What did I do wrong???

[Bridger Brisket]

Would appreciate some advice on what I thought would be a simple smoked turkey.  This was my first attempt, which was adequate at best.  Skin (and even some of the meat) was like a rubber chicken.  That said, the majority of the breast and dark meat were quite juicy.  Clearly inconsistent and not what I expected.

Here's what I did:  Rubbed a 13lb. commercial turkey with Jan's Rub, covered and refrigerated overnight.  Took the turkey out of the fridge and let it sit at room temp while I brought the Bradley up to temp (220 F).  In went the turkey, and it smoked for 3 hrs.  Took from smoker, put in a roasting pan, and put in a 325 F over.  Cooked for another hour or so, until internal temp was 165 - 170 (slightly higher than I wanted, but thought it was still OK).  I did not FTC, but tented with foil for 30-45 mins while the rest of the fixins finished.

I smoked a couple chickens this same way (albeit the timings were different) and they were perfection.  I'm figuring too much time or heat in the smoker, but would really appreciate some expert advice.

[KyNola]

Smoking poultry in a smoker for an extended period of time will yield rubbery skin nearly every time.  Your smoking/cooking procedure was exactly right with the exception of not exposing the skin to a higher heat for the last 15 minutes or so to crisp up the skin.  Sounds like other than rubbery skin(which is normal) you got a good smoked turkey with moist meat.

[standles]

Poultry I either finish in oven or on grill if I want the skin crispy.   

While it appears you got good moist meat, search around here and try brineing it first next time.   I always prefer a Brine  poultry.

[Redneckinthecity]

Agree with what's been said.  One additional way to avoid the rubber skin is a smo-fried turkey, where after smoking (I cold smoke for for just an hour or so) I deep fry the turkey.

It is admittedly a lot of work, and maybe using a big easy fryer would eliminate the expense and hassle of oil, but I've not tried it.

[smoker pete]

Skin (and even some of the meat) was like a rubber chicken.  That said, the majority of the breast and dark meat were quite juicy.  Clearly inconsistent and not what I expected.

I see nothing wrong with your procedure.  As everyone said ... the rubbery skin is a given and if you don't eat the skin like many of us these days it's not a big deal.  Crisping the skin at the end can be achieved by a higher temps, a grill, etc.

But some of the meat being rubbery (like a rubber chicken) is what caught my attention.  Was the rubbery meat by the breast bone?  I have gotten similar results before and IMHO it was a result of not being fully cooked down to the bone.

That's why I have chosen to take my breast IT to 170ºF.  Your 165ºF - 170ºF is spot on with the IT in the breast.  Could be the placement of your probe.  Or the probe itself ... have you checked the calibration of the probe?  I now always double check my temperatures with a Thermapen digital thermometer in several spots including the legs and thighs which should be 180ºF.

[Bridger Brisket]

Thanks for the advice, all.  Could well be the thermometer I used to check other spots.  It's an old instant read dial-type.  Didn't even consider that one--Cheers Smoker Pete.