Next weekend my wife and I are hosting a "Friendsgiving" for a bunch of our friends. Last year I attempted to smoke a turkey for the first time. I wasn't able to get the temp in my smoker (a cheap vertical propane smoker from Lowes) high enough, so I ended up smoking it for a few hours and then finishing it in the oven. I don't remember exactly, but I think I got the internal temp up around 140 and then transferred it to the oven. The result was good (but not great), and people enjoyed the turkey.
Fast forward to this year. My original plan was to replace my smoker with a WSM. But, those plans were put on hold when we decided to build a new house. So, I am still stuck with the same old smoker. My plan was to buy a Charbroil Big Easy and just cook the turkey in there. But, here is the rub (get it?... rub) I found out yesterday that I have to work 10-3 on the day we're hosting the event. This is smack dab in the middle of prime cooking time as the guests will be arriving around 6-6:30. My wife does not handle raw poultry, which adds another little layer of complexity.
This is where you guys and gals come in. I need to figure out a plan that will allow me to start the bird before I go to work and finish it when I get home. One thought that I had was to start the turkey on the smoker before I leave for work (so, probably around 9:15) and smoke it at as high a temp as I can manage on my smoker, which is usually somewhere between 225 and 250. Then, when I get home from work (around 3:30) i would transfer the bird to the Big Easy and finish it off in there. At that point it'll have a couple/few hours to cook, which should be plenty of time to finish it off. I think timing wise, this would be ideal. But, I am a little concerned about the time in the smoker and whether 6ish hours at 225-250 degrees would keep he meat within the "safe zone" until I can get home and transfer it to the Big Easy. The pieces of equipment at my disposal are my Weber Genesis gas grill and the oven (boring). So, what would yall do?
Fast forward to this year. My original plan was to replace my smoker with a WSM. But, those plans were put on hold when we decided to build a new house. So, I am still stuck with the same old smoker. My plan was to buy a Charbroil Big Easy and just cook the turkey in there. But, here is the rub (get it?... rub) I found out yesterday that I have to work 10-3 on the day we're hosting the event. This is smack dab in the middle of prime cooking time as the guests will be arriving around 6-6:30. My wife does not handle raw poultry, which adds another little layer of complexity.
This is where you guys and gals come in. I need to figure out a plan that will allow me to start the bird before I go to work and finish it when I get home. One thought that I had was to start the turkey on the smoker before I leave for work (so, probably around 9:15) and smoke it at as high a temp as I can manage on my smoker, which is usually somewhere between 225 and 250. Then, when I get home from work (around 3:30) i would transfer the bird to the Big Easy and finish it off in there. At that point it'll have a couple/few hours to cook, which should be plenty of time to finish it off. I think timing wise, this would be ideal. But, I am a little concerned about the time in the smoker and whether 6ish hours at 225-250 degrees would keep he meat within the "safe zone" until I can get home and transfer it to the Big Easy. The pieces of equipment at my disposal are my Weber Genesis gas grill and the oven (boring). So, what would yall do?
