Smoked Turkey

This is a 15.08 Lb turkey. Notice that I tucked the wings behind its back and pinned the skin over the neck opening with toothpicks.

The turkey was washed and patted dry the night before the cook. It was then placed in the refrigerator, uncovered, overnight to allow the skin to air dry. This is a picture of it just before rubbing it down with a light coat of olive oil. (The olive oil helps retain moisture.)

Normally, the small, square pan is not used. This time, I decided to put a little water in it instead of in the larger water pan. It was an attempt to keep some moisture inside the cooking chamber but not as much as the full-size pan provides, since it is directly above the fire. This was for two purposes - allow a higher cooking temperature (325° instead of my normal 180° - 250° range) and to allow the skin to get crispy. Lump charcoal was used to provide a higher temperature, too.

This cooker set rock steady between 320° and 330° for the entire 3.5 hour cook. It is very responsive to the air vents!

The Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) with the dome lid installed. And, me in the reflection! :)

Initially, the temperature inside the smoker went up to over 400°. Closing the bottom vents made the temperature start to fall. As soon as it came back down to 375°, I opened the lid just long enough to put the turkey inside and take this picture. Then, I cracked the vents to about 1/3rd and was able to use them to keep a very constant temperature for the entire 3.5 hour cook.

Estimating that it would take 3.5 hours at 325° for this 15.08 lb turkey, I opened the smoker at what I thought would be the halfway point to spritz the turkey with apple juice and to insert the remote temperature probe that I had failed to insert at the beginning of the cook. We also lightly wrapped the wing tips with aluminum foil to keep them from overcooking. This was the ONLY time the dome was removed before the turkey was done.

At the halfway point of the cook (1.75 hours), the breast temperature was at 131°.

When the alarm went off (at exactly 3.5 hours!), I decided to let it go on up to 170°. By the time I had checked the temperature of the thighs and a couple more places on the breast, the breast temperature had gone up to 176°. Lesson learned - start checking when the breast temperature reaches 165°.

This picture is just after the turkey was taken out of the smoker. Notice the small pieces of foil at the wings - the ends of the wings were wrapped loosely with it at the halfway point. Also, notice the spray bottle with a little apple juice and the multiple temperature probes. Good smoking is a little common sense and experience mixed with just a touch of science! Like, why does a pork shoulder or beef brisket require long cooking times at low temperatures? If you don't know, just ask.

Back to the counter and allowed to rest under an aluminum tent for about 30 minutes before carving. This gives the juices time to settle back into the meat and also makes the carving easier.

What? No stuffing? Well, it's not suggested that you cook stuffing inside the turkey when it's done in a smoker or on a grill. This is especially true if you cook at a temperature lower than 325°. If you do attempt to cook your stuffing inside the turkey, make sure it's AT LEAST 165° in the center before you consider it done. Salmonella is always a danger with undercooked poultry so don't take any chances.