Post by ncsmoker on Nov 16, 2016 13:33:19 GMT -5
I have smoked a turkey for Thanksgiving several years now and thought I would share how I do it.
First equipment a thermometer for the grill and bird like the Maverick 72 or ThermoPen 8 also a good instant read thermometer like the ThermoPop from Thermoworks.
Then the bird you can do up to a 16 or 17 pound bird on the Weber. Unless you get a fresh bird that is not Kosher or has a solution added like Butterball and others do not brine your turkey. They already have salt added to them. Instead mix a stick of room temp salted butter or margarine with pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Keep it at room temp until you are ready to put the bird on the Weber or other smoker. Them carefully lift the skin from the flesh over the breast and legs starting at the rear end. Spread your mix all over under the skin over the breast and legs and thighs, it doesn't have to be smooth you will have lumps in places. Lifting the skin will also let it crisp up also. Salt and pepper the cavity and also rub it with the mixture.
Set up your Smokerator per the instructions and add the hot coals back to it.
Now the wood chunks, I absolutely prefer cherry it goes so well with turkey.
If you want to make gravy put an aluminum foil pan under where the bird will go and fill it with a quart of water. Check this every so often so it doesn't dry out. I am not really partial to the smoky dripping you get but they can be quite good.
Put the bird on the grill and insert the probes into the bird and on the grill.
Now bring the temp up to 300 degrees, yep 300 just like an oven. If you can't get 300 as hot as you can but I have never not been able to reach it. The water in the gravy pan and the water in the Smokerator pan will keep the bird moist.
Now stir your coals every hour and turn your bird also so that both side cook evenly. Since we are cooking at a higher temp you will need to replenish the coals sooner so check them at the 2 and 3 hour marks.
When the breast reaches 160 and the legs reach 165 it's time to take the bird off. Use your instant read thermometer to check all over the bird both thighs at there thickest, both breasts at there thickest. Tent it with foil and it will continue to raise in temp another 10-15 degrees depending on the size of the bird. You can leave in tented from 20 minutes to an hour while you finish dinner. But you need at least the 20 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
See my pictures of last years turkey down is S-View.
If you have any questions please ask.
Tom
First equipment a thermometer for the grill and bird like the Maverick 72 or ThermoPen 8 also a good instant read thermometer like the ThermoPop from Thermoworks.
Then the bird you can do up to a 16 or 17 pound bird on the Weber. Unless you get a fresh bird that is not Kosher or has a solution added like Butterball and others do not brine your turkey. They already have salt added to them. Instead mix a stick of room temp salted butter or margarine with pepper, parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Keep it at room temp until you are ready to put the bird on the Weber or other smoker. Them carefully lift the skin from the flesh over the breast and legs starting at the rear end. Spread your mix all over under the skin over the breast and legs and thighs, it doesn't have to be smooth you will have lumps in places. Lifting the skin will also let it crisp up also. Salt and pepper the cavity and also rub it with the mixture.
Set up your Smokerator per the instructions and add the hot coals back to it.
Now the wood chunks, I absolutely prefer cherry it goes so well with turkey.
If you want to make gravy put an aluminum foil pan under where the bird will go and fill it with a quart of water. Check this every so often so it doesn't dry out. I am not really partial to the smoky dripping you get but they can be quite good.
Put the bird on the grill and insert the probes into the bird and on the grill.
Now bring the temp up to 300 degrees, yep 300 just like an oven. If you can't get 300 as hot as you can but I have never not been able to reach it. The water in the gravy pan and the water in the Smokerator pan will keep the bird moist.
Now stir your coals every hour and turn your bird also so that both side cook evenly. Since we are cooking at a higher temp you will need to replenish the coals sooner so check them at the 2 and 3 hour marks.
When the breast reaches 160 and the legs reach 165 it's time to take the bird off. Use your instant read thermometer to check all over the bird both thighs at there thickest, both breasts at there thickest. Tent it with foil and it will continue to raise in temp another 10-15 degrees depending on the size of the bird. You can leave in tented from 20 minutes to an hour while you finish dinner. But you need at least the 20 minutes to let the juices redistribute.
See my pictures of last years turkey down is S-View.
If you have any questions please ask.
Tom
