Turkey in MES 30 plan

[v8maro]

I've read a lot of threads on this, so this is my plan for Thursday. I live in SE Michigan, so it's going to be COLD!

~12lb bird
brined for 24 hours
injected with garlic butter & rubbed(under the skin)
should I spritz?
not stuffed
mes 30 w mailbox mod & amazn pellet smoker

I WAS going to spatchcock it...buuut, I picked up one of these on amazon:
which allows me to smoke it vertically. Thoughts on using this in the MES 30? Since it'll be vertical, could I fit a bigger bird than good 12lbs? Maybe 14?

I plan to prime the smoker to 275* & keep it there best I can. Due to the cold in MI, I also bought this to help out:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Masterb...moker-Insulation-Blanket-MB20100513/303496999

Amy I forgetting anything? Should I prepare for a 6 hour smoke time?? Trying to time this with dinner will be hard. If I blanket it after will it continue to cook?

 

[oldsmokerdude]

Your plan sounds to me like it should work just fine. While I don't think the insulation blanket is a necessity, it will help, but take care not to let the temp run too high.

Six hour smoke time for a 12 pound bird sounds a little optimistic to me. I would plan on eight hours and if it gets done sooner great. Also, I wouldn't go above 275, so you may want to set you temp a bit lower, especially since you'll be using insulation for the first time.

Blanketing after the cook: The temp will rise a few degrees as the heat from the surface of the bird travels inward (called carry over). So aside from planning for that, the turkey will not continue to cook.

Good luck. Let us know how it turns out.