Questions for smoking a turkey...

[smokinfam]

I smoked a 12 lb turkey today in my GOSM and the turkey turned out a bit dry. Here is the procedure I used:
I filled the cavity of the turkey with a stick of butter, one onion, an apple and 24 ounces of coke. I placed the turkey breast side up in a roasting pan and covered with foil. I then placed the aluminum pan into the smoker. I pulled the turkey out 10 hours later at 180F. The meat was pretty good, but not as moist as I expected. I found a smoked turkey recipe that Jeff posted on this website that I would like to try, but Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve got a few questions about it:

1. Do you place the turkey in a roasting pan? Or is it placed directly on the metal rack in the smoker?
2. The recipe mentions turning the turkey. How often?
2. Should I cover the turkey loosely with foil?
3. I am not sure what rack I should put the turkey on, any suggestions?
4. Should I inject liquid into the turkey? I have done this in the past with chicken and it worked well.
5. Any suggestions for what spices to put into the brine solution besides salt?


Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

 

[cajun_1]

I did one today also. Did you brine yours?
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/for...threadid=10031

 

[smokinfam]

No, I did not brine.

 

[pigcicles]

I agree with cajun_1. Brining the turkey make a big difference in how moist the outcome is.

1) I usually use a shallow pan under the bird, but you don't have to.
2) If you turn the bird, somewhere in the last half. I don't turn.
3) If you foil the bird, it just as well be in the oven. I don't foil the bird. If the leg tips give some problems foil them.
4) Some people like the flavoring that injecting gives. Try it once to see if you like it.
5) There are many brine recipes for poultry. Try searching this site and maybe a search engine. Sage, allspice, black pepper, sugars, maybe some ginger... the list goes on.

Keep Smokin

 

[ron50]

I always brine my birds, it creates unbelievably moist meat.

Poultry is considered "done" at an internal temp of 165 degrees in the thickest part of the bird.

 

[cajun_1]

Are you sure that temp includes turkey ? Everything I've read says 175* breast.

 

[salmonclubber]

cajun

last year they changed the temp of turkey to 165 it was posted on here someplace but a turkey is done at 165

smokinfam

i brine my turkey using hi mtn poultry brine it is a awesome brine for turkey i always inject some of the brine into the breast and thighs and legs they always come out juicy and nice everybody really likes them

huey

 

[ba_loko]

quote: "I smoked a 12 lb turkey today in my GOSM and the turkey turned out a bit dry. Here is the procedure I used:
I filled the cavity of the turkey with a stick of butter, one onion, an apple and 24 ounces of coke"

Hey, smokinfam. Did you remember to open the coke cans before you put them in there?

 

[deejaydebi]

Brining makes a bg difference! I brine and inject with brine and my favorite spices.

 

[mavadakin]

heres a thought same thing i do with chicken..save your brin and bast the turkey every 30 mins... dont know what people think here but as a rule all poultry isnt done till it reaches 180 degrees..most will reach that temp if removed at 165 to 170 .. but dont serve uncooked poultry .. as for additions for the brin .. hey the skys the limit..apple juice orange juice crandberry juice beer pop wine ah hope ya see it all depends on your prefrence

 

[richtee]

Classic brining spices include rosemary, savory, allspice and onion. Look around, google "poultry seasoning"

 

[ron50]

Hey Mike:

USDA guidlines now consider poultry "done" at 165 degrees. They also recommend discarding the brine and not use it for basting as you are reintroducing raw juices to the bird.

 

[scotty's bbq]

Brining is the answer. When I first started smoking chickens I did not brine & they turned out "OK". Then I decided to try brining because of the info on this & a few other sites...WOW what a difference!! I will never smoke a bird without brining it...it's that good & makes that much difference. Always very moist & juicy!!

 

[mavadakin]

ron 50 yes i know about 165 degrees..and im not trying to creat a dis agreement here.. but what the usda says and good taste differs.. i have worked at 7 diffrent resturants..all having inspections.. yes usda requires a 165 temp ..but if you say roast a chicken in your oven and remove it at 165 your going to find raw meat at the bone.. any cookbook will tell you 180 at a near the bone..i have a degree in cullenary arts and the brin can be uses to bast as long as its put on a warm bird.. and the temp of the smoker or oven is at 165 or above killing all bacteria.. i dont question your imput but i question what you have read about the usda.. please inform me about any changes im not awear of

 

[smokinfam]

So, do I place the turkey directly on the racks or in some sort of roasting pan to allow the turkey to marinate in the juices? I think most of my other questions have been answered already.
thanks!
Tim (smokinfam)

 

[ruggersal]

I am a newbie and looking to smoke my first turkey soon, Are yoiu supposed to place the turkey breast side down first, and by turning do you mean go from breast down to breast side up every hour?

 

[mavadakin]

Yes Put It In A Fairly Shallow Roasting Pan.i Usualy Get The Cheapo Alum Kind Ya See At The Stores..add Some Of Your Brim To The Pan To Use As A Baste. Smoke It Hard For At Least 2 Hours.. Meaning Heavy Amounts Of Smoke.. Then Put A Tent Over It But Still Allow For Smoke To Enter. Please Do Not Remove Untill Its Reached A Temp Of 170 Or Above .. And Im Talking The Breast Meat Put The Meat Thermo Next To The Bone As Deep Into The Breast As You Can..remember To Baste Ever 1/2 Hour. Smoke On Mike

 

[ron50]

"A whole turkey is safe when cooked to a minimum internal temperature of 165 °F as measured with a food thermometer. Check the internal temperature in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast. For reasons of personal preference, consumers may choose to cook turkey to higher temperatures."

"Don't use marinade from raw poultry as a sauce unless it is boiled first to destroy bacteria."

"Remove poultry from brine. Discard brine after use."


This is from the USDA website located here http://www.fsis.usda.gov/Fact_Sheets...rkey/index.asp

 

[mavadakin]

omg dont give this typ of infor out 165 min temp ron come on talk to me usda will sell us raw meat befor it gives out proper cookin methods omg please chat now mike

 

[blackhawk19]

If you do a Google search on Turkey Temps they list 165°
http://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheets/hgic3560.htm

http://www.metrokc.gov/health/foodsfty/turkey.htm

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/turkey/techniques.html

Some sites also say 170° for breast and 180° for the thigh, so there's a lot of info out there to back up both sides of this, personally I brine(don't baste with the brine) and bring the breast to 170°