Smoke your turkey and have crispy skin!

[schlotz]

There is an easier way to get an excellent smoked turkey with yummy crispy skin too! A number of years ago I decided to use the gas grill with a rotisserie and the A-MAZE-N tube smoker. Set the grill to 350º, use indirect heat, ie no flame under the bird with the tube in the same area. If tight on room, you might have to tent some foil over the tube to prevent drips from putting out the pellets. Results are a moist smoked bird with great skin. FYI as usual, look for an IT of 165º in breast and 175º-ish in the thighs.

The rotisserie by itself does an amazing job of keeping the bird moist. One step better is to first brine the bird for 4-6 hours (or overnight). This further enhances the moisture content.

Note: if using a rotisserie, Do NOT stuff the bird, not safe eats.....

 

[jjlnyc]

There is an easier way to get an excellent smoked turkey with yummy crispy skin too! A number of years ago I decided to use the gas grill with a rotisserie and the A-MAZE-N tube smoker. Set the grill to 350º, use indirect heat, ie no flame under the bird with the tube in the same area. If tight on room, you might have to tent some foil over the tube to prevent drips from putting out the pellets. Results are a moist smoked bird with great skin. FYI as usual, look for an IT of 165º in breast and 175º-ish in the thighs.

The rotisserie by itself does an amazing job of keeping the bird moist. One step better is to first brine the bird for 4-6 hours (or overnight). This further enhances the moisture content. Note: Do NOT stuff the bird.

intriguing. How big a bird and how long in the grill? (You must have a big grill to be able to have the bird there without any of the burners lit underneath it!)

 

[schlotz]

Bird is usually 10-12#. It's a 42" grill. Burners run front to back and I have the center ones turned off. There is a back horizontal burner but I only use it for a short stint. Trust up the bird so its tightly secured to the roto, you don't want wings and legs flopping around. DO NOT STUFF the bird, this is a food safety issue. I always get a bird with a pop out temp plug. Usually they get done somewhere in the 5-6 hour range. Each bird is different.

 

[Inscrutable]

Did you use a pan underneath for either adding humidity/moisture or catching drippings? Maybe that’s counterproductive if crisping skin is a priority.

 

[schlotz]

The roto process allows the bird to self baste which is why it turns out so moist/juicy. You can use a pan underneath to catch any additional drippings which will help keep the grill clean. One thing to be aware of is to make sure the rotating bird does not touch the pan. Really no need for water.

 

[TuckersBarbeque]

Roto is a great process. Unfortunately, my grill with the roto went kaput and it's more expensive to fix than to get a new one. It does a great chicken, but not large enough to do a 12# turkey! That must be a big grill with quite a lift on the roto!
I do question your use of a pop up timer... those things are notoriously off and you could have a very undercooked or overcooked bird. I left it in one year as a test, but used a reliable digital and it popped up when the breast was still 150 in some places. I would recommend you throw them away and monitor the temp from the 21rst century... safety man.

 

[schlotz]

Of course other measuring is done on the bird. I never leave it to just the cheap pop up's to determine proper doneness. They are treated as only a single data point. Thermapen is the 'real' temp measurement tool in this neck of the woods :D