Before reading this, be sure to read my Roll Call intro: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/131859/my-ummm-short-intro#post_898673
I am no stranger to smoking. Since I got the smokin' fever I have said I could smoke anything. This year the wife did the Turkey on the Weber Kettle as usual, and, par for the course it turned out awesome. I don't think she has ever done, or knows how, to do a Turkey in an oven. Just in the Kettle with...forgive her...Kingsford charcoal. Now since I got the fever, I have tried to preach to her the importance of cooking by temp, not time. But she insists on x# of minutes per lb. And she can't understand why, when I am smoking, I can't set a time for dinner to be on the table. I keep tellin' her with BBQ it's done when its done. Shes not much of a cook-from-scratch person, bless her heart, but I am. Give her a pound of hamburger meat and a Cheesy potato hamburger helper and 45 minutes later its supper. Give me a pound of Angus ground rounds, a few red potatos, a block of cheese, a skillet, and a caserole dish and a couple hours later its supper.
Anyway, back to the Turkey. This year I thought I would show her the importance of cooking by temp, and she bit her tongue and agreed to let me stick a probe in the Thanksgiving Turkey when it was time to pull it off.
I'll be danged if she wasnt spot on with the temp using her time and x# of briquettes. Seeing as how we is having Turkey for Thanksgiving and Christmas, we agreed to let me smoke the Christmas Turkey. Actually I agreed, she bit her tongue again, bless her heart one more time. Ever since before Thanksgiving, when I had already made up my mind I was gonna smoke a Turkey before the year was up I been reading a little here, a little there and coming up with a game plan. (Game play, get it? I know, don't quit my day job.) Had a rub plan in mind, injection formuler thought up, plenty of Orange wood on site, just need to split it. Brother and sister drove all the way from Texas to spend Christmas with us. Did I tell you my brother has never been to California, and the three of us kids ain't spent Christmas together in at least 14 years?
The wife done good and followed my instructions and found a 15 lb bird. Fresh, never frozen kosher bird at that. So not planning on brineing. The day after Thanksgiving the wife started getting nervous about me smoking a Turkey. Today I started getting nervous. Started thinking "what if". So I came here and started reading. Again. Ya'll got my head twisted up like a hemp rope. (more on that in a bit) To brine or not to brine has been answered with the Kosher bird. Bacon or no bacon? Inject or not inject. Rub or not rub. 225-250 or 275 to 300? Then I see the weather forecast has changed. 60% chance of rain tonight, 30% tomorrow, supposed to be clear Christmas day, be we all know how that forecast goes. Along with Murphy's law. It has been wet with high humidity here lately anyway so i get the flashlight and gather up my wood. I got 2 wheelbarrow full in the garage, bullet heater is gonna dry it out for me tomorrow. have the EZ-UP ready in case it does rain on my smoker, still don't have a plan set in stone so I guess I am gonna just wing it. (I know, we already talked about keeping my day job)
All I know now is come hell or high water, we are gonna have the best dang Christmas dinner ever! And from the bottom of my Heart, I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. My you have safe travels, many new memories with your families, and an awesome meal together.
Remember at the start I said I could smoke anything? And about 3/4 way down I mentioned ya'll having my head twisted like a hemp rope? Well, I got to thinking about putting the 2 together....Stay tuned as I will be putting my first ever smoked Turkey Q-view in this thread.
I am no stranger to smoking. Since I got the smokin' fever I have said I could smoke anything. This year the wife did the Turkey on the Weber Kettle as usual, and, par for the course it turned out awesome. I don't think she has ever done, or knows how, to do a Turkey in an oven. Just in the Kettle with...forgive her...Kingsford charcoal. Now since I got the fever, I have tried to preach to her the importance of cooking by temp, not time. But she insists on x# of minutes per lb. And she can't understand why, when I am smoking, I can't set a time for dinner to be on the table. I keep tellin' her with BBQ it's done when its done. Shes not much of a cook-from-scratch person, bless her heart, but I am. Give her a pound of hamburger meat and a Cheesy potato hamburger helper and 45 minutes later its supper. Give me a pound of Angus ground rounds, a few red potatos, a block of cheese, a skillet, and a caserole dish and a couple hours later its supper.
Anyway, back to the Turkey. This year I thought I would show her the importance of cooking by temp, and she bit her tongue and agreed to let me stick a probe in the Thanksgiving Turkey when it was time to pull it off.
The wife done good and followed my instructions and found a 15 lb bird. Fresh, never frozen kosher bird at that. So not planning on brineing. The day after Thanksgiving the wife started getting nervous about me smoking a Turkey. Today I started getting nervous. Started thinking "what if". So I came here and started reading. Again. Ya'll got my head twisted up like a hemp rope. (more on that in a bit) To brine or not to brine has been answered with the Kosher bird. Bacon or no bacon? Inject or not inject. Rub or not rub. 225-250 or 275 to 300? Then I see the weather forecast has changed. 60% chance of rain tonight, 30% tomorrow, supposed to be clear Christmas day, be we all know how that forecast goes. Along with Murphy's law. It has been wet with high humidity here lately anyway so i get the flashlight and gather up my wood. I got 2 wheelbarrow full in the garage, bullet heater is gonna dry it out for me tomorrow. have the EZ-UP ready in case it does rain on my smoker, still don't have a plan set in stone so I guess I am gonna just wing it. (I know, we already talked about keeping my day job)
All I know now is come hell or high water, we are gonna have the best dang Christmas dinner ever! And from the bottom of my Heart, I wish each and every one of you a very Merry Christmas. My you have safe travels, many new memories with your families, and an awesome meal together.
Remember at the start I said I could smoke anything? And about 3/4 way down I mentioned ya'll having my head twisted like a hemp rope? Well, I got to thinking about putting the 2 together....Stay tuned as I will be putting my first ever smoked Turkey Q-view in this thread.
