Turkey time

jb9 · November 02, 2005, 09:50:09 PM

I've decided to smoke some turkey, partly because it sounds good, partly because it may now be the cheapest thing I can do. All the grocery stores have their loss leader thanksgiving turkeys out, and I can't resist. I'm wondering what people think about them, though. The recommended weight for the BS seems to be 12 pounds, and I'm fine with that. The cheap-o turkeys in that weight range are $6. Last week, I paid more for a couple pounds of beef to make jerky. I'm thinking about throwing out the ice cream and frozen pizzas and filling the freezer with these guys. It seems hard to believe a $25 turkey is really worth that much more. Opinions?

I suppose my other option would be to kidnap the pair of hens that have been wandering around outside the office for the last week or so. Suppose anyone would miss them?[:D]

smokin stu · November 07, 2005, 12:01:04 AM

Sounds like some good deals on turkeys in your area! I cooked up an 8 pound turkey for Thanksgiving in my BS and I gave it the full 12 hours of cooking time.... low and slow.... My wife appreciates my devotion of getting up before dawn and getting the bird in the BS for supper that night. Anything bigger and you will need to throw the bird in the night before by my calculations. Re-filling the water dish will get you up a few times in the night. I was told not to go over an 8-9 pound bird as you want to make sure it cooks properly.... not sure how valid that advise was.

Had a family over on the Friday for our turkey cooked at 1 1/2 hours a pound and then the night after went to their farm for a deep fried turkey at 3 minutes a pound. We laughed at how we cooked a bird the slowest and the fastest in one weekend. Both birds were fabulous.

jb9 · November 07, 2005, 05:48:31 PM

I went with a $6, 12 lb bird and I have a hard time believing I could have gotten a better one, even if I sprung for the $34 one next to it.

I did a basic salt water brine, then put on a rub that was mainly brown sugar and salt. I let it dry out overnight in the fridge, then smoked it with 3 hours of pecan smoke. Another 3.5 hours without smoke and it was up to 165. I FTBB'd it (somehow, we don't have a cooler, so I used blankets and a laundry basket) for 3 hours and we had company over for dinner. I couldn't believe the texture or taste. I think it's the first turkey I've liked more without gravy. And it was so easy. It had about 4 ingredients.

Yesterday, I made soup out of the legs, thighs, wings, etc. My wife didn't care for the smoky taste in the soup. I thought it was ok. I wouldn't go out of my way to have it, but it'll be lunch for me all week. This will be the cheapest 5 lunches I've had in a long time.

This is how it looked right before I pulled it from the BS. Click for a bigger picture.

Oldman · November 08, 2005, 12:00:04 AM

Nice looking bird... I'm not into turkey but I might just have to try one... how long did you brine it for?

Thanks

Olds

jb9 · November 08, 2005, 12:09:11 AM

I was hoping to avoid that topic, as I didn't exactly do it "by the book." My turkey was frozen and I let it thaw for a day in the fridge. Then, I discovered the fridge was about 34F. Oh well, no time to spare, so I put my half thawed turkey in brine of 1 cup salt per gallon of water for about 24 hours. When I took it out of there, I still had frost in the body cavity, but the outer parts were well thawed and presumably brined. I poured out the bucket and rinsed the bird, then filled the bucket with fresh water and dunked it for a few minutes. The first time I brined a turkey I didn't rinse it ... at all. That was some damn salty turkey. I've heard of people soaking it in clean water for up to a half hour, but I don't really think it's necessary. A thorough rinse should be fine. I wouldn't have put it back in the bucket with clean water except our sink is tiny and it was too hard to rinse it in there.

No worries, though. I think it's hard to mess up brining too badly. It still had about the best texture I've seen. The only person who asked for a knife did it out of habit. No doubt that came from a combination of the brine and slow cooking in the BS. I've cooked a half dozen turkeys in regular ovens. I've brined them all and none has turned out poorly.

ListerD · November 08, 2005, 01:06:42 AM

Oh damn guys... my mouth is watering! [8D]

I was debating doing a smaller bird for T-Day just in case anyone wanted tot ry it (I know I do!).

jaeger · November 08, 2005, 04:40:59 AM

jb9,
Nice looking turkey! Well done![;)][:D][8D]

jb9 · November 08, 2005, 06:04:51 AM

Talk about mouth watering. I could barely stand by while it was resting. It was smelling up the house and I had to wait for my wife to come home. And I waited ... and waited ... seemed like forever. I recommend putting it in a bedroom and closing the door or it'll drive you crazy.

Thanks for the kudos, although I feel kind of weird taking much credit. It's not a secret family recipe or anything. It was my first try. I really give all the credit to the BS.