How big a Turkey

Unknown

I am a new egger. Have the large one. Gonna smoke a Turkey for Thanksgiving. Don't want to buy one too big. How big can we go? It will be on a vertical spanek. Any other tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank You

tn slagamater

Joellen,just from the substance of the question, I would suggest that you remove the clip on the back of the temperature guage so that the guage probe can slide out of the egg. Otherwise, a large bird inside may bend the probe when you close the lid on it.Ask me how I know...

Martini Mark in PTC

Joellen,
I've done them as big as 22-23 pounds in my large, vertically. Those are monsters. I wouldn't recommend one that big, as they can be a tight fit, sticking all the way up into the chimney. Keep it under twenty. You can rub with your favorite seasoning & some melted butter if you like too. I also stuff the cavity with sage, usually frozen that I grew. It gives it that nice thanksgiving taste. You could also use some dried. Try injecting it if you want. Simple butter/dill/bouillon/broth combinations can be quite interesting. To keep from browning too soon you can put a piece of aluminum foil under it to help minimize flareups & also another piece over the top, leaving the bird open underneath. This will keep the skin from browning too soon. Take the foil off about an hour or so before you think it will be done & it will brown up nicely. The internal turkey temp at that time is around 130. Use some hardwood chunks too, I like pecan with poultry. Hickory/mesquite work well too, or a combination. Experiment to find out what you like best. A few chunks of each will do. That's the fun part of experimenting! Keep the dome under 250 and allow yourself an early morning start & dinner will be ready later! If it seems to be going too slow depending upon your size you can increase temp near the end of the cook to speed it along. Good luck.

Martini Mark in PTC

tn slagamater,
Good point, I forgot to mention that. She may discover that when it pops up/out when she closes the lid.