Christmas Turkey

[august west]

 Hey all-

 I'd like some help from those in the know. I've read various threads concerning thawing, brining and smoking my bird. I've got a 12 lbs'er thawing in the fridge right now, it's still got a ways to go. I'm thinking of finishing the thaw in cold water then brining tomorrow. Questions, how long can I safely brine in the fridge. What temp do I want the smoker and how long should I plan on smoking it. Any other tips would be great as well and thank you in advance.

 Also- any thoughts on dry rubs or post brine preparations?

 

[yardbird]

Did you want to cook it Chrismas Day or cook it ahead? How long have they been thawing in the fridge?

If it's thawed enough for you to get the giblet package out of the neck cavity and to get the neck out of the body cavity (that's usually how they're packed, but sometimes other way around) then even if there's still a little ice, it's still thawed enough to brine. It should feel frozen on the outside any more, but a little ice on the inside will be ok if the joints are flexible and the surface is soft.

I usually brine mine over night, but you can brine much longer as long as you keep the brine temp at 38 or below. Personally I wouldn't brine longer than 2 days, and generally prefer to brine roughly an hour per pound.

BE CAREFUL not to get the brine temp below 32. If you add a lot of ice, the brine temp can go below 32 because the salt content makes the freeze point lower. You would essentially be refreezing your bird. :)

I run my smoker probably hotter than some here when doing poultry, but I'm having such great results, it's kinda hard to argue with success. I start as high as 400 for the first 45 minutes to an hour and then turn it down to about 350. At those temps I'm getting done at about 18 to 20 minutes per pound. Sometimes much faster. Keep in mind that 2 birds exactly the same size can get done at different times so time estimates are just that... estimates. My Thanksgiving turkey got done almost 2 hours ealier than expected! I thought that was reallt strange until I got on here and found a LOT of people experiencing early finishers.

I take a stick of butter and let it get soft. Mix in a teaspoon of granulated garlic, a teaspoon of minced onion, teaspoon of sage and a little pepper. Mix that into the butter. Then stick your hands under the turkey's skin to separate it from the meat and rub that garlic butter under the skin. Save just a little if you want for outside, but I usualy rub the outside with olive oil, and dust it with sage and a little coarse black pepper.

Aromatics go into the body cavity. An apple, an onion, and orange.... cut roughly into quarters. Some sprigs of fresh thyme from the garden if I can get 'em.

That's it. Keep it simple. Cook to TEMPERATURE, not TIME. I look for 165 in the breast and 175 in the thigh. I love dark meat and want that thigh done so I'll overcook the breast a little to get the thigh done if I have to. I still haven't dried out the breast by making sure the thigh is done.

Oh, and NO WATER in the water pan. :) You can put sand in it and wrap it with foil if you want. I just leave it out for this.

 

[august west]

 Thanks for the reply. I'm going to get it going Xmas morning either pre-gifts or post. Have a 5 & 2 y.o. so they'll be unstoppable. I'm planning on letting it thaw until tommorow mid-day, it's been in the fridge for at least 48 hours but still pretty frozen. I'll brine it overnight and toss it on in the morning.

 We have some fresh herbs and were going to make a butter/garlic/herb mixture and already have some oranges, apples and onions as you mentioned. :)

 Is the 4/140 theory getting the internal temp to 140 degrees in 4 hours?

 Thanks for the cooking temp info as well, that's what I was looking for. Anything else?

 Again, I greatly appreciate the info and hope you all have great holidays as well!!

Also, I'm planning on using apple wood but have other options, thoughts?

 

[august west]

Additionally- love this forum! I generally just lurk or look up the info I need but it is a terrific source of information and drool worthy ideas as well... thank you!

 

[yardbird]

yes you want to be through that 40-to-140 degree range before 4 hours are up.

Oh... here's another tip... if you calculate your estimated cook time ... 12 pounds times 19 minutes per pound (using my own cook times... this depends on the temp you are cooking at) equals 3.8 hours so say 4 hours. Now add an hour. That gives you a little over an hour of rest and/or holy-crap-this-thing-ain't-finishing time. If it finishes EARLY, you can always wrap it in foil, then in towels, and drop it in a cooler to wait until you're ready to carve. Foiled, wrapped and stuck in a cooler it can EASILY hold for 2 hours and still be too hot to comfortably handle when you take it out. I once held 30 poinds of chicken leg quarters for 4 hours doing this and they stayed above 140 degrees with no problem.

So look at cooking charts for turkey. There are several out there that say, "If you cook at THIS temperature, it will be THIS many minutes per pound..." and give several cooking temps so you can see where you're at.

 

[august west]

 I forgot the "cooler" tip, thanks. We are staying home so it's just my wife and kids... no rush and can eat at any time but that's a great thought. At 4-5 hours though I should have plenty of time. Again, thanks!

 Sanborn, NY eh? I grew up in Lockport and have family on the lake over in Burt. How's the weather?

 

[yardbird]

 I forgot the "cooler" tip, thanks. We are staying home so it's just my wife and kids... no rush and can eat at any time but that's a great thought. At 4-5 hours though I should have plenty of time. Again, thanks!

 Sanborn, NY eh? I grew up in Lockport and have family on the lake over in Burt. How's the weather?

Wasn't too bad today. Mid 30s. Some sun. At least the wind wasn't blowin' like yesterday. I fished Burt Dam many years ago. Haven't been there in quite a while.

 

[hooversxs]

Great post guys! I'm a lurker also but thought I'd post since it's right down the line of what I'm doing for Christmas. My biggest concern is that I have a 24(!) pound bird I'm going to try out tomorrow. I did a 19#er for Thanks giving and it turned out pretty good. It was also an early finisher,180deg in the breast in 5 hours@250. The white meat was a bit dry but nothing the gravy didn't fix! This bird is big and will be a squeeze in my smaller masterbuilt electric smoker but going to give it a shot! Love the cooler idea as I'm starting nice and early just to make sure. Also throwing the idea around about stuffing the cavity with a pineapple for flavor and moisture. My wife is making a big Italian meal as well in case this all goes awry. I'm really doing this for the practice and hopefully leftovers for camping next week!
Hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas!

 

[sprky]

Great post guys! I'm a lurker also but thought I'd post since it's right down the line of what I'm doing for Christmas. My biggest concern is that I have a 24(!) pound bird I'm going to try out tomorrow. I did a 19#er for Thanks giving and it turned out pretty good. It was also an early finisher,180deg in the breast in 5 hours@250. The white meat was a bit dry but nothing the gravy didn't fix! This bird is big and will be a squeeze in my smaller masterbuilt electric smoker but going to give it a shot! Love the cooler idea as I'm starting nice and early just to make sure. Also throwing the idea around about stuffing the cavity with a pineapple for flavor and moisture. My wife is making a big Italian meal as well in case this all goes awry. I'm really doing this for the practice and hopefully leftovers for camping next week!
Hope you all have a Very Merry Christmas!

I have done 24+# birds. Let me tell ya its darn hard to get them to 140 in under 4 hours. I started adding cure to my brine for that very reason. I normally smoke birds around 275. with a bid that size and I assume its not brine cured (IE cure added to brine) I would bump your temps up to 275-300, and watch it close. I have 2 15# birds in the smoker right now that are brine cured and with the wind and cold I am fighting getting to 250 and keeping it there. My kid put them on 3pm and 4pm we are only at 151 and 141. If it wasn't for the fact they are brine cured they would have been pulled and put in oven. 

 

[august west]

YB- I haven't fished Burt in years either. My brother (guides Green River, UT/ fish, private ranch, CO/elk) and my old man fish there regularly. Apparently it's blown up in popularity in recent years. My bro who fishes some amazing places says it's still one of his favs. I've done alot of fishing in the lower Niagara as well.

 HV- I miss the "big Italian meals" I used to eat in WNY that my friends Mama's would make... those folks can cook!!

 

[august west]

 Just wanted to say thanks! The turkey came out great and I once again appreciate all the info I get here! Sitting eating a turkey/ bacon sandwich w/ some delicious cheese my wife brought home, drinking a Ranger IPA and enjoying the leftovers!! Thanks again...