Smoked Turkey... a BDS Tribute.

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foamheart

Gone but not forgotten. RIP
Original poster
OTBS Member
Start to finish, wanted to do this and see how the high temp setting worked on the Smoker.

Normally I would crank it high for about 45 mins then drop to about 220-230. Thought I would give it a run full tilt boogey to see why I had not always done it this way to develop a crisper skin.


I passed on brining, did inject it though. Butter,Salt, Onion, Garlic, Tabasco, and Lea & Perrins. My injection method of choice, a cattle needle.


Note, with a small needle you see no runs from pooling nor leaks of the injected juices.


Smoker I used, MES 30 I have no idea which generation, but I like it. It does what you tell it to and that's a good thing.


Note the vent, I have been getting lazy since I have Todd's smoke generator, thought I would go old style since there seems so much discussion about it these days. Its all about what you like, there is always more than one way to skin a cat. Both offer excellent results.


2 1/2 hours into the smoke at a smoker temp set at 275 and an IT of about 130.


While the smoker was smoking, I was busy in the kitchen doing other things, corn bread and biscuits had to be made for the dressing, giblets cooked for the gravy, fruit cut up for the salad. AND I bottled 1 gallon of plum wine, 2 qts of white peach, 1 qt of cling peach, and 1 qt. of nectarine liqueur. They should be ripe about Thanksgiving / Christmas, although like ol'Si on Duck Dynasty, I do like sweet tea, and that peach is mighty tastee in my tea!


Beautiful mahogany colored bird using peach chips. It was done in 4 and 1/2 hours which seemed fast then I remembered the increased smoker temperature.


He was so pretty decided to give ya another shot, BTW I pulled at 164, highest it achieved while resting was 169.


This was one of Mom's turkey platter's I have, the turkeys I remember as a kid would fill that sucker up. This one didn't even cover the turkey. BTW the bird looks dark but its the lighting there in the corner.


I am from the south, I know that giblet gravy is not an American standard, but at my house it is. Cornbread dressing with giblet gravy (sage in that dressing too....OMG!) I will eat again tomorrow or the next day....LOL Maybe Turkey Tetrazinii, turkey gumbo, turkey with sweet potato chowder, etc etc....

As to the experiment, more research will be required..LOL, well did you expect less? But I did notice the turkey was a bit tuffer this time using 275 vice 230, Other than that, didn't seem much difference, the turkey was extremely juicy and flavorful, the smoke was different, don't remember using peach before though.

No aux. smoke generator this time. Didn't need it. I do think I will slide back to 220 to 230 on the next one.

Thank you for looking in on Da'Bird.

Think its time for drink, Tia Maria + Irish Cream + Spiced Rum (GWAD I lub homemade!)
 
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Great, can't wait till I get a MES 40 , Trish promised me one to keep me out of the Winter Cold...
wife.gif
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Was it Crispier
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Originally Posted by oldschoolbbq  

Was it Crispier
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Matter a fact it was the crispiest skin I ever cooked. Even Mom's wasn't that crispy. Since Mom is not here anymore I can be safe saying, Don't ever remember her cooking a turkey that didn't need to be covered in gravy, I should have thought of BBQ sauce.....LOL

I have always had rubbery skin because I just accepted it as a trade off for the ease of electric smoking. But it was a bit tuff, of course it might just be a tuff old bird but Butterballs have always been safe, its why I spend the extra money.

Oh BTW it wouldn't have been crisper, had I not opened the vent from 145 to 164 IT. I am also trying a bit of checking of smoke absorption. That magic number of 140 degrees. If that's true and I have no reason to doubt it, then after 140, all's fair to pursue other avenues of enhancement.
 
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Bride makes offal gravy every Thanksgiving...    It's goooooood.....    Dave
I was in college before I realized not everyone ate giblet gravy. Was invited home with a sweet young thang and her family had mashed potatoes and gravy. I later came home and Mom had saved me some dressing and giblet gravy thankfully. But we were, are country and fried livers and gizzards was a special meal. LOL....
 
The turkey. But all looks good. I have a mes and can't get turkey or chicken look like that
 
Not a great smoker, I am here trying to be better like everyone else. You're just trying to suck me into that black hole called sausage!
Let me say some words, Tasso, Andouille, Boudin Blanc, Boudin Noir. You are being called.

Disco
 
Let me say some words, Tasso, Andouille, Boudin Blanc, Boudin Noir. You are being called.

Disco
I have actually made sausage before, it was not too good, I did it like everything else, I just jumped right in feet first. One out of four batches the dog didn't turn his nose up at.

I had a horizonal press and a fair grinder, Pop let someone borrow 'em to make venison sausage I am sure and they didn't come home. Everything in this part of the country seems to be thought of communal, especially when its in my garage. LOL

Boudin doesn't need a press, I have made it by hand, I have also made it with just a tube on the big hand grinder. But yes it would be easier with a press. But I can never find fresh pork liver anymore anyway.

But I would love to learn to make those veal brats like you get in the boheminian area of Texas. Kielbassa I love, and what about pepperoni, AND I love Thuringer (I had to look up how to spell it)!!! A pure bred Oklahoma Indian's wife completely blew me away with these little sanwichs she said they ate like 5 times a day back in the motherland....

LOL Maybe tomorrow I'll go look one more time in the garage cabinets.
 
I have actually made sausage before, it was not too good, I did it like everything else, I just jumped right in feet first. One out of four batches the dog didn't turn his nose up at.

I had a horizonal press and a fair grinder, Pop let someone borrow 'em to make venison sausage I am sure and they didn't come home. Everything in this part of the country seems to be thought of communal, especially when its in my garage. LOL

Boudin doesn't need a press, I have made it by hand, I have also made it with just a tube on the big hand grinder. But yes it would be easier with a press. But I can never find fresh pork liver anymore anyway.

But I would love to learn to make those veal brats like you get in the boheminian area of Texas. Kielbassa I love, and what about pepperoni, AND I love Thuringer (I had to look up how to spell it)!!! A pure bred Oklahoma Indian's wife completely blew me away with these little sanwichs she said they ate like 5 times a day back in the motherland....

LOL Maybe tomorrow I'll go look one more time in the garage cabinets.
I knew you were going to become a sausage grinder!

Disco
 
The turkey. But all looks good. I have a mes and can't get turkey or chicken look like that
Remember that sight is not the most important sense to please when eating, Although sight and smell help. Mom always said I cooked the worst looking cakes she ever saw, but they were always the best tasting.

*****SPOILER ALERT*****

Have you got your notebook out for notes and secrets? Its an old family tradition to rub down the bird with "Kitchen Bouquet" saucing liquid before cooking. Try it and see if ya don't see a little difference. You can't taste it, but it usually makes it pretty. Its kinda like women's make-up for a bird.

Now don't tell everyone.
 
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Wow, Thanksgiving in August! That's one happy lookin bird there! The rest of the meal and libations (peach in sweet tea would be wonderful) looks great too. I'm not a cornbread stuffing fan, but I do use gizzards, neck and liver for the gravy (don't tell Rock though - he don't eat no liver). We just had fried chicken livers, hearts and gizzards for dinner a few nights ago. 
 
I do love cornbread dressing and giblet gravy, so I say why just once a year, is there anything else you hold to such high standards? AND its cheap!

Besides if I cook one now it will remind me not to be all experimenting trying to make it better later. When it works that good why try and improve upon it.

Thats why I cook it, it's a reality wake up call. Yesterday I got all crazy and put rose mary and thyme in the dressing..... yuck!  I took the dripping and added 'em to my gravy, Ewwww........ I stuffed the bird with sliced plums...LOL It was all I had. It was different. Earlier in the year I did a chicken with apricots and it was totally unbelievably great. I was surprized so I tryed another fruit. LOL But thats what its for, to get all that experimenting out of my system. 

It's all BDS's fault, he was just making 'em look too good.
 
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