EGGARY Posted December 14, 2014 Report Share Posted December 14, 2014 I am planning on smoking/cooking a 22lb. Turkey next Sunday for a Hanukkah Party. I took it out of the Freezer and put it into the Refrigerator today. I plan on brining it on Saturday and cooking it on Sunday. I also plan on Spatchcocking it as well. I saw that it is best to smoke turkeys around 14lbs. if it is going to be smoked at 250. Anything bigger there is a concern with bacteria setting it. Should I have a concern with a 22lbs. Turkey ? Or should I just smoke/cook the turkey at a higher temperature ? I know about cooking to temperature but any idea how long it would take to cook ? I ask so I could plan timewise as the party starts at 3:00pm and have to transport to In-Laws' house. I appreciate any answers and suggestions. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Eggary - I've cooked a lot of big birds and never heard that I should be concerned. I generally smoke spatchcocked fowl at 225°-250° and never worry about it one bit. The danger zone is between 40°-140°. You're well above those temps so I don't think you have all that much to worry about. Remember, we smoke all manner of protein and we generally don't worry. I've found that spatched birds cook in about 2/3rds the time that whole carcasses do. At a temp of 225°-250° I would think that this bird ought to be done in something like 5 hours at the most. Give yourself an extra hour just in case. You can always wrap and cooler if it gets done earlier. Save a milk jug to fill with hot water and add to the cooler if things get done earlier. All the best to you for a great Hanukkah party! Happy Hanukkah to you and your entire family! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 15, 2014 Report Share Posted December 15, 2014 Only thing I can add is that you might want to give yourself a couple of days in the brine. That's a big bird and there's no harm in giving it extra time in the brine to allow for deep penetration of your flavors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 19, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 I made the Maple Bourbon Brine and letting it cool down before brining the Turkey tomorrow. I doubled the recipe. There are 2 gallons of Water in the brine already. How much water do I want to add ? I plan on brining in a large pot and into a Refrigerator in the Garage for 2 days as suggested. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 19, 2014 Report Share Posted December 19, 2014 Just enough to cover the bird by an inch or so. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 I seem to make a big deal about things. As it turns out, the brine covered the whole turkey. I added ice to it. So now the bird it relaxing in a pot of brine of Maple Syrup and Makers Mark. I hope 2 days won't be too long. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 20, 2014 Report Share Posted December 20, 2014 Don't sweat it. You'll need at least 2 days with a big that big! I brined mine little 10#'er for Thanksgiving for 3 days - perfect! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 I was giving it some thought. Is 250 ok to smoke a turkey? I am going to use Pecan, 3 nice size chunks. I don't want to overpower the Turkey with a lot of smoke. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 21, 2014 I don't get it. The turkey took 2 1/2 hours to smoke/cook. I did spatchcock it. I was shooting for 250 but the temp went up to 275. I heard 5 hours and I was ready for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Eggary - I've always found spatching a bird accelerates the time it takes the bird to cook. In my experience, spatching a bird cuts the cook time by 1/3 to 1/2 from what the whole bird takes. This is especially true if you use no heat deflector. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveyR Posted December 22, 2014 Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 Eggary that is how i ended up with a cooked turkey for thanksgiving at 7am for a dinner at 6pm. Had a 20lb turkey and knew that i had to have it off the grill by 11 am for the 5 hour drive. Did bad backwards maths and didnt hold my temp low enough so turkey went on at 4am and was done by 7am. Oh well for the first turkey it still tasted ok but was a learning experience. This years was much better.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 22, 2014 The turkey came out really good and tasty. This is one of the few times I can say it was better than what I expected. There is one issue that I will use in the future, "don't cut or slice the meat until serving". My Father-in-Law sliced the turkey as well as the Smoked Meat he made and put the sliced meat in trays. The trays were put in a Warmer. When it was time to eat, the turkey and especially the Smoked Meat was not as good as just being sliced. Just something to think about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 Here is the Smoked Turkey I did last Sunday. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EGGARY Posted December 25, 2014 Author Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 Here is the Recipe for the Brine. I doubled it for a 22lb. bird. Maple Turkey Brine Rated: Submitted By: US92 Photo By: Webigail Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Ready In: 1 Hour 35 Minutes Servings: 18 "This dark sweet brine, enriched with maple syrup and whiskey, can be used on any kind of poultry and pork. It gives a sweet, maple flavor to meats." INGREDIENTS: 4 quarts water, divided 2 cups dark brown sugar 1 cup soy sauce 1 cup maple syrup 3/4 cup sea salt 8 cloves whole garlic cloves, peeled 6 bay leaves 3 large fresh thyme sprigs 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns 1 cup sour mash whiskey DIRECTIONS: 1. Place 2 quarts of water in a large pot over medium heat, and stir in brown sugar, soy sauce, maple syrup, sea salt, garlic cloves, bay leaves, thyme sprigs, peppercorns, and whiskey. Stir to dissolve brown sugar and salt; bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and stir in remaining 2 quarts of water. Allow brine to cool completely before using. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2014 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 12/25/2014 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CeramicChef Posted December 25, 2014 Report Share Posted December 25, 2014 That what we call MONEY! Killer bird cook! Merry Christmas to you and yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Beautiful color on that bird.. Home run! Please, please, please.. shoot shots of your food on the grill.. I never have enough content for Facebook and Pinterest. I need this to get back on Google.. I still have ZERO rankings on Google.. Search Kamado and I'm still buried a few pages back.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilburpan Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 For me, I’m most often cooking for dinner, and at this time of year, it’s completely dark on my back patio when the food is ready. The good news is that we’ve passed the winter solstice, so the days will be getting longer, and at some point I’ll be able to take some money shots of food on the grill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tony b Posted December 27, 2014 Report Share Posted December 27, 2014 Beautiful color on that bird.. Home run! Please, please, please.. shoot shots of your food on the grill.. I never have enough content for Facebook and Pinterest. I need this to get back on Google.. I still have ZERO rankings on Google.. Search Kamado and I'm still buried a few pages back.. I always try and remember to take what I call "The Dennis Shot" of not only the food on the grill, but the logo showing, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisLinkletter Posted December 28, 2014 Report Share Posted December 28, 2014 Thanks Tony.. I need to fine some kind of LED light for the KK. I was out in the rain cooking on a friend's KK last weekend, using my iPhone as a flashlight, wishing I had my camping headlight on thinking there must be a better way,, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bgrant3406 Posted December 29, 2014 Report Share Posted December 29, 2014 Thanks Tony.. I need to fine some kind of LED light for the KK. I was out in the rain cooking on a friend's KK last weekend, using my iPhone as a flashlight, wishing I had my camping headlight on thinking there must be a better way,, Seems like three to five LEDs mounted into or on the bottom of the handle with the LEDs positioned to point at the grill when the lid is open would fit the bill. The cost to drill the handles may be excessive, but the LEDs, resistors, button cell batteries and tilt switch would be less than $15 USD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
