Canadian Thanksgiving Turkey spatchcock or whole?

[ninerguy]

 ??? I have  the turkey thawing now.  I have brined & spatchcocked small chickens in the OBS before and they were terrific.  I will definitely brine it.  Plan on using 31/2 hrs of alder & maple smoke.  Would appreciate any and all ideas on this subject.  Should it be upright or on it's back.  ???  Hope to have it in OBS by 8 am should it be done by 5 pm ?

Ninerguy

[GusRobin]

I splatchcocked a 12 lb turkey and it came out great. Took about 7 hours.

[ninerguy]

Happy Birthday Gus and thanks for the info.

Ninerguy

[ArnieM]

Sounds like you have a good start niner.  Assuming it's not a processed turkey I'd also inject it; breast thighs and legs.  Some melted butter and a bit of sage can go a long way.

I'd do it whole.  People like to see a whole bird on the platter.  If you have a vertical roaster, use that.  If not, I'd go breast side down for the first half of the cooking.  Some say the juices will run down into the breast and help keep it moist.  Then flip and cook until you get an IT in the thigh of 140-145.

Then transfer to an oven.  I'll use my Big Easy but a regular oven at 350 will do.  Continue to cook to an IT of about 160.  This will crisp up the skin.  Cover and let it rest 30 minutes.  The IT will probably go up to 165. 

If anything looks suspiciously pink when you carve, dab it with a white paper towel.  If you get a pink color, it's not quite done.  The breast likely will be so you can serve that while putting the rest back in the oven for 20 minutes or so.

As for a rub, I'd dry the bird and give it a light coating of olive oil and S&P.  I like it simple.

Enjoy your dinner.

[ninerguy]

I have decided to smoke the Turkey whole.  I am going to do it a day early and am wondering the best way to warm it the next day? Should it be sliced up or leave it whole ? Changed my mind and will use Alder & Specail blend smoke for 4 hr.  Any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Ninerguy

[Habanero Smoker]

I cook my turkeys ahead of time also, but after doing it the first time it may me nervous. I took the turkey out of the smoker, wrapped it and put it in the refrigerator, and the next morning it was still warm. Needless to say I didn't use it.

Now I after removing the turkey from the smoker I put it in a cooler with bags of ice, leaving the lid open. Then I change the bags as the ice melts. I also place a small bag of ice inside the cavity. For the bags of ice, I loosely pack resealable bags so the so they can be formed below and around the turkey. Also packed the bag a few layers deep, and don't forget to change the bag inside the cavity, that one melts fast. Make sure you have plenty of ice. I buy a few 5 pound bags of ice and keep them in a separate cooler until I need to refill the resealable bags. If you have a freezer with enough space that would work even better, but make sure you don't freeze the bird, or it will slow down the reheat time. Once the bird is cooled down, I then wrap it and place it in the refrigerator.

Reheating I preheat the oven to 350°F, place the whole turkey in a roasting pan and cover it with foil. I place a probe in the breast, and when it gets to 150°F I remove the foil and continue to heat until the probe registers a temperature of 165°F.

[ninerguy]

 ;D Well the smoke is over.  Turkey was in the OBS by 9 am brined & covered in EVO.  Started it on the breast first 4 hrs  then turned over for the last 3. FTC for 2 hrs then carved it last night for today's meal. Tastes great exceptionally moist.  Let you know later how the rest of the family liked it.

Niner