Hello all!
My name is Matthew, and I'm brand new to the forums. I am preparing for Thanksgiving, and wanted to start by getting some questions out of the way.
A quick note about me:
I smoke on a Weber E-320 gas grill. My general set up you can see in my profile picture. I generally use a combination of applewood, cherry, mesquite, and hickory, and tend to go more towards the first two woods with folks who aren't as used to smoking as others. However, I still mainly use applewood the most in my smoke mixtures. I do not soak and only use chunks. I place them under the grates, on the very back and very front of the grill. This allows me to use a single burner at a time, and increase the total time that smoke is being used. I use pans, with water in the bottom, to hold whatever meat I'm cooking, to allow for moisture to mingle with the smoke, for proper smoke infiltration into the meat. Finally, I do my best to keep the temp at 225 no matter what I'm cooking, and use a digital thermometer with a wireless remote.
(Feel free to let me know if subtle adjustments to the above would help, but I'm not switching to charcoal.)
So, my plan for Thanksgiving:
I'll be purchasing a 12-15 lb Bourbon Red heirloom turkey from Callister Farm, in West Concord, MN. I no longer mess with store bought anything, except my local cooperative. In the last year or so, I've been exclusively sourcing from local, sustainable farms, and you couldn't pay me to go back. Yes, it's more expensive, but the benefits are hands down enough to never make me go back to frankenmeats. First, the taste is always superior, and not even in the same universe. Second, the animals are treated humanely, live lives like they used to before corporations perverted our relationships with the land. Third, the animals are not injected with crap, leaving one to essentially never have to worry about getting horrifically sick from the meat. Fourth, I am keeping my money in my local community, providing a direct benefit to farmers who are trying to change the game away from unsustainable business and land practices.
Because I purchase through Crocus Hill, the bird comes completely ready and never frozen, and the pick-up day is on the 20th, two days before Thanksgiving, giving me more than ample time to brine and prep the turkey for the big day.
My question: I have been ever-increasing the amount of wood in my grill because, at this point, I have not gotten to the point where the smoke has ever overwhelmed the meat. However, I have also gotten to the point where the amount of wood I'm using is creating more extraneous heat than I want, and the wood catching fire can create situations that could easily cause huge problems if it weren't for my awesome thermometer that has an alarm on it in case the temp gets too high. The next smoking session that I will be doing, I will be using the middle burner, and put wood across there, so that I can dissipate the heat somewhat, while keeping the smoke level high. Is there a work-around for this?
It is important, because at 225°, I'm expecting at least 6 hours at minimum for smoking a 12-15 (and probably more like 8-9). However, I've never smoked a turkey before, and not exactly 100° on approximate times. Does anyone have any advice for me regarding this?
Thanks all for your time and consideration!
My name is Matthew, and I'm brand new to the forums. I am preparing for Thanksgiving, and wanted to start by getting some questions out of the way.
A quick note about me:
I smoke on a Weber E-320 gas grill. My general set up you can see in my profile picture. I generally use a combination of applewood, cherry, mesquite, and hickory, and tend to go more towards the first two woods with folks who aren't as used to smoking as others. However, I still mainly use applewood the most in my smoke mixtures. I do not soak and only use chunks. I place them under the grates, on the very back and very front of the grill. This allows me to use a single burner at a time, and increase the total time that smoke is being used. I use pans, with water in the bottom, to hold whatever meat I'm cooking, to allow for moisture to mingle with the smoke, for proper smoke infiltration into the meat. Finally, I do my best to keep the temp at 225 no matter what I'm cooking, and use a digital thermometer with a wireless remote.
(Feel free to let me know if subtle adjustments to the above would help, but I'm not switching to charcoal.)
So, my plan for Thanksgiving:
I'll be purchasing a 12-15 lb Bourbon Red heirloom turkey from Callister Farm, in West Concord, MN. I no longer mess with store bought anything, except my local cooperative. In the last year or so, I've been exclusively sourcing from local, sustainable farms, and you couldn't pay me to go back. Yes, it's more expensive, but the benefits are hands down enough to never make me go back to frankenmeats. First, the taste is always superior, and not even in the same universe. Second, the animals are treated humanely, live lives like they used to before corporations perverted our relationships with the land. Third, the animals are not injected with crap, leaving one to essentially never have to worry about getting horrifically sick from the meat. Fourth, I am keeping my money in my local community, providing a direct benefit to farmers who are trying to change the game away from unsustainable business and land practices.
Because I purchase through Crocus Hill, the bird comes completely ready and never frozen, and the pick-up day is on the 20th, two days before Thanksgiving, giving me more than ample time to brine and prep the turkey for the big day.
My question: I have been ever-increasing the amount of wood in my grill because, at this point, I have not gotten to the point where the smoke has ever overwhelmed the meat. However, I have also gotten to the point where the amount of wood I'm using is creating more extraneous heat than I want, and the wood catching fire can create situations that could easily cause huge problems if it weren't for my awesome thermometer that has an alarm on it in case the temp gets too high. The next smoking session that I will be doing, I will be using the middle burner, and put wood across there, so that I can dissipate the heat somewhat, while keeping the smoke level high. Is there a work-around for this?
It is important, because at 225°, I'm expecting at least 6 hours at minimum for smoking a 12-15 (and probably more like 8-9). However, I've never smoked a turkey before, and not exactly 100° on approximate times. Does anyone have any advice for me regarding this?
Thanks all for your time and consideration!
