke control and no sooty smoke ever, it's time to give it another try.

So, any of you that have done a turkey in your RT, I'm looking for pointers.
 
i spatchcocked an 11lb turkey and smoked it at 225 for 2hrs then finished it at 300 until the breast hit 165. the legs were at 190 when the breast hit 165. the smoke flavor was there but definitely not overpowering and the skin was nice and crispy. i liked it alot
 

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I'm going to venture back on the wild side and give a smoked (lightly) turkey a go again. It's been decades since I've done one. I just didn't do it well and I thought it tasted way too smokey.

So, I'm thinking now that I have a pellet grill that has perfect smoke control and no sooty smoke ever, it's time to give it another try.

So, any of you that have done a turkey in your RT, I'm looking for pointers.
350 degrees for me, pretend it's an oven (y)
 
Best turkey I've ever had, Smoked turkey breast on RecTeq RT-700. I've cooked several this way since creating the post and plan on doing one for Thanksgiving and another Christmas Eve.
Mike,
Thanks much for this. While my wife would feed the breast to the dog, I love breast meat. She loves the thigh. Nevertheless, I'll look for that injection.

I believe injecting birds is the way to go. I recently injected a whole chicken with a concoction of chicken broth, butter (lots), garlic, and a handful of Freekin Greek rub. Then brought it all to a boil and cooled down, strained, then injected. My wife really made a big deal about it being tasty.
 
I’m not a fan of “sweet” poultry. However, brining turkeys, injecting with real maple syrup, and smoking yields the absolute best turkey I have ever tasted. Even better if you use cherry pellets but not a deal breaker. Have done it for years, even before having a pellet grill, and it never disappoints.
 
I’m not a fan of “sweet” poultry. However, brining turkeys, injecting with real maple syrup, and smoking yields the absolute best turkey I have ever tasted. Even better if you use cherry pellets but not a deal breaker. Have done it for years, even before having a pellet grill, and it never disappoints.
I've been doing my hams that way for about a dozen years. A spicy rub and brown sugar/maple syrup outside and maple syrup inside.
 
We have 8 people for dinner. I'm going to get about a 11-12 lb turkey. Should yield about 4 1/2 lbs of cooked meat. Enough for sure. Then my wife wanted more thigh meat, so maybe I'll buy one thigh and cook it alongside a spatched bird.

I'm still thinking about what to inject. I had done a chicken with broth, butter, and Freakin Greek rub (strained before injecting) about a month or two ago. It was incredibly flavorful and moist. I'm leaning toward that.
 
I'm going to venture back on the wild side and give a smoked (lightly) turkey a go again. It's been decades since I've done one. I just didn't do it well and I thought it tasted way too smokey.

So, I'm thinking now that I have a pellet grill that has perfect smoke control and no sooty smoke ever, it's time to give it another try.

So, any of you that have done a turkey in your RT, I'm looking for pointers.
I suggest putting it in brine for approx. 12 - 16 hours and then smoking at 225 until you reach 165 degree internal temp. Makes a nice crispy skin and nice smoke flavor and moist because of the brining. I used a simple rub made for chicken or turkey and basted it while cooking. For the brine I used a recipe I found on line which had oranges, bay leaves, pepper corns and several other spices. I then stuffed it with the oranges etc. from the brine. Also used pecan pellets. Although I'm not sure if the pellet selection makes much of a difference.
 
Been using the brine below for years. It is amazing. I brine for 2 days, then let the turkey dry for a day in the refrigerator. If you are short on refrigerator space, you can skip the day of drying. Smoke at 225 for a couple hours then 350 to finish. A couple years ago I started spatchcocking. Makes a huge difference in uniform doneness. Allows the thigh to reach temp without overcooking the breast.

http://www.melindalee.com/recipes/brine-ultimate-brine-for-turkey/
 
Another good recipe is to mix butter and maple syrup together with crushed pecans. Then you smear that mixture under the skin of the turkey. Smoke at 225 until you reach 165 degree internal temp.. Adds a touch of sweetness and helps keep the turkey moist.
 
Here's our (Whole) Turkey method
Very simple and straightforward:
SMOKED MEATS, TEMPS and TIMES CHEAT SHEET
MEATSMOKER TEMPSMOKING TIMEMEAT TEMPRUBS OR SAUCESMISC INFO
Whole Turkey2754.5 - 5 hoursB/165 T/170Avo Oil w/ Garlic, Pepper, SaltSpray or brush with Avo Oil on the half hour

Skin is crispy and the Meat is moist
July 5th Turkey 1.jpeg


Then we pull the Breasts and double smoke them:
July 5th Double Smoked Turkey Brests 2.jpeg
 

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