Greetings folks!
It's been a while since I've been on. My wife has been having some digestive health issues, so that kinda put a damper on the late summer smoking fun. However, with Thanksgiving fast approaching, we decided to host at our house rather than make the long treck to the in-laws in Connecticut, so smoked turkey it is! Last year, I smoked a frozen bird that was on sale after the holidays, but I will be brining and smoking a fresh bird this year, along with some assorted dark meat parts.
To prepare for the big day, I decided to do a test run with thighs and legs to see if the smoker could hit 325. I moved my baffle a bit to provide a little better air flow, and cranked up the heat. Sure enough, I hit 325, though the cheaper lump charcoal that I used didn't burn as consistent as my Royal Oak, which put me around 295-317 for the duration. Overall, it was a successful run, and I have my Fruita Wood Chunks and Royal Oak ready for Turkey Day! More to come on the big bird and assorted parts in a separate post, but here are a few pics of the test run:
Brined and rubbed lightly with Jeff's rub, and popped on for about 10 mins. You can see the skin already changing color. Smoker was still sitting on the low side a bit.
About an hour in
Success!
Test run was good. I think I'll be able to pull off the big one on Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for my countdown, beginning with bird pick-up tomorrow morning.
It's been a while since I've been on. My wife has been having some digestive health issues, so that kinda put a damper on the late summer smoking fun. However, with Thanksgiving fast approaching, we decided to host at our house rather than make the long treck to the in-laws in Connecticut, so smoked turkey it is! Last year, I smoked a frozen bird that was on sale after the holidays, but I will be brining and smoking a fresh bird this year, along with some assorted dark meat parts.
To prepare for the big day, I decided to do a test run with thighs and legs to see if the smoker could hit 325. I moved my baffle a bit to provide a little better air flow, and cranked up the heat. Sure enough, I hit 325, though the cheaper lump charcoal that I used didn't burn as consistent as my Royal Oak, which put me around 295-317 for the duration. Overall, it was a successful run, and I have my Fruita Wood Chunks and Royal Oak ready for Turkey Day! More to come on the big bird and assorted parts in a separate post, but here are a few pics of the test run:
Brined and rubbed lightly with Jeff's rub, and popped on for about 10 mins. You can see the skin already changing color. Smoker was still sitting on the low side a bit.
About an hour in
Success!
Test run was good. I think I'll be able to pull off the big one on Thanksgiving. Stay tuned for my countdown, beginning with bird pick-up tomorrow morning.