Smoked Turkey

joejoeshooter

Let's hear it.

I've been frying for about 15 years - love it but just don't feel it this year.

I'm sure after useing my BGE for two years, a turkey will stay moist.

Tell me what to do.

Thanks.

JJS

Cullum

I think I am going to try spatchcocking a turkey this Thanksgiving season. I've yet to cook a turkey on the egg. There are some good posts on here about that. 

cazzy

I haven't done a spatchcock turkey but the results should be exceptional.

I think I may cook the whole bit because we usually stuff it. We will see.

Fred19Flintstone

This is my first swipe at a couple of things: posting a cook and spatchcock turkey.  Sunday evening's spatchcocked turkey was very easy to do.  We had a 14.5# bird and I thought I would prolly want a little smaller one for uniformity.  I went 300 indirect because I was a little nervous going direct with such a big bird that I would really char the outside before the inside was done.  Coated simply with EVOO and Dizzy Dust.  It was moist & flavorful!  We go to my sister's on Thanksgiving, but this may be our go-to method at home.  Sorry for only the two photos, but football was on and I had to cheer my fantasy team to another defeat!

  

travisstrick

BEAT HIM!!!!!!!

:ar! :ar! :ar! :ar! :ar! :ar! :ar!

BE READY FOR MICKEY TO SUGGEST SPATCH TURKEY

Little Steven

joejoeshooter said:

Let's hear it. I've been frying for about 15 years - love it but just don't feel it this year. I'm sure after useing my BGE for two years, a turkey will stay moist. Tell me what to do. Thanks. JJS

Look at the Mad Max recipe for roast turkey. Simple and good. I used to fry one and egg another at Christmas..now I egg two. I have a decent recipe for stuffing too.

Mickey

I like to leave in fridge uncovered overnight ( if time, no biggie if not). I like a coffee rub. Cook at 400 and raised direct never turning over( skin side up ). I like the smaller turkeys (11/12 lb). If you need lots of turkey add a package of legs (I do the all the time) and/or do a second bird app 90 min cook). I like VERY LITTLE amt of chips pecan and cherry (very little).

Doc_Eggerton

+1 to Mickey about the effect of leaving poultry uncovered in the fridge.

My best ever, turkey was Rhulman's Charcuterie brined.

joejoeshooter

Do you have to spatch a turkey??? Can you cook it whole?

cazzy

joejoeshooter said:

Do you have to spatch a turkey??? Can you cook it whole?

Whole or spatch...you can do it either way.  Doc posted one right above your response.

Here is a 10 pounder I did on my small.

BYS1981

I have a MBGE and I plan on spatchcocking a turkey for Thanksgiving this year.. I will be doing a practice turkey soon.

Austin Egghead

Did a spatch'd chicken the other day with Mickey's coffee rub and planing to do the same with the Thanksgiving turkey.  Will be using a drip pan filled with root veggies under bird to capture the drippings.  We must have gravy for the mashed taters.  Will probably use an herbed compound butter under the skin for more flavor.  No chips DIL does't like smoke taste.  

SmokinDAWG82

I'm planning to do my first Turkey for Thanksgiving, thanks for all the info! Austin I like the idea of the compound butter under the skin. Just have to decide on whole or Spatched

RocEGG

I love smoking a turkey for Thanksgiving! I just put it in there indirect on a rack in a foil pan like you would do a whole one in the oven. I have been doing it for 5 years now (on my old barrel smoker) and there is always very little left of the smoked turkey. The regular oven roasted one that I also have to make for people who don't "like smoked turkey" is always a second class citizen when it comes to eating time. I brine my turkeys in a mix of apple juice, star anise, cloves, oranges, brown sugar, salt, bay leaves, and some other stuff (based on Alton Brown's brine recipe).  I find a big tupper ware bin works great. I cook up the brine, dump it in there with a ton of ice, and the water and apple juice, and set it in the garage for a few days. I just dump the frozen turkey in there and it thaws over the few days. I do rub it with butter under the skin. I do a heavy smoke with apple and cherry wood chunks.

They turn out awesome smoked whole, the skin is inedible usually, it turns black mostly from all the time in the smoker. I find that it takes less time than you would think, usually a bit less than the time required in an oven.

henapple

Will there be enough drippings for gravy? I'm smoking a breast and doing a spatchcock.

jlsm

Cook the bird directly on the grill over a pan filled with chicken broth, celery and onion. The best base you will ever taste. 

henapple

The only thing my wife hated about my smoked turkey was no broth...about how much broth. Should I cut up the neck, etc and add? Thanks for the help.

pezking7p

I'm going to be doing 2 turkeys for thanksgiving (need to feed 12, plus leftovers).

Any issues with stacking 2 spatch turkeys, one one regular grate, one on raised?  My only thought is that maybe partway through I should swap which one is on top so they both get browned. 

I'm thinking of doing legs up indirect with a pan underneath to catch drippings (using jlsm's technique from above).  Maybe 425 indirect. 

Thoughts?

GrannyX4

Hey Joan, Mickey's rub and your herb butter under the skin sounds like a winner. That's what's for dinner. I had to make my own ancho chili powder for the rub, I'm hoping that it's close to what you buy in the store ( couldn't find it at Publix). Veggies in the drip pan and more stock made in the pressure cooker for extra gravy. I'll open jar of cranberry chutney and hope the practice run is a winner.

Mickey

GrannyX4 said:

Hey Joan, Mickey's rub and your herb butter under the skin sounds like a winner. That's what's for dinner. I had to make my own ancho chili powder for the rub, I'm hoping that it's close to what you buy in the store ( couldn't find it at Publix). Veggies in the drip pan and more stock made in the pressure cooker for extra gravy. I'll open jar of cranberry chutney and hope the practice run is a winner.

Sounds good. Send pics please

GrannyX4

MicJoan's chicken/turkey......

GrannyX4

Oh my, it was very good. Loved the rub and the husband can't wait to try it on something else. Herb butter kept everything nice and moist. I think I did something wrong. The veggies were awesome but the juice was burnt and would not have made good gravy. Glad I did the pressure cooker broth. Should I have raised the drip pan off the plate setter? Definite keeper. Thanks..........

henapple

Did you add broth to the own pan?

GrannyX4

Yes......

henapple

Aluminum foil balls under the pan maybe...

GrannyX4

That's what I was thinking. The bird was good so there will be a next time. It's unusual for the husband to rave about any type of fowl.

SmokeyPitt

Here is one link to the Mad Max recipe.  Very descriptive for making gravy! 

http://www.nakedwhiz.com/madmaxturkey.htm

The best one that I did was spatchcock, but that's not to say it can't be just as good roasted. 

SmokeyPitt

One day I would like to try it upside down on a vertical roaster.  I heard somewhere that worked well with chicken!

GrannyX4

I have done the mad max and the upside down roaster. Good but spatched is my favorite. So many on the BGE have settled in on their favorites just by trying them all until you finally say "Aha". Then that will be your keeper.

RocEGG

henapple said:

The only thing my wife hated about my smoked turkey was no broth...about how much broth. Should I cut up the neck, etc and add? Thanks for the help.

I find that there is a ton of broth when I make a turkey like this. I just sit the whole turkey in a foil pan that collects all of its juices. The turkey releases tons of juices if you brine it first. Downside is the turkey never gets crisp skin on the part that is sitting in its own juices, but I never eat the skin anyway. We do a large turkey every year, something between 20-25lbs and I have never had a problem with not enough broth to make gravy. Last year I believe that we came out with around 2 quarts of gravy after it was strained, separated, and cooked down on the stove. I love the taste of the smoky gravy on the smoked meats. I don't put any veggies or anything in my pan because I previously brined the turkey, but you could if you wanted a bit of additional flavor.

Mickey

RocEGG just a thought. Cook the turkey like you do (only a 12lb bird)for the juice. Then cook another bird at 400 direct/raised (my suggestion is spatchcocked) also a 12 lb bird. This second bird will only take about 90 mins and you cut up the first skinless bird and serve around the good skinned bird for those likeing the skin. Just a thought as I do double birds lots of time at the holidays.