Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey

[LK BBQ]

Anyone have a favorite method for a Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey?  I have ordered a roast Turkey to alleviate the stress of cooking, so I am thinking of smoking another for fun!  Brine?  Temperature? Type of wood?  Spatchcock?  Any tips appreciated! 

[LK BBQ]

One other thing - anyone ever use a rotisserie for a smoked Turkey?

[Pequod]

I generally use the Meathead method. Simple, dry brined, delicious. Go easy on the smoke wood. One chunk of peach or apple and that’s it for me. I’ll be doing mine over KK coffee wood lump with no added wood chunks his year. 
https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/turkey-recipes/bbq-and-grilled-turkey-recipe

[Steve M]

I sort of bounce around each year depending on mood but I am planning on a variation of this one. I'm brining for 48 hours and then spatchcocking.

spatchcocking the turkey

The vegetables alone should be worth it.

[tony b]

Since I'm not travelling this year, keeping it simple. Plan is a turkey breast (boneless), with some legs (my favorite!) Going to inject them with Butcher BBQ marinade the day before and rub the outside with EVOO, lemon pepper and dried roasted garlic just before going on the KK. Main grate, direct, 350F, apple wood chunks in the smoker pot. Cocochar to not over smoke the bird. 

We're supposed to get snow tonight turning to rain for the next couple of days, but assuming the forecast is correct (🤞), should be OK on Turkey Day. 

[MacKenzie]

Tony, your turkey plans sound very tasty, I hope the weather cooperates. 

Edited November 28, 2020 by MacKenzie

[AJR]

I've got my turkey drying now after brining for the last 24 hours.  Spatchcocked it.  First turkey cook...ever, so hoping it turns out well.  I plan to rub herb butter on the meat under the skin, put some seasoning and avocado oil on the skin...I still may inject the breasts with butter, but not sure that's necessary...  Planning to cook at 350 temp or so.  Anyone have a ballpark of how long an 18lb bird will take at that temp?  I'm worried about having to pull it off too soon, or worse, not having it done by the start of dinner.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

[Steve M]

I watched a malcom Reed video and it took him about 3.5 hours at 300 to bring to 165 in the breast. This was for an 18 lb bird. At 2 3/4 hours, he was at 147 if you are aiming for a lower breast temp. Lots of variables there but maybe a good starting point.

Cooking at 400 to 450 looks like it could cut that time in half.

I'm planning on cooking my 14.5 lb turkey spatchcocked at 350 and figuring about 2 hours or so plus 30 minutes to rest. 

[MacKenzie]

I watched a malcom Reed video and it took him about 3.5 hours at 300 to bring to 165 in the breast. This was for an 18 lb bird. At 2 3/4 hours, he was at 147 if you are aiming for a lower breast temp. Lots of variables there but maybe a good starting point.
Cooking at 400 to 450 looks like it could cut that time in half.
I'm planning on cooking my 14.5 lb turkey spatchcocked at 350 and figuring about 2 hours or so plus 30 minutes to rest. 

Steve, was that for an unspatchcocked turkey? AJR has spatchcock the turkey.

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk

[Steve M]

33 minutes ago, MacKenzie said:

Steve, was that for an unspatchcocked turkey? AJR has spatchcock the turkey.

Sent from my SM-T710 using Tapatalk
 

Yes, that was for a spatchcocked turkey but at a lower temp (300). 350 should shorten it up a bit.

[Adam Ag 98]

Doing my first turkey today. 4.8lb bone-in breast. I-D-10-T error and didn't brine overnight, so we pivoted at 10am and rather than lighting the KK I made a quick brine (salt/water/pickle juice/brown sugar). Just the two of us so no guests to accommodate. 

I bought a 2 cup (yes - cup) cast iron pot and put 2 holes in the bottom - going to fill it w/pecan chips. Using cocochar. Not sure if I'll throw the pot in at initial light. Probably wait a bit since it is so small. I'll be using a 1/2 basket in the 21.

About to light after I post this, heat soak for 1.5 hours or so, and hopefully cook some bird at 350 until the internal is 165. 

Blue Plate mayo to bind the Meat Church Holy Cow seasoning.

 

[AJR]

Thanks for the tips, Steve. Three hours on the dot from putting it on the grate to 165 in the breast. It probably got closer to 400 at the grate for some of the cook, but it was fantastic. Moist and delicious.  Gravy from the drippings was on point as well.  I highly recommend the turkey bath and ranchero seasoning from All Things BBQ.

[Adam Ag 98]

How fast should the temp recover on the thermometer? Lit at 320pm, started tinkering with vents at 3:50pm and 380 temp. Tinker tinker gradually dropping to 367 @4:57 pm. 
 Open to add the smoker pot mentioned above at 5, bird on at 5:21. 
 

tinker a bit, see smoke, open bottom to slow the smoke, close back to a sliver at 5:42 

It is now 6:11 and the temp is still at 312. Top and bottom are same settings as when I opened at 4:57 to add the smoker pot. I’d it blocking/ absorbing a ton of my heat I’m guessing now during my edit? 
 

Surely it’s heat soaked at 1.5 hours, shouldn’t the temp recover quickly? Does the 4.5 lb bird absorb that much? Should I keep my settings at what I think is 350-370 even if the temp shows stuck at 3:12, or should i open it up until it shows closer to what I expect before shutting back down?

Edited November 27, 2020 by Adam Ag 98

[tony b]

@Adam Ag 98 - like we tell new KK owners - "Don't chase the temperatures!" The KK has so much thermal mass that after it has a chance to heat soak at a given temperature, moving it down is about impossible. You can creep up on your target from below, but not from top down. Most cooks, you can't tell the difference in the results with a +/- 50F dome temperature difference. 

[Steve M]

2 hours ago, AJR said:

Thanks for the tips, Steve.

You're welcome, looks delicious!

[Adam Ag 98]

4 minutes ago, tony b said:

@Adam Ag 98 - like we tell new KK owners - "Don't chase the temperatures!" The KK has so much thermal mass that after it has a chance to heat soak at a given temperature, moving it down is about impossible. You can creep up on your target from below, but not from top down. Most cooks, you can't tell the difference in the results with a +/- 50F dome temperature difference. 

To summarize (is in correct) my 367 at 1.5 hours so just assume it’s about there still, check Bird temp periodically, and don’t sweat it? 😀

[AJR]

Also depends on what you put in the KK, and how heat soaked it is, Adam.  My dome temp was showing 370 before putting in grates and the bird, and I had only had it running for 30 minutes or so.  Put the smoke pot on, lower grate, foil sheet, and veggies on a sheet pan, then main grate and the bird.  It took a good 45-60 minutes before the dome showed 350 again, but I knew it was significantly warmer than that down where the sheet pan and bird was.  Think it’s just a false reading from so much cold mass being put in all at once.  My next investment will be a good probe temp system so I don’t have to rely on the dome temp so much.

[Steve M]

Are you going by dome temperature or a separate probe? I generally go by dome temps.

Also, I have seem my temps drop when adding a smoke pot. In those cases, I opened things up some to get my temp back up but watched it so it wouldn't get away from me. Once it gets there, you can start adjusting back to the normal settings.

[tony b]

14 hours ago, AJR said:

 My next investment will be a good probe temp system so I don’t have to rely on the dome temp so much.

Quite a few out there, most are pretty good. MEATER+ is the only "no wires" probe that I'm aware of and consequently, the only thing that will work on a rotisserie cook. For regular cooks, I use the Maverick XR-50 - up to 4 different probes. Good range on the receiver. Battery life is pretty good too. And if I'm using the Guru fan, I'm using it's probes, which are very good. 

From experience, once heat soaked and stable, the difference between dome and main grate temperatures is only about 20F. 

[LK BBQ]

Thanks all for your tips.  I used bits and pieces of what you all suggested and from Amazingribs.com.  I wetbrined the turkey overnight in a stock pot, and I spatchcocked it.  I seasoned with butter, a dry rub, and a sprinkling of herbs from the garden.   I cooked it in the 300-325 range and removed it at 155 breast / 160 leg temperature.  I put a lump of apple-wood in the fire basket, but I forgot to wait for blue smoke before putting my turkey in, so I probably got some black smoke on it.  It still tasted great and was very moist.  Highly recommend smoked turkey - easy to execute and delicious!