Schmokin' Birds...

Deansocial said:
Admit it who else click on this thread expecting something else mouth watering [tongue]
Click to expand...

What, you were expecting nicely tanned and undressed, I thought that's what I posted?
 
[attachthumb=#]Brining, first time I have ever done so. Make sure the container is food safe. Let 24 hours. Must be refrigerated, brining does not preserve. This will be about my 150th grilled bird.

[attachthumb=#]The bird needs to dry at least 12 hours.

[attachthumb=#]On the grill.

[attachthumb=#]Gravy stock.

[attachthumb=#]Ready to go after a couple of hours.

Tom
 
Rick, since you cook it at a very low temp, how long does it take for you to cook your bird?
 
hobbes said:
Rick, since you cook it at a very low temp, how long does it take for you to cook your bird?
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Unfortunately I can't recall a specific time. I monitor it by temperature and wing it to reach final doneness when dinner is scheduled to be served. For tomorrow, I plan on having the 13 pound bird on the smoker by about 10 am and dinner is scheduled for 4 pm. That's later in the day than I am used to, so it will be much less stressful for me, and I can sit at a low temperature longer than I normally have to. I am usually pressed for time, so hopefully that doesn't throw me off this time.

So for this, I won't let the smoker get above 170 until at least 2 pm, with the meat temperature probably down below 120 for that time. I will gradually let the temperature rise and hope that I hit my target temperature at about the same time I need to pull it off the smoker to bring it to the dining area. I'll start shooting for my final temperature rise at about 3:00.

 
Rick Christopherson said:
I think this is going to be one of the best Thanksgivings we've had since I was a kid. There will be at least 3 different birds, countless side dishes, and at least 2 or 3 dozen people. The dining area is also very upscale, and rivals anything any of us could have in our own homes or even the best restaurant.
Click to expand...

Sounds great! Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving.
Tim
 
RMW said:
We always host Thanksgiving for the in-laws and last year I was allowed to smoke a turkey for the first time, although the boss still insisted on cooking one in the oven just in case. Ended up being a great hit and yesterday I learned that smoking the bird has become a "tradition"...

The first bird came out okay, the legs were slightly under cooked when I took it off to keep from seriously over-cooking the breasts. This year I think I am going to Spatchcock the bird , i.e. cut out the backbone and splay it open. I cook on a Big Green Egg, from what I have read online I should b e able to do a 20# turkey in around 2 hours.

Thoughts or suggestions?

RMW
Click to expand...

YES, FedEx me a tasty portion.  [wink]
 
Trying Rick's method.  15 LB turkey in the smoker!  Bread is about to come out of the oven for later.

By the way, for those who have never tried this, you should.  Easy for non-bakers, takes very little of your time, and virtually fool proof.  Unfortunately too late for today for most of you, but great for turkey sandwiches.  No knead bread  Might also win forgiveness points  [poke]

Peter

 
Peter Halle said:
Trying Rick's method.  15 LB turkey in the smoker!  Bread is about to come out of the oven for later.

By the way, for those who have never tried this, you should.  Easy for non-bakers, takes very little of your time, and virtually fool proof.  Unfortunately too late for today for most of you, but great for turkey sandwiches.  No knead bread  Might also win forgiveness points  [poke]

Peter
Click to expand...
Yumm, haven't had the first round of turkey yet and I'm already drooling over smoked turkey on no-knead bread!
Happy turkey Peter!
 
Try the bread Jesse!  You'll accumulate a huge number of Festool forgiveness points!  Turn a slice or two into a New Mexico version of French toast on Saturday and then you are set!

Best to you and yours!

Peter
 
I was beginning to get a little worried that I let the low temp go for too long. Thankfully it is rising pretty fast right now. I've had to let the smoker hit 245 for the past 45 minutes, and I have 3 remote thermometers going to keep a close eye on it.

[attachimg=#]
 
Dueling turkeys  [big grin]  Bumping up my temp too.  Just done making chipotle chili cranberry sauce.

[attachimg=#]

Peter
 
Dinner at 1:00 , walk at 2:00, dessert at 3:00............  I am getting ready for left overs for supper  [smile]

Hope everyone is having a great day with food , friends, and family!  [thumbs up]

Seth
 
Those are picture-perfect turkeys! great job.

Mine came out okay, everyone raved about the meat, but it is definitely not destined for a magazine cover:

[attachimg=#]

Bird was so big it almost touched the lid of the egg, hence the 2 light areas. The wings also cooked a bit too fast, covered them in foil to prevent burning.

RMW
 
If I have to judge by appearance alone Peter wins however the judging will remain open until the FedEx truck delivers three (3) packages on Friday...     [tongue]  [tongue]  [tongue] [big grin]

Something tells me Rick's has a wonderful smoky flavor.  [tongue]
 
I just got back home. This bird turned out to be the best one I have ever done. There were two birds there tonight. One of them had 2 full plates of leftovers...one of them didn't. Well, I do actually have the two drumsticks and one wing left over, but not a single piece of white meat survived the frenzy.

The internal temperature shot up the final 15 degrees in the last 15 minutes, but I was getting a little concerned for a while. I had a good feeling about it when I added the third thermometer and moved the other two. As soon as they punctured the skin, juices shot out the hole.

I have never had any poultry come out this moist and tender before. I brought my own 20"x24" butcherblock, and the whole thing was running over with juices and leaking on the floor, and that doesn't even include the cup of juice I poured out of the cavity before cutting.  [cool] I'm not even sure how to describe the tenderness because I have never seen it before. About the only thing that has come close was a chicken tenderloin.

By the way, the dark color of the skin is from the smoke, not from being burned. The sweet smokey smell filled the room, and it really had people talking. Most of them had never had a smoked turkey before, but they were told I was bringing one.

[attachimg=#]
 
Well, I'm happy to report that AdamM's link to that smoked turkey was a great success. Here's my rendition of that recipe (with some minor modifications of my own). I must say that guy is super detailed and it was worth the read so thanks for sharing that link. I may have ran into it a long while back but forgot about it until you brought it up again.

Given that this is the first time I've ever smoked a turkey (or made any turkey not already pre-cooked), I'm pleasantly surprised that I didn't screw it up and that for the most part it was like smoking a chicken only takes a bit longer and more meat preparation than with the smaller bird.

[attachthumb=#]

 
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