Smoking a Turkey with the Bradley

TedEbear · November 20, 2011, 05:42:00 PM

Quote from: GoCobbers95 on November 19, 2011, 02:10:51 PMHow long should I expect the cook process to take using this method?

I posted that, based on some Google tips I've been reading lately. This will be my first smoked turkey but the Perdue turkey website says to allow 12-20 minutes per lb to smoke a 10-16 lb turkey. I bought a 13.2 lb Perdue hen turkey last night because it was the only brand that hadn't been seasoned with lots of things already. I plan on brining it and I don't want to overdo it with the salt.

Perdue Turkey Cooking Times

GoCobbers95 · November 20, 2011, 06:35:28 PM

It looks like your game plan, is going to be the basis for my own.

Good luck to you sir!

bozer · November 20, 2011, 06:37:09 PM

If you smoke the Turkey for say 2 hours, can you just take it out and put it in the oven at the 2 hours mark, or do you need to wait for it to hit 140 degrees before transferring? I would think you can just smoke for 2 hours, then put in oven at 350 and be good but I see some people think you could get Turkey aids by moving it before its at 140. any ideas?

Habanero Smoker · November 21, 2011, 01:28:24 AM

Be careful using the cooking times from poultry manufacturers, those times may be geared to higher end temperatures than you personally would want to cook to.

It may be a good guideline, but use a probe or instant read to get to your desired doness.

Kitchen Commander · November 21, 2011, 04:42:30 AM

I really like all these great ideas. I'm gonna start the brine for my turkey's tonight. I'm using a simple brine recipe I found on the allrecipes.com website. Here's a link in case anyone is interested.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/out-of-this-world-turkey-brine/detail.aspx

The brine recipe has 5 stars with over 300 reviews. I've cooked dozens of things from the website and the star user ratings are usually pretty spot on. I'm still a little undecided on whether I'll cold or hot smoke. I'm leaning towards hot smoke to an internal temp of no more than 140. To crisp it I'll put it in a 375 degree deep fryer till int temp reaches 160. The wife is doing the other turkey in the oven, conventially. We'll see who's turns out better. ::)

TedEbear · November 21, 2011, 04:59:48 AM

Quote from: Kitchen Commander on November 21, 2011, 04:42:30 AM
I really like all these great ideas. I'm gonna start the brine for my turkey's tonight. I'm using a simple brine recipe I found on the allrecipes.com website.

That looks like a simple enough recipe for even me to prepare. I'll add it to my list of which one to make and decide later today. :)

The recipe site says to brine it for two days. That seems like a long time. Most of what I've been reading say to brine for 12-24 hours. How long are you planning on soaking it? My "better half" says 12 hours, since she doesn't want it to taste too salty, but I was planning closer to 24 hours. Then another 24 hours with the rub before starting the smoking.

Edit: After a bit more Googling a few sites recommend brining for 1 hour per lb. That's 13 hours for my 13.2 lb turkey. I think I'll go with that.

Kitchen Commander · November 21, 2011, 03:11:40 PM

TedE, I know, 2 days does seem like a long time to brine. I see all those reviews though and I didn't catch one where anyone said they did 24 hours.

FLBentRider · November 21, 2011, 03:18:26 PM

I brine about 12 hours or overnight, longer and it tends to get too salty.

It also depends on your brine concentration.

Kitchen Commander · November 22, 2011, 04:48:59 AM

The brine recipe I'm using from allrecipes.com calls for a day brine and has awesome reviews. I did cut down on the salt a little though. The recipe calls for 1.5 cups of kosher or canning salt for a 2 gallon mix. I needed 4 gallons, but only did 2 cups instead of 3. First time brining and the brine actually smells pretty good. Can wait to cook and eat these birds.

DoxinMan · November 22, 2011, 09:34:55 AM

Thoughts on this brine recipe?
* 1 gallon of water
* 2 cups salt
* 1 Woodchuck apple cider (I use Granny Smith)
* 1 Tablespoon pepper
* 1 Tablespoon favorite rub
* 1/2 cup brown sugar

Also, do you guys put the turkey in a tin tray in the bradley. I havent used my bradley for so long I forget if theres a drip tray at the bottom.

.204 · November 22, 2011, 09:42:13 AM

How about taking it from the oven after 2-3 hours of baking into a preheated Bradley for a couple hours of smoke and then back to the oven until its done? Is there any harm in this or has anyone tried it? Looking for a little quicker cook time and not messing with a brine. Thanks.

P.S. I don't mean to be hijacking the thread but there seems to be alot of knowledgable advice coming forth in ths thread

anthony · November 22, 2011, 09:59:23 AM

I think you want to start your cooking with the smoke, the meat will absorb more smoke while at a cooler temp. This is my understanding of meat smoking anyway. I am sure the pros will be along to correct me.

Quote from: .204 on November 22, 2011, 09:42:13 AM
How about taking it from the oven after 2-3 hours of baking into a preheated Bradley for a couple hours of smoke and then back to the oven until its done? Is there any harm in this or has anyone tried it? Looking for a little quicker cook time and not messing with a brine. Thanks.

P.S. I don't mean to be hijacking the thread but there seems to be alot of knowledgable advice coming forth in ths thread

TedEbear · November 22, 2011, 10:51:02 AM

Quote from: DoxinMan on November 22, 2011, 09:34:55 AM
Also, do you guys put the turkey in a tin tray in the bradley. I havent used my bradley for so long I forget if theres a drip tray at the bottom.

I'm using a turkey rack that I bought at Cabela's recently. There's a pic of it elsewhere in this thread. The Bradley comes with a bowl for catching used pucks and a tray under that. I replaced the small bowl with a 9x13" (or whatever size fits) aluminum baking pan so it wouldn't run out of water as fast. I still dump the spent pucks after the smoking part of the cooking session is finished.

On the brine recipe, there are many ones. I'm using one that includes lots of apple juice and orange juice. They say to be sure and get a turkey that hasn't been pre-injected with salt from the factory or it will be too salty after you brine it.

Habanero Smoker · November 22, 2011, 01:13:57 PM

Quote from: DoxinMan on November 22, 2011, 09:34:55 AM
Thoughts on this brine recipe?
* 1 gallon of water
* 2 cups salt
* 1 Woodchuck apple cider (I use Granny Smith)
* 1 Tablespoon pepper
* 1 Tablespoon favorite rub
* 1/2 cup brown sugar

Also, do you guys put the turkey in a tin tray in the bradley. I havent used my bradley for so long I forget if theres a drip tray at the bottom.

What type of salt are you using? That will make a big difference, since pickling salt, and various kosher salts measure differently do to the size of their crystals. If it is pickling salt, that is a large amount, so you would not want to brine too long. If it is kosher salt, it would be good to know if it is Morton's or Diamond.

You can place a small pan on a rack below the turkey to catch drippings, just make sure the pan is small enough to allow ample heat and smoke to pass. Those drippings may dry up, but you can always deglaze the pan. If you smoke/cook the turkey horizontally, a lot of juices collect in the cavity. Be careful when you move the turkey out of the smoker. The first time I did this I gave myself a hot foot. I always take a sheet pan with me and place the rack with the turkey on the sheet tray to carry into the house. That will catch the dripping for you to use, and avoid a mess.

Brining an already enhanced turkey may or not make is saltier, usually it doesn't. That will depend on the salinity of the brine, compared to the salinity the turkey was injected with, but generally it may not have any effect at all.

JAMBF750 · November 22, 2011, 02:52:18 PM

Hello All, new guy here. We have 24 people coming to dinner. Think I'm more scared than the turkey was prior to becoming dinner. Anyway, we are doing one in the oven and one on my new Digital Smoker....and i don't know squat.

Here is what I think I know....
13lb bird not seasoned...
We are going to brine starting tomorrow and then over night for at least 12 hours...
My wife has some crazy brine recipe that uses a cup and a half of BURBON. May sneak a bit as well to calm the nerves...
Plan to use 75% apple chips and 25% Hickory...I think? Putting bird on rack and will double up rack for security.
Open top vent half way.
Set smoker side to 4 hours, set oven side to 225 or higher? Do I have to set a timer on over side?
Smoke until 140 and then turn off smoke side and just use oven side until 160...I wont have access to inside over due to larger Turkey cooking inside. So I'm stuck with the over on the BDS or possibly using the grill.

Does any of this sound right or will this be my last time having these friends and family over for Thanksgiving? Any help would be appreciated.

Happy Thanksgiving To All!

JAM