turkey grill/smoked fail.

toddzio

Newbie

Original poster

Aug 28, 2012

16

10

Phoenix, AZ

• Nov 25, 2012

• #1

This year I did not get home early enough to purchase or brine the turkey myself. My mom purchased a turkey from Fresh and Easy, and used an add salt brine mix. My mom insists the turkey be stuffed. I grilled/smoked the turkey on the webber kettle at about 325 for 15 minutes a lb. Basting bird with butter every hour. About 3/4 of the way through the skin on the bird started to split all over, by the time it was cooked, the skin was on the turkey in patches. The brine saved the bird from being all dried out, but the dark meat was a little stringy. What went wrong?

 

daveomak

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Nov 12, 2010

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Omak,Washington,U.S.A.

• Nov 26, 2012

• #2

Todd, morning.....  Sounds like the thermometer was not reading correctly, and the temp was actually higher than the therm read...  

 

oldschoolbbq

Legendary Pitmaster

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Jul 16, 2008

9,359

205

NW Ohio - outside Toledo

• Nov 26, 2012

• #3

Hello , Todd.  Dave (I feel) was right. I have a suggestion for you. Get a notebook(like for school) and start recording your cooks... Enter info. like ...Calibration [yes]or [no] , cooking temp., time of start to finish , weather conds. , the techniques you used in prepping and cooking the food...ect.

This will get you into a routine of recording for future cooks. IMHO , one of the most important steps is knowing your temps. are correct. I always have a Pocket Therm. (re-calibratable) to re-check my readings on my cooking therms. [I hope to get a Thermopen for Christmas ; I think I've been good?]

Have fun and... 

 

daveomak

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★ Lifetime Premier ★

Nov 12, 2010

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Omak,Washington,U.S.A.

• Nov 26, 2012

• #4

oldschoolbbq said:

Hello , Todd.  Dave (I feel) was right. I have a suggestion for you. Get a notebook(like for school) and start recording your cooks... Enter info. like ...Calibration [yes]or [no] , cooking temp., time of start to finish , weather conds. , the techniques you used in prepping and cooking the food...ect.

This will get you into a routine of recording for future cooks. IMHO , one of the most important steps is knowing your temps. are correct. I always have a Pocket Therm. (re-calibratable) to re-check my readings on my cooking therms. [I hope to get a Thermopen for Christmas ; I think I've been good?]

Have fun and... 

Click to expand...

A re-calibrated pocket thermometer is a very handy tool.... kind of "old school" I think.... With a "Thermopen" what will we call you ????

 

oldschoolbbq

Legendary Pitmaster

OTBS Member

Jul 16, 2008

9,359

205

NW Ohio - outside Toledo

• Nov 26, 2012

• #5

Open minded

 

toddzio

Newbie

Original poster

Thread starter

Aug 28, 2012

16

10

Phoenix, AZ

• Nov 29, 2012

• #6

Thanks for the suggestion, I will start recording my cooks, which I have never done before. I assume you use these thermopens to monitor the temperature of the food, what is the best way to monitor the temperature of the air surrounding the food?

I have done the turkey the same way for Thanksgiving and Christmas since about 2002, the only other time I had a problem was trying to grill/smoke the turkey in 30+ mph winds.

Oh well, you live you learn.