Whole Turkey

Fuzzybear · March 21, 2004, 07:33:43 PM

Anyone do a whole bird?

If so, I'm ready to read....if not, I'll try next weekend..........

Thanks!

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

Fuzzybear · March 27, 2004, 02:39:10 AM

Howdy doody kids (Kirk: The Blue Sapphire is working well![:o)])

Since we've got no repsone here, I'm assuming I'm the tester, victim, or whatever!.[:D](someone has to start, right???[?])

Here's my game plan:

Rubbed the 14 pounder buzzard with: Margarine (brown skin) then sprinkled liberally - "Kroger Grilltime Chicken Seasoning" (garlic/salt/onion/black pepper/sage/thyme/romemary/red pepper/parsley/orange peel/ paprika/ green bell pepper)[:p]

It is sitting in the fridge...tomorrow, I will preheat the Bradley to 235 starting at 5:00 a.m. pst and place the buzzard in around 6 a.m. pst.I will attempt to maintain that temperature (235) throughout the smoking process. I expect this to take somewhere between 10 and 14 hours...
I will be using 20 apple pucks (6 hours 40 minutes) and 2 bubba pucks...

Bassman: I just got my Maverick thermo[:D]....I will place it in the thick part of the thigh shooting for 180 degrees there. I will place another in the breast and see where the temp is when the thigh reaches 180 - I expect 165 degrees in the breast.

Once done, I will repost and let you guys know how long (along with pictures). I will let sit for 20 - 30 minutes, then cover in foil and place in the fridge for consumption on Sunday at 6:00 pm pst. Another posting will follow the taste test![:p]

I'm askeered but will go forward...what the heck, if it gets ruined, there's always the burger joint around the corner![;)]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

Bassman · March 27, 2004, 02:26:33 PM

Fuzzy,sounds like you have a plan,good luck with your new thermo.Just so you know only the pointed probe goes into the meat. the other goes thru the holes in the bracket which clips on a rack.Once you get use to it you will wonder how you ever got along without it.[:)]Looking forward to pics.

Jack

Fuzzybear · March 27, 2004, 03:02:38 PM

Yeah, got it under control Jack....things are going smoothly as of this writing. I am keeping a very detailed record every half hour as to breast temp/thigh temp/bradley temp/outside temp....since this is the first, we've got to have a benchmark somewhere for others!!

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

Cold Smoke · March 27, 2004, 03:39:33 PM

You da man Fuzzy! One for the team!

I don't think I'll be able to keep as close an eye on mine as I'm thinking of tossing the bird in the BS somewhere around midnite. Or maybe I should find a jug of that Blue Sapphire stuff, a good lawnchair, set up by the smoker and serenade the bird all night[?]....

Cold Smoke

Fuzzybear · March 27, 2004, 10:54:53 PM

Ok kids...here it is!
But first, let me tell you about the smoke/time/temp etc....are you hungry yet? Hmmmmmmmmmm?????[?][?][?][?][?]

Fired up Mr. Bradley's namesake at 5:00a.m. pst...45 minutes later it was 249 degrees. In the interim, I pulled the buzzard outta the fridge about 4:50a.m to let it come up a bit in temp...

Placed Mr. Buzzard in at 5:00 a.m.,(breast up) inserted a probe into the thigh, one into the breast and one to measure the oven temp...

Time: Outside Temp: Breast Temp: Thigh Temp: B.S.Temp:

6:00 56 41 45 165
(temp fell when I opened up the door, loaded the bird and closed it)
6:30 56 53 56 198
7:00 57 78 87 215
7:30 59 100 107 227
8:00 60 114 128 232
8:30 60 129 140 239
9:00 60/86 (in sun) 141 153 233
9:30 61/87 156 166 237..
can you see where this is going yet?[8D]
10:00 62/88 158 168 239
10:30 64/82 165 171 234
11:00 66/74 (in shade) 168 171 229
(opened the door to check the water level in the bowl)
11:30 68/72 172 173 236
12:00 69/75 176 177 238
12:30 70/74 177 180 ding! 238

It took 6 1/2 hours to do a 13.81 pound turkey! Holy Cow, I was expecting all day!

Bassman and all the others who bought the Maverick - it worked great - Kirk: The Bradley thermometer was within 2 degrees of the digital Maverick - I guess I actually got a good one![:)]

Still hungry?[:p] Here's my baby![:D] Not tatsted yet, will place in fridge and have for dinner tomorrow with company....[:p]

6 hours of smoke - apple wood

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

trout · March 28, 2004, 02:37:16 AM

Looks great Fuzzy. I have smoked chicken whole before, but never tried the turkey. Don't forget to fill us in on how long you applied smoke and what type of wood. Yummmmmmmmmmm[:D]

Let your trout go and smoke a salmon instead.

Oldman · March 28, 2004, 03:44:04 PM

Looks good and your advise I'm looking forward to.

Next, has anyone here tried a Capone instead of a chicken or turkey?
Olds

EDIT: Removed Sig-pic.

Chez Bubba · March 29, 2004, 12:45:50 AM

[:p][:p][:p]

Don't you dare peel that skin off & throw it away! There are about a thousand other ways to reduce the fat in your diet & that ain't one of them!

[:p][:p][8D]

http://www.chezbubba.com
Ya think next time I check into a hotel & they ask "Smoking or Non?" they would mind?

Fuzzybear · March 29, 2004, 01:14:58 AM

Actually Kirk, in about 45 minutes, I'll be (dang juniper juice! had to edit to add a word!) sitting down to eat (5:15 pm, California time right now) and I will sneak some skin for sure! [:p]

I'm really hoping it's not all dried out![xx(]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

Fuzzybear · March 29, 2004, 02:30:15 AM

Ok smokers..I've now partaken of the feast and althought it was delicious, there are two alternate ways I would produce this in the future:

1. Take off the buzzard at 175 in the thigh
2. Maybe cook it longer at a lower Bradley temp. either way, I would not do the S & S thing at 180 degrees - the dark meat was great, the breast was great although just (very slightly) a tad dry to my liking - if you like it oozing juice,[:p] definetely (juniper juice again as affected my spelling, sorry)[:o)] take it off at a lower temp and let it come up via the resting period.[:p]

But, it was not overcooked and I have to stress that for all folk who may run skeered of botulism....[xx(]

Kirk: The skin was fire and smoke for sure and it was delicious - it was not an experiment that went awry!

KEEP ON SMOKIN'![:p]

"A mans got to know his limitations"
Glendora, CA - USA!

MallardWacker · March 30, 2004, 03:11:51 PM

Fuzz, I am proud of you man, simply great!

SmokeOn,

mski
Perryville, Arkansas
Wooo-Pig-Soooie

If a man says he knows anything at all, he knows nothing what he aught to know. But...

Cold Smoke · March 30, 2004, 05:56:53 PM

My bird looked very similar to Fuzzy's. It turned out real nice.[^] I smoked it for approx 7 hrs at approx 200-225 using a combo of apple/hickory (smoked for 3 hrs). I let it cool prior to eating the next day- tossed the skin- no good if not eaten hot out of the smoker. I used a recipe out of S & S- I pulled it once breast hit 160- still very juicy- even the next day. I was hoping that there was more juice produced during the smoke/cooking so that I could make some gravy- but there was very little. I did not inject the bird the way the recipe called for but will try that next time. The outside breast had a lot more flavor that the meat closer to the bone.

All in all- good stuff- looking forward to leftovers!

Cold Smoke

PAsmoker · March 31, 2004, 05:42:22 PM

I've done quite a few whole turkeys on my charcoal offset-box smoker. This past week I finally did one in the BS. I feel like the only way to go is to brine the bird before smoking. They always come out juicy. i usually pull at about 160 in the breast. In the brine I like to use salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, bay leaves, and 1/2 to 3/4oz of liquid maple extract. I've even added pickeling spices at times. I think the maple extract adds a nice flavor. Just make sure to rinse off your bird.

Curtis Jackson · April 11, 2004, 12:03:00 AM

Just did my first whole turkey.

Started with a 13-lb. organic bird. Brined for about 16 hours; used a double helping of everything called for here:

http://www.weber.com/bbq/pub/recipe/view.aspx?c=poultry&r=229

in 2 gallons of water (I need a smaller brining container!)

Rinsed the bird inside and out, coated with lemon-infused olive oil, and put her in a cold (i.e., not preheated) smoker loaded with a dozen cherry bisquettes, a pan full of boiling water, and the bird hooked up with my Maverick remote smoker thermometer.

It took 1.5 hours to get the smoker up to 225 degrees, and then I kept it between 220 and 230 for the next 3 hours. Then, with all the smoke finished, I cranked up the heat, but could not get the smoker above 235 degrees (and it is 88F in the shade here today!), so I ended up finishing it in the oven at 325 for about 15-20 minutes. I took the thigh all the way to 180 degrees.

Total cooking time: About 5.5 hours, including both the smoker warmup and the last bit in the oven.

Smoke: A little over 4 hours, the first 4 hours, all cherry.

Results:

The skin ended up paper-thin, rubbery, and split in a few places during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Not sure why that was. The color was beautiful.

The meat, though, oh man. Perfection. And very moist and juicy, even the breast meat, and despite my cooking all the way until the inner thigh was 180. I am definitely sold on brining for that reason alone.

I am also sold on the Maverick thermometer. My living room (and TV, and laptop) are just far enough away from the pool deck where I smoke that reception is a little dicey, but once I get a signal in a given spot, I always continue to get signal there.

ONE WORD OF CAUTION: Always measure the temp of your bird in more than one place. At one point I double-checked the Maverick with a good accurate thermometer I've calibrated. The Maverick was dead-on in one thigh at 171 degrees, but I measured the other thigh in exactly the same relative place, same depth, and it was only 154 degrees. Don't assume that if one place shows the correct temp, then the whole bird is safe.

Curtis Jackson
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