Just started my turkey

[pne123]

new thread to my questions here
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...ad.php?t=11307

So I did a injection from deejays website w/ some mods. Put in the smoker 15min's ago w/ cherry chips. I put of jeffs rub on one side for a test. I didn't put anything in the cavatity since I wanted a test run to get a taste for a foundation to build from.

My only question at this point is should I spritz it w/ apple juice or baste it w/ butter?


I did not do to much w/ it cuz I am lazy today. just spent a week in vegas. Not sure what i am going to do in between smoker checks since I am not feeling like drinking a lot of beer today after vegas.

 

[rip]

I would mop with butter, to me it makes the skin more crisp.

 

[pne123]

I guess i can never go wrong w/ butter. I am having trouble keeping the smoker above 325 today. It is cold for us, 50deg, and windy.

 

[mj-air23]

I just did some turkey parts yesterday, but we had a balmy 15 degrees above zero, with 5 inches of new snow dropped on us...I didn't think of it till the end, but I sprayed apple juice on mine....seem to keep it a little moister and it browned up nice. I don't think you can go wrong with butter either..Good Luck on your smoke! Don't forget the q-view...

 

[deejaydebi]

I use apple juice inside and out, slice some oranges if you have them and stick them inside then let it dry at the end and spray with EVOO and a last sprinkle of spices.

 

[pne123]

well just pulled the bird. I will post some picks after the girls are napping. I noticed that when I went to take it out that my temp finally raised past 320-330 up to almost 350. found out it was cuz i had a flareup. i had been watching it and was doing good till the end. I never really had flareups before that were not instantly put out so i hope it will not effect the flavor. It looks good.

 

[richtee]

Hmm what was the meat temp in the breast/thigh? Seems a quick smoke, but it can happen..

 

[pne123]

breast was 168 when i pulled it. it was a small bird and was not stuffed. 2.5 hrs in the smoker. the first post was not right after I put it in. I butchered the bird but have not sliced up the breast yet but all seems done

 

[deejaydebi]

Congrats on a good smoke - eatting is the rea test - let us know how it was.

 

[pne123]

Tastes pretty good. Not as smokey as i had thought but I did you cherry instead of my normal hickory. next time i might try just hickory. There is a lot of meat even on my small bird so next time i will not be so skimpy on the spice in my injection. got a good start. I have 11 more months to fine tune this before t-day.

 

[bbq bubba]

Looks DANG good there bro, nice job!!

 

[squeezy]

I have found also that with the higher cooking temps used on poultry (consequently shorter smoking time) it is hard to get a good smoke flavor. I like to use mesquite for first hour or so, then go to cherry or what have you.
Looks good enough to eat ...

 

[cowgirl]

Mmmm, That looks really good!! Way to go!

 

[deejaydebi]

Great turkey pne! Yeah fastsmokes don't get as smoky with lighter woods. Try a combination or a strong wood and a mild wood. The cherry gives you the great color but mild flavor.

 

[richtee]

Fine Job! I believe I'll pass on some POINTS!

 

[ron50]

Nice looking bird, good job!

 

[gramason]

Looks great, glad it turned out good.

 

[big-fokker]

That bird looks great indeed! Nice job