Post by hardy001 on Nov 29, 2010 13:52:04 GMT -5
Bought the Smokenator about a month ago and tried it for the first time on Thanksgiving! Had a 20# turkey. It was 12 degrees that day and never got above 14! I was able to put the Weber in a fairly sheltered area and had no problem getting 230-240 degrees at the dome. The turkey was on the coal grate due to its size and metal rack and pan below it. After 8 hours the meat was still only at 145 degrees and barely moving upward at that point. I had been adding 6 to 8 coals every 1 to 2 hrs throughout the smoking phase.
Is is likely the charcoal support was much colder than the cooking grill, thus the internal temperature in the turkey could not get above 145 degrees? I eventually took out the water pan and the Weber went to 350 deg within minutes and stayed there. The bird was then put on the cooking rate and made it to 165 in another 30 minutes. It was delicious once it finally got cooked.
Is is likely the charcoal support was much colder than the cooking grill, thus the internal temperature in the turkey could not get above 145 degrees? I eventually took out the water pan and the Weber went to 350 deg within minutes and stayed there. The bird was then put on the cooking rate and made it to 165 in another 30 minutes. It was delicious once it finally got cooked.