First Turkey

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burgerbob

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Feb 18, 2016
109
120
Nebraska
This was a test run for Thanksgiving since I've been tasked with bringing the turkey for my Dad's side of the family.  I just wanted to make sure I had a good process before being trusted with the Thanksgiving Turkey.  My uncle's health has been in a bit of a decline this year and he is normally the person that cooks the turkey.  He would deep-fry the turkey every year and it's probably the best turkey I've ever had so I have some very big shoes to fill.  

Overall I think my turkey turned out fine.  All of the meat was very juicy, so juicy in fact that when I went to check the breast temperature at the end it was squirting out juices as I put in the thermometer (insert numerous adult jokes).  

The brine I used can be found here (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/my-favorite-turkey-brine).  It smelled amazing and had a good flavor to it.  After removing the innards of the turkey and cleaning off, I put it in the brine for 24 hours or so.  I removed from the brine and washed it to remove the excess salt then patted dry with paper towels.

The seasoning/rub I used was more of a southwestern style and I knew it after looking at the ingredients but the friend I got it from swears up and down by it.  It was a very good rub just not that Thanksgiving flavor we were looking for so I will need to change that before Thanksgiving.  I made sure to get the rub up underneath the skin and inside the cavity as well.  Then put some sage, thyme and rosemary inside the cavity.

This was a 10lb bird that I smoked for approximately 3.5-4 hours before it reached 165 degrees IT.  I used lump charcoal and a mixture of pecan and apple wood for the smoke.  Kept the smoker temp at about 250-275 degrees although due to me not paying attention it did drop down to about 200 for a little while (maybe 30-45 minutes).  

Seasoned



Seasoned and stuffed with herbs


On the smoker


Finished Side View


Finished Top View


Cut up and being served

 
Nice job on your first turkey.  My first came out black and VERY nasty tasting!  Great color on yours and it does look very juicy!

I always try and point for any first, so here they are!

points1.png
 
Nice looking Bird, great color, you sure that's your first ?    You will be a hit at Thanksgiving, nothing like a smoked Turkey  
points1.png


Gary
 
Thanks everyone for all the compliments.  I would be lying if I said that I wasn't worried about doing this turkey but I'm happy with the way it turned out.  The Thanksgiving Day turkey will have some different seasonings for sure but overall I was happy with the turnout.  Thanks again!
 
 
how did the skin turn out crispy ?? I have a hell of a time getting skin to crisp
It could have been crispier but it wasn't too bad.  For the Thanksgiving turkey I'm going to try and make sure the temp doesn't fall below 275. 
 
 
how was it compared to your uncle's fried turkey?
It was just as juicy as his, but the best thing about his is the skin because it has been deep fried.  Unfortunately I have to say that his turkey is better, not by much, but I do think it is better than mine.  Practice makes perfect though so I'll keep trying!
 
 
Bob - how was the skin rubber or somewhat crispy?
It was somewhat crispy, but on Thursday I'm planning on keeping the temp up around 275 since it did dip a little while I smoked this one.  I have 2 - 13# Turkeys to do for Thanksgiving on Thursday.  
This was the first turkey I ever smoked last year but not new to smoking it was a 23lb bird i enjected
James, that's a mighty fine looking bird.  Did you just do a 50/50 mixture of maple syrup and melted butter for the glaze?
 
I usually smoke a 12#-er at about 230 degrees.  Get about 4 hours of smoke on it.  For crisp skin, I let the IT get to 145, then move it to the grill at 350+ until the IT gets to 165.
 
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