My aunt gave me a 12lb turkey she's had in the freezer since last Thanksgiving. Figured it would make for a nice first turkey smoke! Gonna need some practice before I make one for the family, possibly for Easter.
Thawed the bird out in a bucket of water for 6+ hours, and then brined it overnight using most of Jeff's brine recipe off his website (all the ingredients that I had). Rinsed it, dried it, and rubbed some olive oil all over. Popped it in the smoker at noon EST. Apple wood chunks with some cherry chips to fill the gaps. Smoker is around 250°F, and turkey is at 50°F after the first half hour. My camera batteries are charging, so no pictures till later.
Read some differing opinions on cooking temps - some say 325° because turkey doesn't need the "low & slow" temps & others, including TulsaJeff, recommend 225°-250°. Gonna bring the smoker up to 275° and see how it goes. Practice makes perfect...
Thawed the bird out in a bucket of water for 6+ hours, and then brined it overnight using most of Jeff's brine recipe off his website (all the ingredients that I had). Rinsed it, dried it, and rubbed some olive oil all over. Popped it in the smoker at noon EST. Apple wood chunks with some cherry chips to fill the gaps. Smoker is around 250°F, and turkey is at 50°F after the first half hour. My camera batteries are charging, so no pictures till later.
Read some differing opinions on cooking temps - some say 325° because turkey doesn't need the "low & slow" temps & others, including TulsaJeff, recommend 225°-250°. Gonna bring the smoker up to 275° and see how it goes. Practice makes perfect...