Thanksgiving turkey smoker temp

[runninreb825]

Hello,
I am smoking a 20 pound turkey for Thanksgiving in my MES 40". I'm unsure what temperature I should smoke at? I was originally thinking 275, but the more threads and sites I check I see 225-240 is norm. What kind of timing should I expect at the lower temps vs. the higher temps? And at the lower temps with the bigger bird how hard will it be to reach the 4/140 mark. Thanks.

 

[SmokinAl]

I spatchcock the breast & remove the thighs. This way I can do a 21 lb. bird in a little over 3 hours at 275.

Hope this helps!
Al

 

[runninreb825]

Thanks Al! That helps. I thought about this but am not sure how difficult it is to spatchcock.

 

[SmokinAl]

It's real easy, you just cut the backbone out & clip the breast bone at the very front & it will lay open flat.
I'm sure there are a bunch of videos on YouTube showing how to do it.
Al

 

[smittybbq]

I was just going to do my turkey whole this year, but it seems that spatchcocking one is very popular. I know everyone says they cook more evenly, but I am also assuming they cook faster as well?