Turkey rehearsal problem!

[normstar]

Hello All,

Cooking my first Turkey on the KK this year, so last night I did a practice run with a 12lb bird. My plan was to roast at 325 for about 17 mins per pound, give or take, so I preheated the KK to 325 and heat soaked it for 30-40 minutes with a basket of Mesquite. (I know Mesquite is not ideal for poultry, I used what I had handy for the test run. I plan to use CocoChar for the Thanksgiving bird. It got away from me at the end and was up to 425 but I don't think it was at that temp for very long. So I put on the bird and off we went.

To maintain the temp of 325 I trimmed the airflow down pretty low and had the Top Vent only open 1/2 turn and the Bottom Vent open 1/4". Three hours later, the turkey appeared to have stalled around 150 degrees or so and the KK temp was at 300 - but I figured it was around 325 at grill level and that should be fine. I let it run for another 20-30 minutes and took several temperature readings with my Thermapen and it appeared to be done, seeing 165+ in breast and 175+ in areas of the leg. But I don't really know where to measure the thigh/leg area, my recipe describes it as the "thickest part of the bird."

After a 20 minute rest I discovered that the bird was not done! So in hindsight, I have two theories of what I did wrong and would greatly appreciate any thoughts/suggestions:

1) I need to learn where to put the dang thermapen in the bird. This is a given.

2) I think that I dropped the airflow to low and at the 3 hour mark the fire was just barely smoldering and almost out, and it was the residual heat of the KK that was keeping the temp around 300. At that point I did confirm that there was still charcoal in the basket, and for the last 20-30 minuties I cranked open both vents the the temp just barely hit 400, so there wasn't much fuel left.

What do y'all think?

[mdbinkc]

Normstar, it sounds to me like, if you did check the thickest parts of the thigh and breast, it could be as simple as a thermometer calibration issue. I also use a Thermapen, and mine seems to work fine.

My wired Thermoworks thermometer does have a calibration issue - I learned about it the first time I depended on it to tell me when my prime rib was at rare, only to find out later that it was overcooked. I then did a side by side comparison with my Thermapen, and found there was about a 20 degree difference. Based on the end result of the pime rib cook, I decided that the Thermapen was closer to the correct temp. I tell you all this to demonstrate that these thermometers can be off.

Based on your description, I don't think it was a problem with the way you managed the temperature of your KK. Logically, since you always had it in a nominal range between 300-400 degrees, you were still cooking, and should have had success. Only if you had pulled the bird based strictly on time in the KK would I conclude that it was a smoker temperature issue.

One suggestion - you may want to consider brining your next turkey - I find that for some reason it reduces the cooking time, and it definitely improves the moisture content. I have had so much success with brining, I don't cook poultry without brining it first. I hope all of my rambling is helpful, and good luck with your next try.

[DennisLinkletter]

Whenever I hear about undercooked birds, my first thought is how long was the bird out of the fridge before you cooked it. Especially a turkey that was probably frozen. Even here in the tropics it take hours to get the bird completely to room temperature. Residual cold in the bones has ruined many a well planned cook. Heat is all that matters.. with our without charcoal burning.. A grill heat soaked at 300º will easily bring a bird to 170º.

[Tucker]

We have cooked turkey each Thanksgiving (and other times of the year) since getting our KK in '07.

I have never cooked using x minutes per pound.

Always just cook to internal temperatures. (I'd check your thermapen for accuracy)

As far as the KK temp and preheat, I put the temp at 350 at dome, let it settle in, approximately 45 minutes, then put the bird on.

Bird sits in a foil pan with veg, 1 cup broth, all buttered up.

baste every hour.

turns out golden brown and perfect each time.

[Loquitur]

Normstar: I think you needed the vents more open. One year with my turkey I had the top vent too closed and my Stoker was blowing like crazy to maintain 325 deg and I actually ran out of fuel during the cook.

[tony b]

All I can do is second what everyone else has offered. My best guess is that Dennis is probably the correct answer; your bird was still frozen down by the bones, so there was significant temperature difference between the outer layer of meat and down by the bones. My only question is whether you had the cavity stuffed or not? That would have made a big difference in the meat temperature profile across the bird.

[normstar]

Thanks all! The bird only sat out for an hour, and I picked it up directly from the meat plant that day. So great point Dennis, it may have been still frozen in the bones. I'm all set for tomorrow, 2 15lb free range birds have been brining since Monday. I will be sure and take them out 2 hours before I plan to put them on the KK. Question - any idea how long they take to cook at 325 or 350? I always cook to IT, just need an idea a to when to put them on. Happy TG everyone!!!

[mdbinkc]

I'm probably late on this response, but I cooked 3 turkeys over the last 2 days. The first day, I cooked two 12-13 pounders at once, on racks in roasting pans on the top grate, at 300-325 degrees, with heat deflector in place. It took right at 3 hours and 45 minutes for the breasts to reach 167 degrees (thighs about 171). Yesterday, I cooked a 10.5 pounder. The grill temp got away from me a little, up to about 340 degrees, and turkey was at 170 degrees in 3 hours and 10 minutes. On both cooks, I took brined and air-dried birds directly from refrigerator to heat soaked KK, with no time at room temp. I would say you should start checking IT at 2:45 - 3:00. depending on size of turkey.

[nolan8v]

I'm probably late on this response, but I cooked 3 turkeys over the last 2 days. The first day, I cooked two 12-13 pounders at once, on racks in roasting pans on the top grate, at 300-325 degrees, with heat deflector in place. It took right at 3 hours and 45 minutes for the breasts to reach 167 degrees (thighs about 171). Yesterday, I cooked a 10.5 pounder. The grill temp got away from me a little, up to about 340 degrees, and turkey was at 170 degrees in 3 hours and 10 minutes. On both cooks, I took brined and air-dried birds directly from refrigerator to heat soaked KK, with no time at room temp. I would say you should start checking IT at 2:45 - 3:00. depending on size of turkey.

Re:

"I cooked two 12-13 pounders at once, on racks in roasting pans on the top grate, at 300-325 degrees, with heat deflector in place."

Question: How was the texture of the skin afterwards? I am in the process of doing a 14lb brined turkey the same way and am interested to know if I should be concerned with the skin (for presentation purposes only).

Was the turkey on a rack inside of a pan or was the turkey and rack on upper level and the pan on a lower level?

Thanks in advance.

[nolan8v]

First turkey on the KK.

Steps:

I used an apple brine recipe; it was worth the experiment.

I brined a 14lb bird for 36 hours, then let it air-dry in the refrigerator for 12 hours.

I heat-soaked the BB for roughly 30 minutes. The KK stayed at 325 degrees the entire time.

I cooked the bird for roughly 3.5 to 4 hours. I did not use a heat deflector; I only used the pan that you see in photo. Once temperature reached 165 in breast, I let it rest for 30 minutes before I cut into it. It was very moist and full of flavor. The skin (while a bit dark, had a very good texture and taste).

Please let me know what I should have done differently. I am open to any recommendations as I am still learning.

Thanks in advance.

[Loquitur]

One recommendation I would make is to use the port in the side of the KK near the lid which is for running your temperature wires to the food. This way you won't be pinching the wires when the lid is closed. Otherwise, it looks great. I'm happy to know you don't need a separate heat deflector to cook a turkey. Susan

[tony b]

Nice observation, Susan!

[nolan8v]

Thanks for the responses Susan and Tony B. I was a bit apprehensive about bending the probe, so I purchased a backup just in case. After I straightened the original probe, I was able to push it through the port hole and it worked with no problems.

[tony b]

I don't know if you searched the forum first, but there are a lot of posts about bending probes to fit through the port hole in the KK. Folks are always initially apprehensive, but if you take it slow and easy, it works about 100% of the time, regardless of the manufacturer. I don't ever recall anyone posting that they broke a probe bending it to fit through the port.

First rule of the KK forum - when in doubt ASK; there are no dumb questions on here. We've all been there at one time or another and have probably made every mistake that you can possibly make!

[mdbinkc]

I'm probably late on this response, but I cooked 3 turkeys over the last 2 days. The first day, I cooked two 12-13 pounders at once, on racks in roasting pans on the top grate, at 300-325 degrees, with heat deflector in place. It took right at 3 hours and 45 minutes for the breasts to reach 167 degrees (thighs about 171). Yesterday, I cooked a 10.5 pounder. The grill temp got away from me a little, up to about 340 degrees, and turkey was at 170 degrees in 3 hours and 10 minutes. On both cooks, I took brined and air-dried birds directly from refrigerator to heat soaked KK, with no time at room temp. I would say you should start checking IT at 2:45 - 3:00. depending on size of turkey.

The 2 racks were placed inside a large disposable roasting pan, on the top grate. We had to slightly bend the pan to close the lid, but it worked well.

The turkeys were brined for about 24 hours, then rinsed, patted dry, and air-dried overnight in the refrigerator (this step is key to crisp skin, as other posters have stated many times). We rubbed a coat of olive oil on the skin, with a little seasoning, prior to smoking. I foiled the wing tips and leg knobs, but did not tuck or tie. As I mentioned, temp was maintained in the 300-325 degree range. The skin turned out nicely browned, and was relatively crisp. Overall, I was very pleased with the outcome.

I should have taken pictures, but was too busy entertaining while I was cooking. I hope this helps.