BRADLEY SMOKER | "Taste the Great Outdoors"

Recipe Discussions => Meat => Topic started by: Fuzzybear on March 21, 2004, 07:33:43 PM

Title: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on March 21, 2004, 07:33:43 PM
Anyone do a whole bird?

If so, I'm ready to read....if not, I'll try next weekend..........

Thanks!

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on March 27, 2004, 02:39:10 AM
Howdy doody kids (Kirk:  The Blue Sapphire is working well![:o)])

Since we've got no repsone here, I'm assuming I'm the tester, victim, or whatever!.[:D](someone has to start, right???[?])

Here's my game plan:

Rubbed the 14 pounder buzzard with: Margarine (brown skin) then sprinkled liberally - "Kroger Grilltime Chicken Seasoning" (garlic/salt/onion/black pepper/sage/thyme/romemary/red pepper/parsley/orange peel/ paprika/ green bell pepper)[:p]

It is sitting in the fridge...tomorrow, I will preheat the Bradley to 235 starting at 5:00 a.m. pst and place the buzzard in around 6 a.m. pst.I will attempt to maintain that temperature (235) throughout the smoking process.  I expect this to take somewhere between 10 and 14 hours...
I will be using 20 apple pucks (6 hours 40 minutes) and 2 bubba pucks...

Bassman:  I just got my Maverick thermo[:D]....I will place it in the thick part of the thigh shooting for 180 degrees there.  I will place another in the breast and see where the temp is when the thigh reaches 180 - I expect 165 degrees in the breast.

Once done, I will repost and let you guys know how long (along with pictures).  I will let sit for 20 - 30 minutes, then cover in foil and place in the fridge for consumption on Sunday at 6:00 pm pst.  Another posting will follow the taste test![:p]

I'm askeered but will go forward...what the heck, if it gets ruined, there's always the burger joint around the corner![;)]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Bassman on March 27, 2004, 02:26:33 PM
Fuzzy,sounds like you have a plan,good luck with your new thermo.Just so you know only the pointed probe goes into the meat. the other goes thru the holes in the bracket which clips on a rack.Once you get use to it you will wonder how you ever got along without it.[:)]Looking forward to pics.

<i><font color="blue"><b>Jack</i></font id="blue"></b>
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on March 27, 2004, 03:02:38 PM
Yeah, got it under control Jack....things are going smoothly as of this writing.  I am keeping a very detailed record every half hour as to breast temp/thigh temp/bradley temp/outside temp....since this is the first, we've got to have a benchmark somewhere for others!!

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Cold Smoke on March 27, 2004, 03:39:33 PM
You da man Fuzzy! One for the team!

I don't think I'll be able to keep as close an eye on mine as I'm thinking of tossing the bird in the BS somewhere around midnite. Or maybe I should find a jug of that Blue Sapphire stuff, a good lawnchair, set up by the smoker and serenade the bird all night[?]....

Cold Smoke
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on March 27, 2004, 10:54:53 PM
Ok kids...here it is!
But first, let me tell you about the smoke/time/temp etc....are you hungry yet?   Hmmmmmmmmmm?????[?][?][?][?][?]

Fired up Mr. Bradley's namesake at 5:00a.m. pst...45 minutes later it was 249 degrees.  In the interim, I pulled the buzzard outta the fridge about 4:50a.m to let it come up a bit in temp...

Placed Mr. Buzzard in at 5:00 a.m.,(breast up) inserted a probe into the thigh, one into the breast and one to measure the oven temp...

Time:      Outside Temp:     Breast Temp:     Thigh Temp:    B.S.Temp:

6:00        56                 41                45            165
(temp fell when I opened up the door, loaded the bird and closed it)
6:30        56                 53                 56            198
7:00        57                 78                 87            215
7:30        59                 100                107           227
8:00        60                 114                128           232
8:30        60                 129                140           239
9:00        60/86 (in sun)     141                153           233
9:30        61/87              156                166           237..
can you see where this is going yet?[8D]
10:00       62/88              158                168           239
10:30       64/82              165                171           234
11:00       66/74 (in shade)   168                171           229
(opened the door to check the water level in the bowl)
11:30       68/72              172                173           236
12:00       69/75              176                177           238
12:30       70/74              177                180 ding!     238

It took 6 1/2 hours to do a 13.81 pound turkey!  Holy Cow, I was expecting all day!

Bassman and all the others who bought the Maverick - it worked great - Kirk:  The Bradley thermometer was within 2 degrees of the digital Maverick - I guess I actually got a good one![:)]

Still hungry?[:p]  Here's my baby![:D]  Not tatsted yet, will place in fridge and have for dinner tomorrow with company....[:p]

(http://www.getbentsportfishing.com/portal/forum/uploads/FUZZYBEAR/46A_P1010004.JPG)

6 hours of smoke - apple wood

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: trout on March 28, 2004, 02:37:16 AM
Looks great Fuzzy.  I have smoked chicken whole before, but never tried the turkey.  Don't forget to fill us in on how long you applied smoke and what type of wood. Yummmmmmmmmmm[:D]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Oldman on March 28, 2004, 03:44:04 PM
Looks good and your advise I'm looking forward to.

Next, has anyone here tried a Capone instead of a chicken or turkey?
Olds

EDIT: Removed Sig-pic.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Chez Bubba on March 29, 2004, 12:45:50 AM
[:p][:p][:p]

Don't you dare peel that skin off & throw it away! There are about a thousand other ways to reduce the fat in your diet & that ain't one of them!

[:p][:p][8D]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on March 29, 2004, 01:14:58 AM
Actually Kirk, in about 45 minutes, I'll be (dang juniper juice!  had to edit to add a word!) sitting down to eat (5:15 pm, California time right now) and I will sneak some skin for sure! [:p]

I'm really hoping it's not all dried out![xx(]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on March 29, 2004, 02:30:15 AM
Ok smokers..I've now partaken of the feast and althought it was delicious, there are two alternate ways I would produce this in the future:

1.  Take off the buzzard at 175 in the thigh
2.  Maybe cook it longer at a lower Bradley temp.  either way, I would not do the S & S thing at 180 degrees - the dark meat was great, the breast was great although just (very slightly) a tad dry to my liking - if you like it oozing juice,[:p] definetely (juniper juice again as affected my spelling, sorry)[:o)] take it off at a lower temp and let it come up via the resting period.[:p]

But, it was not overcooked and I have to stress that for all folk who may run skeered of botulism....[xx(]

Kirk:  The skin was fire and smoke for sure and it was delicious - it was not an experiment that went awry!

KEEP ON SMOKIN'![:p]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: MallardWacker on March 30, 2004, 03:11:51 PM
Fuzz, I am proud of you man, simply great!

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know.  But...

Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Cold Smoke on March 30, 2004, 05:56:53 PM
My bird looked very similar to Fuzzy's. It turned out real nice.[^] I smoked it for approx 7 hrs at approx 200-225 using a combo of apple/hickory (smoked for 3 hrs). I let it cool prior to eating the next day- tossed the skin- no good if not eaten hot out of the smoker. I used a recipe out of S & S- I pulled it once breast hit 160- still very juicy- even the next day. I was hoping that there was more juice produced during the smoke/cooking so that I could make some gravy- but there was very little. I did not inject the bird the way the recipe called for but will try that next time. The outside breast had a lot more flavor that the meat closer to the bone.

All in all- good stuff- looking forward to leftovers!




Cold Smoke
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: PAsmoker on March 31, 2004, 05:42:22 PM
I've done quite a few whole turkeys on my charcoal offset-box smoker.  This past week I finally did one in the BS.  I feel like the only way to go is to brine the bird before smoking.  They always come out juicy.  i usually pull at about 160 in the breast.  In the brine I like to use salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, bay leaves, and 1/2 to 3/4oz of liquid maple extract.  I've even added pickeling spices at times.  I think the maple extract adds a nice flavor.  Just make sure to rinse off your bird.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Curtis Jackson on April 11, 2004, 12:03:00 AM
Just did my first whole turkey.

Started with a 13-lb. organic bird. Brined for about 16 hours; used a double helping of everything called for here:

http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/recipe/view.aspx?c=poultry&r=229

in 2 gallons of water (I need a smaller brining container!)

Rinsed the bird inside and out, coated with lemon-infused olive oil, and put her in a cold (i.e., not preheated) smoker loaded with a dozen cherry bisquettes, a pan full of boiling water, and the bird hooked up with my Maverick remote smoker thermometer.

It took 1.5 hours to get the smoker up to 225 degrees, and then I kept it between 220 and 230 for the next 3 hours. Then, with all the smoke finished, I cranked up the heat, but could not get the smoker above 235 degrees (and it is 88F in the shade here today!), so I ended up finishing it in the oven at 325 for about 15-20 minutes. I took the thigh all the way to 180 degrees.

Total cooking time: About 5.5 hours, including both the smoker warmup and the last bit in the oven.

Smoke: A little over 4 hours, the first 4 hours, all cherry.

Results:

The skin ended up paper-thin, rubbery, and split in a few places during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Not sure why that was. The color was <b>beautiful</b>.

The meat, though, oh man. Perfection. And very moist and juicy, even the breast meat, and despite my cooking all the way until the inner thigh was 180. I am definitely sold on brining for that reason alone.

I am also sold on the Maverick thermometer. My living room (and TV, and laptop) are just far enough away from the pool deck where I smoke that reception is a little dicey, but once I get a signal in a given spot, I always continue to get signal there.

<b>ONE WORD OF CAUTION</b>: <i>Always measure the temp of your bird in more than one place.</i> At one point I double-checked the Maverick with a good accurate thermometer I've calibrated. The Maverick was dead-on in one thigh at 171 degrees, but I measured the other thigh in exactly the same relative place, same depth, and it was only 154 degrees. Don't assume that if one place shows the correct temp, then the whole bird is safe.


Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: trout on April 11, 2004, 01:07:32 AM
Thanks for the info Curtis.  What was the status of the vent on your smoker when you did the turkey.  Was it open/closed, maybe halfway?  This will make a big difference on what temp the smoker will reach.  Every detail is important to the rest of the gang here, so that we can recreate results from person to person.  Isn't it fun to practice with something in which you get to eat the test results.  I wonder if Bradley Inc. needs a taste tester.  That's the job for me.[:D][:D]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Curtis Jackson on April 11, 2004, 02:10:56 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by trout</i>
<br />Thanks for the info Curtis.  What was the status of the vent on your smoker when you did the turkey.  Was it open/closed, maybe halfway?  This will make a big difference on what temp the smoker will reach.<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

While I was maintaining temp at around 225, the vent was open about 1/4 of the way (that's how I usually hot-smoke; for cold-smoke I leave it wide open). When I decided to crank the temp after the smoke was done and I just wanted to finish cooking, I closed the vent completely except for the tiny space needed to get the Maverick wire through the vent.

I am plugging into a 110v convenience outlet attached to our in-ground pool pump equipment pad, using a heavy-gauge 10-foot extension cord. I am beginning to think that perhaps that outlet is under-powered, especially given the things I read elsewhere about people heating up to 350 degrees in 45 minutes and the like with much lower ambient temps. We have had a fantastically warm spring, temps in the high 80s, and yet I have never been able to get my smoker above about 250 degrees.

My other theory is that I have too much water in the catch pan, and it is the mass of the water that is dampening the heating process (pun intended).


Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on April 11, 2004, 03:09:43 PM
Out here in So. Cal., mine won't go above 250 either...I never gave it a thought as I would not consider smoking above that temp anyway....

Is this a problem?

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Curtis Jackson on April 11, 2004, 04:47:24 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Fuzzybear</i>
<br />Out here in So. Cal., mine won't go above 250 either...I never gave it a thought as I would not consider smoking above that temp anyway....

Is this a problem?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Probably not, but I'm very new to smoking so I wasn't sure. So far everything I've tried in the Bradley has turned out wonderfully, so I probably shouldn't be complaining.  [^]


Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on April 11, 2004, 09:26:54 PM
Me too...I've got absolutely no complaints about this smoker!

Well, maybe one - can't smoke enough - but that's not the Bradley's fault!!![:D]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: trout on April 12, 2004, 03:06:59 AM
Curtis, don't worry about your outlet being under powered.  The current capability of your outlet is controlled by the breaker it is wired to and the gauge of wire.  Even undersized romex will supply far more current than the breaker that electrical codes will allow you to wire it to.  What you plug into the outlet will draw the amount of current it requires to maintain the setting you use.  If the circuit cannot supply the current your smoker is drawing, it will not fail to come to max temp, it will trip your circuit breaker.  As others have stated, I have never seen a smoke cooking recipe that recommends heating at over 250F, so it is not really a problem.  But one other question is are you shutting off the smoke generator?  If you leave the generator on even after running out of smoke biscuits, the temp will maintain higher than with just the heat element of the cabinet.  Also if biscuits are burning in the smoke generator, it will maintain a higher temp than it will when you run out.  Just a couple reasons possibly why some people are holding a higher temp than others.  Hope it helps[;)]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Curtis Jackson on April 12, 2004, 07:30:52 PM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by trout</i>
<br />Curtis, don't worry about your outlet being under powered. [Good info deleted]  But one other question is are you shutting off the smoke generator?<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Thanks very much, trout. And, no, I did not shut off the smoke generator, precisely because I wanted the extra heat from it.


Curtis Jackson
[email protected]
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Chez Bubba on April 13, 2004, 01:33:19 AM
OK,

I'm not an EE guy, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night.[:D] If you are somehow "underpowered":

It would seem to me that diverting part of the available electrical power to the smoke generator (the part that's NOT supposed to produce heat) away from the bulb (the part that IS supposed to produce heat) would result in an overall lower temperature in the smoker.[?]

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: msiler on April 14, 2004, 06:26:07 PM
I have tested the overheat protection Thermal switch in mine by taking it out of the smoker and testing in my oven. It opened the circuit about 260-275... Not sure if that is what it is supposed to be but that is where mine operates.

When in doubt smoke it.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: trout on April 15, 2004, 12:33:39 AM
Kirk,  by running the smoke generator you are diverting some of the electrical current. But any normal household circuit will supply much more current than is required to operate both heat elements at the same time.  If it can't, it will trip your circuit breaker (or burn the insulation off of the wiring if you have a 100year old house and put a penny in place of the fuse) LOL[:D]  The only way the smoke generator could have a large affect on the heat bulb is if it was wired in series(if the electricity passed through the heat element circuit and on the out end passed to the bulb).  I am pretty sure the wiring is setup to power the smoke generator and then has a bypass cable that goes directly to the outlet for the cabinet heat.  I think a test is in order.  I will check it out after I make my batch of mettwurst tomorrow.[;)]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Fuzzybear on April 15, 2004, 01:10:28 AM
Hey!  I thought Olds was going to start digging around in his smoker without regard for his warranty to show us a diagram.............???[?][?][?][?]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: Chez Bubba on April 15, 2004, 04:56:26 AM
<blockquote id="quote"><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by trout</i>
<br />The only way the smoke generator could have a large affect on the heat bulb is if it was wired in series(if the electricity passed through the heat element circuit and on the out end passed to the bulb).  I am pretty sure the wiring is setup to power the smoke generator and then has a bypass cable that goes directly to the outlet for the cabinet heat.  I think a test is in order.  I will check it out after I make my batch of mettwurst tomorrow.[;)]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">
I believe that it is wired in series, but would yield to anyone "in the know".
Let us know how your test turns out.

[Homer Simpson on]Mettwurst....yummmmm![:p][:p][Homer Simpson off]

Kirk

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?
Title: Re: Whole Turkey
Post by: msiler on April 15, 2004, 01:11:04 PM
It is wired in paralell. IE two seperatwe circuits. I do have a diagram for it around somewhere, I took my cover off in order to make my controller in such a way as would not damage it. If I can find it again I will try to draw it on the computer and post it.

When in doubt smoke it.