Big Bird ( turkey )

[kennymn]

Hi all , I m a rookie to this site I have a GOSM for a smoker and I'm fairly new at smoking . I have 3 - 18 to 20 lbs turkeys in my freezer and I would like to know if I could saw one in half and make two halfs or make one whole . Have read about the safe zone and the best birds are between 12 and 15 lbs . Would like your advise !

 

[jlloyd99]

Welcome Kenny. I'm glad you found such a great site. I've never done turkeys before but I don't see a problem with what your talking about. A key point to remeber though is that it is not advisable to thaw and then refreeze meat. So if you do end up doing just half a turkey I would suggest sawing it in half while it is still frozen so you can keep the other half for next time you get a craving for turkey. This is just my two cents and I'm sure that all the others will chime in with their advice and expericne. Again, welcome and let us know how those turkeys turn out.

 

[salmonclubber]

hello ken

i would cut them big ole turkeys in half and smoke as i normaly would just lay half of turkey in the smoker with the bone side down i like to brine and inject my turkeys before i smoke them they turn out great talk at ya later
salmonclubber

 

[scott in kc]

Kenny, I think it would be easier to just cook the turkey whole, then freeze half of it cooked.

 

[Dutch]

Welcome Kenny-Which GOSM do you have? I know the GOSM Widebody is large enough to handle a whole bird (you will need to remove some shelfs to get it to fit. Before thawing the bird out, place it in your smoker and see if it will fit and go from there. As salmonclubber mentioned, brining your bird will enhance the flavor. If you have the narrow GOSM you may have to cut the bird into quarters.

A simple brine is 1 cup sugar, 1 cup salt and what other spice you want to add to one gallon of water. Most turkeys that I have brined takes two gallons of water to cover completly. If I have a turkey that's been injected with a "flavor enhancer" (salt) then I reduce the salt in my brine by half.

When you have the change, pop into "Roll Call" and introduce yourself to the rest of the Forum Members.

 

[bob-bqn]

Howdy Kenny!

I have a couple of GOSM smokers and have cooked several turkeys in them. I've smoked the 12 & under along with the 12+ pounders.

It is recommended to stick to 12 & under if you're going to smoke them low-n-slow around 225-250*.

If you want to smoke the bigger birds, it's perfectly alright & safe to do but best cooked at higher temperatures like you would in the oven. I smoke the big birds around 325-350*. This allows them to cook to a safe temperature within the allotted time.

Be sure to properly thaw the birds before cooking them.

 

[kennymn]

thank you fellow smokers for your infor on big bird, now all that I need to do is wait for the snow to melt then I can roll out my GOSM widebody!

 

[salmonclubber]

kenny

let er snow the big bird and the wide body sound like just what you need to warm yourself up i use the gosm 36 inch smoker it does great in all types of weather shouldnt let a little snow stop ya from some good eatin go out and have some fun talk at ya later
salmonclubber