For the last for years I have brined my turkey and then cooked it in the oven. I am going to smoke it this year and don't know whether to stand the turkey up or lay it down. Has anyone tried both ways? Does the flavor or moisture content vary with the position?
I've always done them laying down, but I think this year I may stand it up.
I wouldn't think it would make much of a difference, except for the skin on the bottom.
I wouldn't think it would matter either except for when I do it in the oven, there is always a lot of juices in the cavity of the bird. I didn't know if that would change things. I am looking forward to trying some smoked turkey gravy though.
I splatchcock the turkey and lay it flat.
I smoke my turkeay in a cloth bag from Allied Kenco in my OBS i just hang it with the bag hooks through the vent hole it looks great hanging there. and centered in the OBS also the presentation looks goodd in the bag , i wish i had photos .
I have done them both ways, and both ways work well. As you mentioned laying the bird horizontally a lot of juices will collect in the cavity. To prevent a hot foot, when you move the bird from the smoker to the house, place it on halfsheet pan so you don't spill juices on the floor and on your foot.
When I smoke them vertically, I stuff half a lemon, or small potato in the neck cavity to trap the steam that is infused with flavor. If you don't have a vertical turkey roaster, a tallboy can will work, also the wide Foster beer cans work well, because of their wide base. When you smoke the turkey vertically, double up on the racks to give it more stability. If you only use one rack, it will tend to sag, and make the bird unstable. Also if you are using a beer can as the holder, it is not very stable, and makes it difficult to rotate the bird from front to back. If you want to collect the juices place a pan under the bird. Over the lengthy time the bird is in the smoker, the juices in the pan will dry up, but you can deglaze the pan with some chicken stock to recover it.
It is late in the season, but if you can find a beer can holder it will do a good job stabilizing the bird. I often see them at WalMart, but that is during the summer.
Bayou ChickCan Rack (http://www.cookware.com/Bayou-Classic-0440-CS-BAY1008.html)