My first smoked turkey

I have been itching to do a smoked turkey for quite some time now. I brined it overnight in a salt water solution and gave it a good rub down with olive oil and some homemade rub. Threw it in the smoker @270F and spritzed it with spicy V8, red rye P.A. Came out pretty good, not enough smoke for me but the family loved it. Definitely needed more time brining. I usually go 24 hours on the brine but was cut short on time.

Looks tasty, Ive smoked many a turkeys, but I never do a rub, the skin always gets tough and chewey, so its not really edible any ways!

I did throw a little rub on the skin but the majority went underneath it. But yes, the skin was a bit tough.

Hi

Toss in in a *hot* oven for a bit after you are done smoking it. The skin will crisp right up. If you do it right, the bird will not over cook. I have no idea how long, since I just keep looking at it (it's minutes not hours though). Pretty easy to tell when it's browning up.

Bob

In my experience, the brine makes the skin rubbery. I know lots of people swear by brining, but I have had great luck with dry rub and apple juice. I wash and thoroughly dry the turkey before applying a homemade rub. I pat the dry rub on as thick as possible. Stick to small turkeys - about 12 pound - and smoke at 220 - 250 F for about 5 to 6 hours until done. After the first 45 minutes or so, spritz the bird with apple juice from a spray bottle. No rubbery skin and the meat comes out extremely moist with a beautiful red smoke ring.

I'll have to give either of these a try. I love to smoke so experimenting isn't an issue at all. I forsee a smoke/brew day coming up this weekend. I do appreciate the feedback. Cheers!