Hello all, going to do my 1st turkey on Sat morning and this is my plan. Just wanted to know if I am on the right track.
20lb bird brined for 24 hrs starting Friday AM.
Sat, start bird at 185 for 8 hrs then 275 for 3 1/2 or so more till temp is 160 to 165. Then gobble up.
oops! Does the turley need to be in the fridge durring the brine? I know dumb question but I dont know the answer.
I've been smoking turkey's for nearly 10 years and have never ruined Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Here's my process:
1) 100% thaw the turkey in the fridge
2) Brine the turkey in a cooler (1 cup salt, 1 bottle of Wild Turkey 101, water to cover the bird. Add cubes, and keep adding ice cubes every 6-8 hours, as needed.
You don't want to waste tons of money on bunches of spices because the final product will taste like smoked turkey and you won't be able to pick out the individual onions, garlic, etc...
3) Smoke at 212 to 220 for 40 minutes per pound before you even think of opening the lid
**The more you open the lid to look at the bird, the longer it has to cook and the irregular temp may have an affect on the final product.
You may want to invest in a digital thermometer that is designed to be left in the bird and the smoker for the duration. It measures meat temp and smoker temp close to the bird. If you have one of these, there's no need to disturb the heat by opening the lid.
Once it's 160 I remove it from the heat and wrap in a minimum of 2 layers of foil.
Let it rest in this state for at least one hour.
I wet smoke with charcoal and apple.
WARNING: This is not the only way to do it, this is how I do it. You will develop a way that works for you after several smokes. It's
Lastly, if you can access the heat chamber without taking the lid off, throw a can of Original SPAM on there for a couple of hours.