rubs for smoked turkey

Unknown

I am going to smoke my first turkey and was wondering what type of dry rubs people use for this. Is it the same thing you use to cook a turkey in a conventional oven or do you need something different to enhance the smoking process?

Mike in MN

big E,
I'd brine the bird first, even a couple of hours would help, then season as you normally would. Adding treats to the cavity doesn't hurt either. (onions, garlic, apples, oranges, herbs, spices, the kitchen sink)[p]Go EZ on the smoking woods unless you are really after a smokey taste, as the poultry really draws in the smoke.[p]Mike in MN

PapaQ

big E,[p]I concur with Mike in MN about brining before the cook. It's certainly not required, but it helps keep the bird moist. I posted the steps I took cooking a 20# turkey on 7-7-04 at 11:58:27 in response to Steve Peters' inquiry entitled 22# Turkey. Go up to the top of the forum page, click Archives, then 2004, then July 5 to July 10, scroll down about 3/4's of the page and you will find the thread. I hope you find it helpful.[p]Paul

eggor

big E,
definately brine the bird, I've brined for the oven baked birds for 5 years just using kosher salt and some of the same herbs that go into your stuffing. really makes a difference in moistness. When I first did one for thanksgiving my folks being very trusting of my cooking abilities actually bought two birds one for the oven and one just for me, since i was the wanting to cook the bird so bad. My sisters told me to cook the bird on the gas grill and wished me the best of luck being a blizzard just blew in. Well when their oven bird was done, they yelled out to me to come in and eat and forget about my bird on the grill. To hell with that. I pulled the bird when the temp was only 160 in the breast. 10 degrees colder than all the books say. being the bird was cooked on a gas grill indirect the skin had this off pale color and sure didn't look very appetizing. But I went ahead and carved off a few slices for myself and my brave wife while the rest were loading up their plates, someone must have noticed the smiles on our faces and picked a piece off my bird to see if it was any good. Well the turkey my mom baked was slid over to the side and my bird was quite quickly polished off. The next year I bought fake winning lottery tickets for my sisters who were the one that suggested I cook the bird on the grill during that blizzard.