?? About my 1st try smoking a Turkey

I think a 'Brining' would be an asset to you meal , juicy,tender meat. see here:           http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/search.php?search=Brines+for+Poultry

Your Bird should , IMHO , be cooked at a higher temp. , 275* to 325* , and as others will reiterate ; you must take your Turkey from a Fridge temp.(appox. 40*) to 140* in a matter of 4 hours. That means leaving it on the Smoker - or - the Oven until it is out of the "danger zone" (40* - 140*).

I've read post where the cook went from Smoker to Oven , then they would crank -up the oven and 'crisp' the skin. I love my Family and choose to go the distance in one swoop.  The skin is usually left on the bottom of the serving plate or holding tray... .

Try this for really moist-tasty Breast meat ; well-thighs and legs too.  Make a 'Compound Butter (or Bacon Grease -as Dave suggest) then roll it in wax paper a chilled several hours. Cut 1/8" pieces and place them under the skin of the breast and as far as you can without tearing the skin , on the Thighs and Legs.

If you do a Breast , basically the same procedure, plus IMHO , the whole Breast covered with Bacon.(then remove -carefully- the bacon and crisp skin under high oven heat , then replace the Bacon for presentation.

Any one or combination of your wood would be good on a Turkey , however I enjoy the heavy Hickory taste.

Have fun and....      

Cook the turkey in the smoker and save the oven to bake the pies.

Cook it at 325° with cherry until 165° in the breast, at that point it's done, then tent loosely with foil and place in a 200° oven to keep warm until the rest of the meal is ready. This is a general plan, if we knew what you are cooking on it can get more specific.

All good advice. Definately brine it. The last turkey I did was 11lbs and I did it at 275 and basted with a melted butter, apple juice, and cream sherry mixture every hour. Made it through the danger zone with no problem. The skin wasn't crispy but it was tender and wasn't leathery. You could finish in the oven at a higher temp to crisp the skin. Good luck and happy Thanksgiving.

Oldschoolbbq covered this very well. We always do bone in turkey breasts. Always a breast about 9-10 pounds. At 240 degrees it takes about 5-6 hours to do a breast this size. Brining, for us, is well worth the trouble. 

At 325° it will be close to the normal 20 min. per lb. I always cook to 165° internal temp and don't worry too much about time. A 7-9 lb breast will take 2.5 to 3.5 hours and rest for 20-30 mins, tented with foil.

I usually subtract 4 hrs from projected meal time as my cook start time. Check temps in the thickest part of the breast, away from any bones.