So, my mother in law was going to throw out a turkey that had been in her freezer for a while. She asked me if i wanted to smoke, which i gladly accepted. Im a novice, so i figured if it didnt turn out, no harm, no fowl. Hehe. I could use the practice, and i got the north-east cost blues. So i gave it a go, for the sake of the Q. She thawed it overnight, and started a brine with the basics with some onion and garlic. It sat in a brine overnight for 12 to 18 hrs. Once she brought it over, I put some sage, rosemary, thyme, and a few orange quarters in the cavity. I also gave it a rub-down with some butter under the skin and a a mix of dry rub ingredients all around.
I started my fire with some basic kingsford, waiting for my smoker to come to temp. This is where it got tricky. Had i known it was going to be windy today, i would have declined doing this all together. But for the sake of experience and the drive to learn, i perservered. I read on here about the 4-140 rule and made sure i kept my eye on it.
Once i was ready to put the bird on, i got some of the cherry wood we had cut down and split from the Poconos. It had cured for 6-9 mo. so i felt it was ready. And it was.
I had a hard time keeping temp... 275 to 300 for such a big bird. My issues, i beleive, were tuning plate misplacement and wind. Its a balmy 45 here, and the wind is not helping.
Eventually, i surpassed the 140 in 4 and was happy. It was clean sailin'! I didnt get pics of the prep, but i took a few mid-smoke. I had to spread apart my tuning plates to get a higher temp., and am now just waiting for the 165 mark.
Pics to come. Im not expecting a masterpiece, but the Q called to me and I must abide.
I started my fire with some basic kingsford, waiting for my smoker to come to temp. This is where it got tricky. Had i known it was going to be windy today, i would have declined doing this all together. But for the sake of experience and the drive to learn, i perservered. I read on here about the 4-140 rule and made sure i kept my eye on it.
Once i was ready to put the bird on, i got some of the cherry wood we had cut down and split from the Poconos. It had cured for 6-9 mo. so i felt it was ready. And it was.
I had a hard time keeping temp... 275 to 300 for such a big bird. My issues, i beleive, were tuning plate misplacement and wind. Its a balmy 45 here, and the wind is not helping.
Eventually, i surpassed the 140 in 4 and was happy. It was clean sailin'! I didnt get pics of the prep, but i took a few mid-smoke. I had to spread apart my tuning plates to get a higher temp., and am now just waiting for the 165 mark.
Pics to come. Im not expecting a masterpiece, but the Q called to me and I must abide.