OK,this is my first attempt at smoking a turkey breast. I've done a lot of reading, both here and other sources, and thought I had a good gameplan in place. The breast is a shade over 8 pounds. Using the general math I read on cook times, I should be cooking around 240F for 40 minutes per pound. That's 320 minutes, so about 5 hours and 20 minutes. I need to reach a temperature of 165F for it to be done.
Here's the problem: the breast has been on for 2.5 hours, and it is already at 160F. This seems way to quick for it to get to that temperature. I'm planning on serving the meal in approx. 3 hours. Is there an effective way to hold the bird at a temperature in the smoker that won't dry it out? Should I take the bird out and then hold it in the oven at a warm temperature (170F)? I had planned an hour for the bird to cool before carving.
I put an oven thermometer in the smoker to see if the digital readout is accurate. It appears that it is. I've used 2 different probes, and they both read the same thing. Should I just take the bird out and hold it in the oven? Does it do much harm to allow the bird to cook to a higher temperature (170-180)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This has been a great forum for a newbie to learn the art of smoking. Thanks in advance for any help and ideas.
Also, I'm using a 30" Materbuilt Electric, if that helps. I also promise pics once the bird is done. It looks good, but the rapid increase in temperature concerns me.
Here's the problem: the breast has been on for 2.5 hours, and it is already at 160F. This seems way to quick for it to get to that temperature. I'm planning on serving the meal in approx. 3 hours. Is there an effective way to hold the bird at a temperature in the smoker that won't dry it out? Should I take the bird out and then hold it in the oven at a warm temperature (170F)? I had planned an hour for the bird to cool before carving.
I put an oven thermometer in the smoker to see if the digital readout is accurate. It appears that it is. I've used 2 different probes, and they both read the same thing. Should I just take the bird out and hold it in the oven? Does it do much harm to allow the bird to cook to a higher temperature (170-180)?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. This has been a great forum for a newbie to learn the art of smoking. Thanks in advance for any help and ideas.
Also, I'm using a 30" Materbuilt Electric, if that helps. I also promise pics once the bird is done. It looks good, but the rapid increase in temperature concerns me.
