First Turkey Breast... Need Advice

[mdsmith]

Well, I did my first pork shoulder the other week, and got all of the recipes and instruction from you guys, and it turned out GREAT !!! Thanks everyone. I'm doing a turkey breast and a rump roast for father's day in an cheap Brinkman that I just got, so I figured I'd come back to the pros for some more advice. I was going to slice them both down and have pit beef and turkey sandwiches. First, should I do both at the same time? If so, What wood is good for both meats? And for the turkey, what temp do I want to smoke at, and how much and long should I brine it? Thanks

 

[ron50]

A 6 or 7 lb turkey breast only needs an overnight brine, I've done them as little as 4 hours and it still added a lot of moisture to the meat.

I usually smoke turkey at 250 although some will say they like to do it higher at 325 - 350 for the crispy skin. I feel I get a juicier bird at the lower temps but that is just my experience. You can always throw it on a hot grill after it's done (165 internal) to crisp the skin up.

Wood is a matter of personal preference. Beef lends itself to stronger woods such as hickory or even mesquite if you like it, poultry lighter woods such as apple or cherry. If you have a vertical smoker make sure the poultry is on the lower rack for food safety reasons.

If you smoke them together which IMO you should, I'd go with a mix, maybe pecan and oak. I love hickory with everything, polutry included but for some it might be too much.

 

[pineywoods]

I agree with Ron smoke em both at the same time with smoker running about 250* over a mix of woods. Then put the turkey on the grill to crisp the skin. I might even inject some creole butter into both meats before smoking. I would rest the rubed roast and brined turkey overnight in the fridge. Always keep poultry on the lower racks if possible.

 

[mdsmith]

hanks for the response guys. Woul throwing some cherry in the mix work with the beef? Also, would you recommend chips or chunks, and on the coals or wrapped in foil? The reason I ask is that when I smoked on wy charcoal grill, the wood chunks kept burning, which I thought was a bad thing

 

[pineywoods]

Personally I think cherry works with beef its a matter of personal taste of course. As far as chips or chunks I'll let the coal smokers answer but if your worried about flare ups you can always foil the chips and poke some holes in the foil