Smoking Turkey in the BGE

[jcardella]

I'm going to smoke a turkey in a BGE this weekend and wanted to know roughly how long it should take. the turkey is 18.5 pounds and @ 350 should take about 4.5 hours. that's 14-15 minutes per pound. any tips would be very helpful. and of course I'm brining he bird first. thanks in advance for any help/tips out there.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

jcardella, welcome to the SMF , glad to have you here and hope you enjoy our little piece of the "Net".

First , please stop by the Roll Call and properly introduce yourself to the rest of the bunch.

Now to the Turkey. We cook to an internal temperature , there are rules of thumb to get close to the finish time,  however they are just that...rules of thumb.

Cook your Bird to 165° to 170° in the thickest part of the Breast  , with brineing , you will have a nice , juicy Turkey. Also make sure the juice in the Thighs runs clear when cut and the joints aren't reddish.With a 'brined' Bird , 170° is better.

If you don't already have a good thermometer(probe type) , it would be a good idea. Tracking your temps. through the cook helps in assuring a well cooked Bird.

You can get a decent Probe Therm. at either Wally World , Lowe's , HD , Bed Bath and Beyond, or Target. If you haven't used one , you'll be amazed at the ease of use, just don't touch any bones.Make sure your new therm. is reading correctly by calibrating it in boiling water(212° @ sea level , or the cold test- @ 32°).As a note:we highly recommend using the probe ; it gives a real time look at the temps.

Cooking at 350° seems a little high IMHO, most of us do them at 275° to 300° , but a fast cook is good as long as you get the "done" temps. in the deep meat -Thighs and Breast .

Be sure to re-wash the Turkey after brineing and pat it dry , then add your rub and (as I like to do,take some Butter mixed with some of my rub , and rub it all under the skin to "help" crisp it some) and get a bunch of flavor to the white meat.

I hope this helps in your cooking adventure. Be safe and happy , if you have more questions, feel free to ask , we take pride in helping our members.

Have fun and smoke happy

.

Stan    aka    oldschoolbbq

 

[gofish]

J, you'll love a brined bird cooked on the BGE.  

That's some good advise above.

Some of my thoughts to add in:  When you load your lump into the bottom, sprinkle wood chips or chunks through out the lump.  Imagine a perfect spiral of chips down through lump ... as the lump burns downs there will be some wood close by.

I think cooking a bird at 350* is perfect.  Turkey is lean, and the brine will keep it perfectly moist.  Slow cooked birds tend to have a rubbery skin, the high temp will give you a much better roasted crisp look and taste to the skin.

depending on the taste your going for ... you could use a orange/lemon half, garlic and/or onions in the cativity.  Just don't stuff too much in there.

Here's a few more questions that come to my mind:

How did you plan on positioning the bird?  (upright or flat in a roaster pan)  

Did you plan on using direct or indirect heat?  (plate setter, water pan, or straight flame beneath)

Have you used the egg much before?