Smoking Turkey

I'll tell you what little I know, but there a far more knowledgable folks here who will chime in eventually.

1. Brine in your favorite solution overnight. I would not use any cure #1.

2. Inject or not.

3. Mix your rub or spices with some butter and rub all over and under the turkey skin.

4. Do not stuff.

5. Turkey has no tough connective tissue, so there is no benefit from cooking low-n-slow. Cook at 300° to whatever you feel comfortable with. You want the internal temp to reach 140° by the 4 hour mark. I believe a temp of 165° to 170° in the thigh is considered "done".

6. Choose a light nut or fruit wood for smoke. This may be subjective, but I don't think most people care for heavy wood smokes like hickory or mesquite with turkey. I use apple or sugar maple for mine.

Hope this helps.

I followed this recipe, it turned out good:

http://www.smoking-meat.com/november-10-2011-smoked-buttermilk-brined-turkey.html

Do you guys rub your birds down with seasoning a few hours before smoking or right before they go on the smoker? I have done chicken and have been putting in on right before. I thought that I might rub the turkey down and let sit for several hours like I do pork. Thoughts?

This is my 4th year smoking Turkeys for TG. The first was just to see if anyone liked it. Now it is the preferred requests. I will attempt to tell you how I do it.

First, of course pick a quality bird. A big bird as the left overs are great! I like 20lbs or so. Then, you will need a plastic tub of some sort to brind (walmart has plenty).

2 gallons of distilled water, one gallon of apple juice, cup of salt, cup of sugar, about 5-6 sticks of butter. I like fresh rosemary and course black pepper (but you can use whatever rub you want). Thaw the bird completely and trim. The night before, in the tub, add salt and sugar, pour about half gallon of apple juice and whisk until dissolved. Place bird in the tub, pour remaining apple juice and distilled water until bird is completely submerged then place in frig overnight.

The next morning, remove bird pat dry with paper towels. Using 4 sticks of soften butter add rosemary and black pepper mix with fork. Prior to this I start my smoker. Using your hand, loosen the skin as much as possible. Then grab a handful of the butter mixture and rub it over the turkey (under the skin) and inside the cavity. Also add a few sprig of rosemary. Rub the skin with mixture as well. Then place on smoker at 275. 20lbs take about 3.5 to 5 hours.

Every 30 minutes or so baste with melted butter. If (and it will) the wing tips or leg tips start to get to brown wrap the area with pieces of foil. If the breast start to get too brown, tent with foil. Once it reaches temp (checking between leg and thigh joint, being sure not to touch the bone)  wrap in foil for 30 minutes before carving.

By the way I use apple wood to smoke with. Also, trust me BRIND...always BRIND!

Yum...Yum!!  

I agree to everything 'stickyfingers' said. I do everything about the same as he explained except some small details. But pretty much the same.

I've always brined my turkey, some say it doesn't make a difference, but I do. BUTTER on the outside, and Rosemary.

A 20lb bird may be a little big to start out with if this is your first time smoking a turkey. It can be hard to get done all the way in the lower temps of a smoker. If you can get the grill up to 275-300 deg and check it so it doesn't burn, then you'd be fine. A smaller turkey will be easier to tell when it's done.

I spray mine with some apple juice and baste it with some butter a couple times throughout the cooking.

Good luck Daddycreswell.

Great info! I've only smoked one to date and that was last year. I brined, rubbed and smoked - doing it again this year.

Here's some concise and simple info Chef Jimmy posted in another thread and I made it an article

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/a/turkey-brining-and-smoking