1st time smoking a whole turkey

[Jon Meinert]

Hey everyone, looking to smoke my first whole turkey while at camp for the 4th of July. Thinking of using Myron Mixon’s method. Seems easy to do while at camp. Marinate in chicken broth, garlic, onions and brown sugar over night. Then rub and smoke at 250 till internal temp of 160. Has anyone used this method or have any other good recipes? Any suggestions on wood? I use mostly cherry and pecan mix or apple wood alone. Any suggestions would be great. Thanks

 

[SmokinAl]

How big is your turkey?
Cause I would spathccock it if it's a big one.
It will cook more evenly & I smoke mine in a pan so they stay real juicy.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoked-a-21-turkey-in-3-1-4-hours-on-the-lang.254111/
Maybe this thread will give you some ideas.
Al

 

[Jon Meinert]

It’s 14lbs. Also I plan on smoking in a pan for sure!

 

[mneeley490]

You could also turn up the heat a bit so the IT will reach 140° in less than 4 hours. You want to avoid bacterial growth. There is also no tough, connective tissue in poultry, so really not much benefit to going low & slow, other than more time in the smoke. Any of those woods would be good, but you want to avoid something heavier like mesquite or hickory.

 

[hardcookin]

I have smoked whole turkeys in my offset smoker in a pan.
I usually start them in the pan breast down, breast facing the firebox. Smoke them that way for 2 hours. Then I flip the bird to breast up for an hour. Cover the skin with tinfoil if the skin starts getting to dark.
I usually try and use 14-15lb turkeys smoke them @ 300...pull @ 165.

But as Al said spatchcock is probably the easiest way to do them.

Here is a link of last Thanksgiving smoke I did.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/got-after-it-this-morning.270180/#post-1771458

 

[noboundaries]

I do 6-8 turkeys a year. Did one two weeks ago. I was being lazy and just wanted it done. It was an all natural, 16.3 lb turkey. Some all nats are great, some not so good. I paid 39 cents a pound after Christmas so I wasn't expecting much.

Thawed it in the vacuum seal packaging in cold water in a cooler for 24 hours (no change of water). Water temp was still 36F when I took it out. Cavity still had some ice crystals. No brine, no spatch, no beer car or turkey cannon. Just took out the innards bag, dried the skin with a paper towel, sprayed with oil, salted the cavity, and used a commercial rub one of my daughters gave me.

Put the breast up, away from the heat, smoked over Sonora Mesquite lump (not recommended) with cherry wood at 335F. Took it off when coldest part (thigh) was 162F. Total time in smoker was 3hr 15 minutes. I rested it under foil and towels for more than an hour.

I actually planned on using it for soup and sandwiches, but it was juicy and flavorful! We ate it all over several days.

 

[yankee2bbq]

Great reply. I haven’t done a turkey yet on my smoker (WSM 22). However, with your advice/experience I will be adding this to my wish list.

 

[gmc2003]

Here's a 15lber I smoked not to long ago on my WSM. It turned out pretty good.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/1st-try-at-a-smoked-turkey.274867/


Chris

 

[Jon Meinert]

How big is your turkey?
Cause I would spathccock it if it's a big one.
It will cook more evenly & I smoke mine in a pan so they stay real juicy.
https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/smoked-a-21-turkey-in-3-1-4-hours-on-the-lang.254111/
Maybe this thread will give you some ideas.
Al

Thanks Al. I will definitely try that!!