First Turkey Smoke - have questions

There are lots of ways to do turkey. Recently the esteemed chef Jacques Pepin recommended steaming the bird first to render out excess fat.  Here's what i can offer.

350F is standard cooking temp. Low and slow is not bad, but harder to do. The skin is usually not crisp at all, the bird can absorb a lot of smoke, and the breasts may dry out. I've stopped stuffing the bird other than putting a few pieces of citrus inside. Stuffing adds more time to the cook, and, because the veggies need to reach about 205F to be tender, the outside of the bird may burn. Comes out just as well baked separately.

Poultry tends to take smoke very easily, or at least the skin does. I use just a handful of pecan shells. The smoke seems to help give the bird a more golden color, and is light enough the bird's flavor isn't overwhelmed. A hand full of fruit wood chip also works.

I usually use a PS. I want the Egg to be more like an oven than a grill, and the PS does that. Lift the drip pan from the surface of the PS. Use foil wads, bits of pipe, whatever. The PS will become hot enough to boil and then burn the dripping. That may happen anyway. Listen for sizzling. Do keep the bird out the drippings. Any meat in the drippings, it will cook faster than the rest of the bird, assuming there are enough drippings to stop the meat from burning.

Open and baste as you like. It is good to check and see if the wings or drumstick ends are burning. It will slow down the cooking,  Depending on how the timing is going, that can be good.

I allow 15 min/pound, but it seems that the birds are always done faster. I think the Egg may be more efficient than a kitchen stove in this case.

I use 2 to 3 chunks for a 15 lb. turkey in an LBGE. .  I use chunks about the size of a lemon.  My first choice is pecan.  Same taste as hickory, but seems to be a little softer flavor.  Make sure you don't have any bark on your chunks. The bark adds a little tannin flavor that a lot of people don't prefer. 

I smoke my turkeys at 215-220 degF for about 10 hours.  I recommend using a digital thermometer inserted deep into the breast (not touching the bone) to verify that you get the breast to 165 degF).  I use the placesetter with legs up, and set the bird on the porcelain grate.  There are some things you need to do to deal with issues of crispy skin, amount of smoke, etc.

First, if you let the bird come to room temperature before putting on the egg, it will absorb less smoke flavor (cold meat absorbs smoke faster).  This is good, because with turkey a little smoke is sufficient.  For crispy skin, rub with olive oil (not butter; butter contains water and will keep the skin a little soggy) and dried herbs (I use chervil and cilantro).  If the bird is cooked long enough, the skin will be tastily crispy.

Do not stuff the bird - there's no way to properly (and safely) cook the stuffing and the bird together.  You can throw some aromatics (I use the herbs; you can add a quartered onion or whatever you wish) in the cavity, but keep it open enough to conduct heat all around the inside.

I put the drip pan on the placesetter, rather that right under the bird.  This allows for even temperature cooking of the bottom side of the bird - if the bird sits just above the drip pan, the cooking temperature on the bottom of the bird will be considerably less than on the top or sides.

Also, do not tie up the bird.  Undo the legs and wings, and let it fly free.  This allows you to cook the breast to 165 degF, with the necessarily higher temperature for the thighs.  If you keep the legs tied, the thighs can be undercooked (or the breast overcooked).

I do not brine my birds - most store bought ones contain a saline injection anyway.  I do, however, liberally inject them with a good quality sweet sherry.  The nuttiness of the sherry goes particularly well with turkey.  Don't use a dry sherry - you won't like the taste.

I planned for 15 min / lb and it was done waaay before then. I was around 350ish grate temp. Took about 2 hrs for a 10-11 lb bird.

I would be willing to bet that most wives do not want their holiday bird smoked on the EGG.  Thanksgiving is my wife's special day.  She has to bake the bird in the oven and there will be no negotiating.  Always remember, Happy Wife, Happy Life!