Breast or Whole Turkey

[kettle man]

I just told my mom i would smoke turkey in my kettle for Thanksgiving. Do y'all recommend a couple breasts or a whole bird? I am so excited!

 

[thsmormonsmokes]

Personally, I'd go whole bird.  My first smoke ever was a whole bird, and it was a huge success.  I want the variety of both white and dark meat.  But that's just me.

 

[joelarbear]

I vote for whole bird.  Just remember to keep it small.  14 pounds or under.

 

[kettle man]

Will get a 12 to 14 lb bird. How long? 3-4 hours? Cook around 250?

 

[shoneyboy]

I haven't smoked a whole turkey, yet…..I just wanted to follow this post and see where it goes…..BTW, Good Luck with your first Turkey…..Take plenty of pictures…..ShoneyBoy  

 

[kettle man]

I will take plenty of pics and give a good description. Instead of bedtime syories tonight the kids watched turkey videos on youtube!

 

[driedstick]

very nice I'm with Shoneyboy neever did one would like to see how it turns out. Kids will be keeping you up tonight "dont kill the turkey dad do kill him LOL

Enjoy

 

[kryinggame]

I think it depends on your skill. It's easier to smoke just the breast and the breast is all good meat.  With the whole bird, the breast is done at 165 and the thigh is done at I believe 155 (I may be wrong about that one). Last year, I did 2 breasts and they were great.  This year, I'm going to do 1 breast in the MES and 1 in the WSM.  We'll see which is superior.  lol

 

[kettle man]

Great with chicken and butts.

 

[dad of four]

As others have said, it comes down to a personal preference.

My family only likes white meat, so a whole bird is a waste.

Many recipes call for some type of rub under the skin. (example Rub mixture & softened butter)

With a whole bird, the skin is more intact, so it is easier to to keep the rub&butter in place under the skin.

 

[grillfanatic]

I just tried a whole turkey yesterday (started a thread also) and I was very impressed with how it came out.  I agree most people are after just the white meat/breast- including myself before this one but wow the legs and wings were terrific!  I think I enjoyed those parts more than the breast due to the meat texture and flavor and would have never believed it without trying it.  Everyone will have their own opinions on this and again is up to you.  One thing I try to always do is a test or trial run of something I decide to shoot for just to see how it goes and how to improve on it.  The turkey I just did was sort of spur-of-the-moment so I did not brine it.  It was a 12lb bird and I did an combo rub with olive oil and a rib rub with extra kosher salt and ground black pepper.  I figured if I was going to oil/butter it and then throw a rub on why not just combine it in a bowl?  It worked very well and I was able to get it under the skin as well all in one shot since it was mixed.  If you have the room- maybe tackle both a breast and a whole turkey!  Good luck and hope whichever route you go it turns out well for you

 

[linguica]

Whole Bird.....dark meat is the best

 

[thsmormonsmokes]

I'd probably want to bring the dark meat to 165 just to be safe.  That's the FDA's recommendation.  You might be able to get away with 155, but I'm not sure.  This can be a subject of pretty intense controversy, so do your own research and figure out what you think is best.  My thinking is that the leg meat has a lot more fat in it, so it doesn't dry out quite as easily if you cook it to a higher temp, at least in my experience.  So what does it hurt to take it to a higher temp just to be safe?  I baked a turkey in the oven on Sunday and made the mistake of relying on that dumb white plastic "thermo" they come with.  I took the IT when it was done, and the breast came up to 180.  The breast was a little dry, but I just spooned a bunch of the drippings over it once it was cut and problem solved.  Anyway, my point is that taking the dark meat to 165 IT isn't going to leave you with lousy dark meat.

Last, I'm just a hack when it comes to food safety issues, so my tendency is to err on the side of caution.  So knowing that, give my opinion the weight you think it deserves.  I'm just one guy.

I've smoked mine hot.  300 and above.  So really I'm cooking it the same as I would in an oven, only in my smoker.  I figure if that works in the oven and produces tender turkey, there's no reason it won't in a smoker.  And that gives it plenty of time to absorb all the smoke it's going to absorb anyway.  Going low and slow might give you better results, but I don't really know.

If you've got an electric knife for slicing, use it.  Because the breast meat is pure white, you get a really cool looking smoke ring.  The cleaner your cuts are, the prettier the smoke ring will be.  Assuming you're not using an electric smoker, that is.