Smoked Turkey

15 years ago

I love Smoked Turkey but I have never prepared one. We have a gas (Infrared) grill. But I am open to the idea of buying a smoker too.

I was hoping for some good pointers on how to smoke a Turkey on the grill or which smoker to purchase if that is significantly superior. What chips should I buy?

I'm thinking of buying the Turkey from Trader Joe's as it is Kosher and therefore already brined. Is this a good idea?

Thanks!

Jeri

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Comments (8)

jimster
15 years ago
I have had good success smoking turkeys in a small, inexpensive, water pot type smoker.

A crucial step is brining and drying the skin to form the pellicle. Prior to brining and drying, the skin is thick and soft and has a layer of moist fat under it. Brining draws moisture out of that layer. After drying, the skin is thin, translucent and parchment-like, with a layer of fat under it which absorbs the smoky flavor. Drying can be speeded by placing the wiped off turkey in front of a fan for an hour or so.

IMO, the type of wood chips is the least important factor. I'm sure some will disagree.

The great thing about smoking your own turkey is that turkeys can be bought at ridiculously low prices at certain times. Smoking adds a lot of value. If you get a smoker, be sure to smoke salmon fillets too, and remember to create a pellicle. The oiliness of smoked salmon is from the fish itself. No oil is added.

Jim
kframe19
15 years ago
To a point, I agree that the kind of wood really isn't important.

That point is to NEVER EVER use a soft wood like pine. You'll end up with a creosote turkey, and that's not Good Eats.

Always use either a fruit wood, like apple, cherry, orange, hickory, or a hardwood like maple. Corn cobs also make nice smoke, as do some herbs.

The bird won't be on the smoke nearly long enough for the differences in wood flavors to really develop.

As for the brine, if at all possible, buy an all natural turkey. Brining one that has been treated with "flavor enhancer," which is just another name for salt water, will give you a horrifically salty turkey. Additionally, the meat will tend to take on a rather spongy, unpleasant texture.

NEVER EVER try to brine a Butterball turkey. In fact, NEVER EVER buy a Butterball! Disgusting...
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You can boil them and that will take out some of the salt. But since they are already cooked, They might be a little dry after boiling them again. You might try just soaking them in some warm water, and that will also remove some of the salt and smoke.
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Sharon, Elery says to be sure you brine it, it'll be delicious! He still uses the smoker, but he's been playing with the new grill. My little $59 gas grill that I bought a couple of years ago finally gave up the ghost, although I think I got my money's worth out of it. Since Elery's house was for sale, he didn't replace his old gas grill either, somehow it seems that a gas grill, no matter the price, lasts about 5 years before it rusts, the burners need replacement, whatever. So, Elery had to decide whether he wanted a gas grill or a charcoal grill. He looked at the Big Green Egg but it's heavy, can't be easily moved around, costs nearly a grand. The imitators are a few hundred less, but still costly. On one of the BBQ forums, he found this: They were first made in Arkansas in the early 1950s and some posters still had the original models, they say they'll last a lifetime. Elery loves it. He uses a hardwood charcoal that we get locally and a chimney starter so no lighter fluid is necessary. It's light enough to move into the garage with the door open if it rains and we can keep it out of the weather. Elery really thinks we should have let the turkey go another hour, it would have been more tender, but it's the first time we've done a whole turkey and it was too cumbersome for the smoker. I thought it was perfect. Lars, that garlic bread looks delicious, what a great idea, I'll definitely do that next time. Elery says we need a cookoff, you can come and visit us when we get the farmhouse done, you can bring Kevin along and finally get to visit Michigan! It was nicely smokey, not overpowering but still a very definite smoke. Elery says you could easily do it partially in the smoker too. Anyone leaning toward doing it (you listening, c?) should definitely give it a try, it was fairly simple and delicious, and gives you lots of leftover turkey. Islay, I don't think it travels THAT well, LOL, you may have to come along too. dcarch, gotta do something with all those garlic scapes, they're really good flavored with smoked turkey. Yeah, I'm a lucky girl.... Annie
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I read on one of the BBQ sites that if the skin is too dark, then I was using too much smoke. I must say - the smoke was *pouring* out the vent in the top! LOL - I bet my whole neighborhood had their mouth's watering! We cooked it at 275 and it was done in about 4 hours - much faster than we expected. Dinner was 3 hours away, so we wrapped it in foil, turned it breast side down, and let it sit on the counter until dinnertime. It was still plenty hot 3 hours later!!! Our current plan is to try 225 and use less wood. Can anyone comment on any of this? We had thought about cutting the bird up since we will not be "presenting" a whole bird at the table. That way, we can monitor the white meat separately from the dark and pull each when ready. Thoughts on this? I'm trying to keep the oven free for the side dishes. :-)
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If you really want to be adventurous, use it as a basis for a turkey and andouille gumbo. Assuming the turkey is about 8 pounds, and assuming you know how to make stock, here's how to do it: 1 smoked turkey, about 8# 2 to 3 lbs andouille sausage (see notes) cut into 1/2" 'coins' 1 lb baked ham, diced (see notes) 2 bell pepper, chopped 2 bunch green onions, chopped 4 cups onions, chopped 4 qt turkey stock (made from the carcass--see notes) or water 2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground 4 tbsp chopped parsley 2 tbsp minced garlic 1 tsp cayenne 3 tsp thyme 6 bay leaves Flour vegetable oil Salt Gumbo FilÃ© Remove the skin from the turkey (save it) and carve the turkey. Save the meat. Take the carcass and skin and make stock. (Use a couple of onions, a few ribs of celery and some fresh parsley, about 6 qts water, DON'T ADD SALT, simmer for hours, strain; don't bother defatting because you will defat the gumbo later) Have all the vegetables prepped and chopped before starting the roux. To make the roux: in a large 8-cup pyrex measure or microwaveable glass bowl, use 2 cups oil and 2 cups flour. Put it in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. ItÂll bubble and froth. Stir it well, nuke it again for 2 minutes. Stir. Nuke again for 1 minute. Stir. Repeat the nuke/stir cycles, 30 seconds at a time, until it turns medium brown (about the color of peanut butter) At that point throw in some of the chopped vegetables to arrest the browning. ItÂll steam (be careful). Mix well. Put the roux and the rest of the vegetables in the bottom of a stock pot, mix well, add a little of the stock and mix again; then add the sausage, ham, all the seasonings except for salt and file powder, and the rest of the stock. Simmer for about 30 minutes. The oil from the roux and the sausage will rise to the top; ladle it off and discard. During this time, make some rice. Add the reserved turkey meat, simmer for another 10-15 minutes. Degrease the dish again. If the gumbo is too thick, you can add more stock or water. Add salt if needed (but you probably wonÂt need it, because there's salt from the turkey stock and the sausage). Serve over boiled rice. Each diner may wish to add Â¼ to Â½ tsp of gumbo filÃ© to his dish, and adjust the level of spiciness with Tabasco. Notes on ingredients: Andouille is a rich and spicy smoked sausage. Acceptable substitutes are kielbasa or smoked sausage. DonÂt use low-fat turkey sausageÂitÂll taste like hot dogs. Ham: get a chunk from the deli and cut it into Â½ inch dice. Gumbo filÃ© is powdered sassafras leaves; it thickens the broth and gives an herbal touch. Chicken Stock: If you donÂt want to make stock, you can use canned stock but that can make the dish salty. Half canned stock and half water is okay. ItÂll even taste good if you use 100% water instead of stock, but stock makes it richer.
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jimster
15 years ago
We're in agreement on woods for smoking. Thanks for elaborating on it.

Good point on treated turkeys. I hadn't thought of those. You need a plain turkey.

Jim
kframe19
15 years ago
I smoked a turkey some years ago for a friends' holiday party.

It was, IIRC, about 16 pounds, a pretty large one. I didn't know any better at that time, so I didn't brine it, but it was nice and moist.

The people at the party absolutely devoured it. I hadn't held any back for me at home. I wish I had.
metaxa
15 years ago
I agree with the above except to say that a mild wood like apple or alder will give you a mild smoke. Hickory or mesquite will give you a bit more in your face smoke.

I prefer alder and pin cherry, two weed trees around here.

And I split any chicken or turkey I'm smoking. Gets you way more surface area to get that smoke into/onto. Simple to do, just cut down both sides of the backbone, remove and flatten the bird. You will hear the breastbone crack. Plus a 2D bird smokes faster than a 3D bird.

Lastly, properly smoked you will get what is called a smoke ring in the flesh. That can be fairly pink. Do not check to see if its done via sight, use a thermometer. The pink will be right under the skin, not at the inner bones.

Tough to do easily on a gas grill as they are too hot. The inexpensive water smokers or the vertical propane smokers sold in hardware stores work real well and most of them have a recipe book that includes a bird method. And aren't too expensive either.

You must know, also, that once you get into smoking stuff there is no going back. Its like owning a boat...bigger, better, more. I had four smokers rattling around my yard at one point. Now I'm down to two, plus grills.
jimster
15 years ago
"I prefer alder and pin cherry, two weed trees around here."

That brings up another point. It's not necessary to spend money on those fancy little bags of wood chips sold for the purpose. And the wood doesn't need to be of lumber quality. You're just going to burn it up. It doesn't even need to be dry. It's better if it isn't. So just find some trimmings or waste from one of the suitable species and use a saw or axe to make chips. Easy.

Jim
caliloo
15 years ago
My preference has been to go to our local orchards when they are pruning the peach and apple teres and they let me have some trimmimngs for free.

Alexa
metaxa
15 years ago
Those little bags are pricey, about $4.00 up here, and the stuff inside is too small. You only want sawdust if you are layering it on a concrete floor of a purpose built smokehouse.

Chips and chunks can be made with a hatchet very easily. Chip away at green wood because its easier than seasoned wood and then let it dry out in the shed or whatever.

I don't soak or wet my chips either, doesn't do anything insofar as I can tell.

I go to the vineyards and grab grape vine trimmings...those smoke local oysters very nicely.

Smoked Turkey

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jimster

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