KevinD Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 (edited) It has been a while since I’ve had some fun with Pele and tonight I fired her up to smoke a turkey for my family’s annual Christmas tree trimming party. Prior to acquiring Pele I had bought fantastic smoked turkeys from Greenberg Smoked Turkey in Tyler, TX. As much as I enjoyed those birds there’s no reason for me to not give it a spin on my own cooker so tonight, I put this on for enjoyment tomorrow... Planning on the traditional low and slow @225° I brined in a simple salt water solution for @six hours, dried the bird and seasoned with a mixture of ground black pepper, a bit of cayenne pepper, picante papriki, onion and garlic powder, with some good old Schillings poultry seasoning tossed in as well. Put it on midnight and I’ll check at 8 in the morning. I’ve allowed for a possible12 hour cook, + or - an hour or two. Since I plan to serve this up carved for sandwiches or general noshing, finish time really is not critical. Of course I will post the obligatory finish pictures... Edited December 16, 2017 by KevinD Spelling 3
BIGSHEP Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 Looks like your off to a good start.
ZooBeeQ Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 What kind of wood are you going to use to smoke it? I do smoked turkey any chance I can, dont wait till the obligatory holidays . Smoked turkey rocks ! Don't toss the carcass either, makes a kick ass stock for soup! On the low and slow, Turkey is not a fatty bird so there is no connective tissue to break down and unless you are going to baste the hades out of it , cooking for that long? Could be a little dry. I cook it like chicken, high and fast with a ton of quality hickory in a smoke box. Longest I've ever had a bird on was 3 hours and it was a 16 pounder. KK cook keeps it moist and crispy. looking forward to seeing the pics Zo0
MacKenzie Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 Looking good and I am so glad that you are going to keep us updated with pixs.
Tyrus Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 That's one big Turkey, you didn't shoot that one in the backyard, did ya? Looks delicious
Tyrus Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 Sorry Kevin, Saw the color designation on the circle and I guess I wasn't paying attention to the letter. We have wild turkeys in this area and in abundance, so that's the backyard comment...but I'm looking forward to tour pics also
KevinD Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Posted December 16, 2017 (edited) Ok, here we are 8 hours and 15 minutes later, and the 17 pound turkey is at 165°F for all areas probed, so off it comes. Didn’t open Pele up at all except to take a final temperature check this morning with my thermapen. Pictures below... Carving will wait until people begin to arrive much later today, probably 4 PM Pacific time. That of course assumes that I can deal with the scent of smoked turkey in my house all afternoon and not give in to temptation... FYI: I used two medium sized chunks each of pedan and cherry. Edited December 16, 2017 by KevinD Additional info added 6
KevinD Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Posted December 16, 2017 35 minutes ago, Tyrus said: Sorry Kevin, Saw the color designation on the circle and I guess I wasn't paying attention to the letter. We have wild turkeys in this area and in abundance, so that's the backyard comment...but I'm looking forward to tour pics also Not a problem, bagged this one in the wilds of my Albertsons supermarket - it was crazy in there. 1
MacKenzie Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 Nice job on the turkey smoking. BTW if those toes were here they'd be frozen digits as it is only 18F and I'm wearing my winter coat smoking pork belly.
KevinD Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Posted December 16, 2017 Yes, it got real cold here in Southern California, for us – 41° F overnight. Sorry I couldn’t resist teasing my friends on the forum in the colder climates – I do love the idea of seasons, but don’t know how well I would live in them. When we get into what I called “real winter” in my area of southern California, it will get down to just below freezing on many nights.
Tyrus Posted December 16, 2017 Report Posted December 16, 2017 You poor man! Freezing, that's downright terrible. Mackenzie warming her fingers by the fire and you how long a KK takes to heat up on the outside, sorry Mac. Your turkey was on for sometime, tell me, was it moist and tasty, it sure looks good.
KevinD Posted December 16, 2017 Author Report Posted December 16, 2017 The turkey should be moist and tender, I’ve not yet carved into it but will in a couple of hours. I brined it for 6 hrs which have added some moisture content and given how efficient our Komodos are, I wouldn’t think that I suffered moisture loss beyond what the brine added. Once I get into the turkey and have had a chance to eat some of it with my guests I will report back on those results…
MacKenzie Posted December 17, 2017 Report Posted December 17, 2017 The turkey should be moist and tender, I’ve not yet carved into it but will in a couple of hours. I brined it for 6 hrs which have added some moisture content and given how efficient our Komodos are, I wouldn’t think that I suffered moisture loss beyond what the brine added. Once I get into the turkey and have had a chance to eat some of it with my guests I will report back on those results… Report back with pics I hope.
sfdrew28 Posted December 17, 2017 Report Posted December 17, 2017 I woke up and saw the original post this morning and started to crack up. Thanks for a great laugh. Turkey looks great Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
KevinD Posted December 17, 2017 Author Report Posted December 17, 2017 No carved pics but the turkey was moist and nicely done thoughout. Smoke flavor was nice without being overwhelming - everyone enjoyed it.
Aussie Ora Posted December 17, 2017 Report Posted December 17, 2017 Great cook Kevin looks really good Outback kamado Bar and Grill
