Hey folks,
This summer I undertook the task of building a mighty enclosure for my Bradley for the main purpose of allowing me to smoke during the winter. My first test comes this Saturday when I'll slam a pork butt in there.
I just ran a test with an empty smoker and I reached a respectable temp of almost 270. When Christmas rolls around, will a 12 - 15 pound turkey be doable with temperatures like this? I have to do some more forum digging to see what people recommend for cooking turkeys but thought I'd start here.
Also, I come from a long line of turkey stuffers, cooking the dressing inside the turkey in the oven. Is this still feasible if I do it in the smoker?
Thanks
Don, I think I'd just roast the dressing the the oven.
I'm concerned that a smoker doesn't have the power to bring a big load of wet stuffing, inside a bird, up to temp before you run into a bacteria problem. Don't want to have your guests all sick.
I also, would avoid smoking the turkey with bread stuffing. You could loosely stuff the cavity with onions, citrus, apples, herbs etc.; for additional flavoring.
You won't get the 270°F, after you place the turkey in the cabinet, but 225°F would be good. If you get it higher than that; the better.
If you cook the turkey horizontally, there will be a lot of juices that will collect inside the cavity, you can use those juices for the dressing you can make in the oven, after the turkey is finished. As for the juices in the cavity, be very careful when you move the turkey out of the smoker, it is easy to spill those juices on the floor, or worse on your foot. Have a rimmed cookie sheet nearby. Transfer the rack with the turkey on it to the cookie sheet, then carry it indoors.
I have my smoker in a small plastic garden shed to protect it from the cold. I also wrapped it in a suit of water heater insulation,be sure to leave a hole for the top vent. The combination of the shed and space blanket make it easy to keep the temp up all winter.