I don't know anything about your particular brand of smoker. I just have a Big Chief.

Can you possibly smoke it and partially cook it, then transfer to the oven (tent with foil to slow down additional browning) to avoid it getting too dark?

If a smaller bird was too dark, a larger one will only exacerbate the problem and you don't want to experiment on a "presentation day" like Thanksgiving I wouldn't think.

I've done other meats this way to get a nice smoky flavor and then cook to our preference.

Be sure to let us know how it works out! Pictures???

Deanna

I am in the middle of converting my smoker to digital temperature control, so I will not be smoking for a while.

If you think a 20 lb bird is too big, can you cut it in half?

May be that would fit better.

dcarch

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. :-)

Some friends of mine smoke a turkey every year for the annual picnic. It's always great but I like turkey. I don't find it to have a lot of smoky flavor that I would like to have. But then, I don't find many "smoked hams" to have much smoky flavor either. I like a lot of smoke flavor! I'd like to try smoking one myself sometime.

"---Our current plan is to try 225 and use less wood. Can anyone comment on any of this? ---"

Once the inside air temperature of the smoker reaches above 212 F, it makes no difference if it is 213 F or 600 F to the meat. The moisture of the meat will prevent the temperature from going above 212 F.

212 F is a constant of water boiling point, and the thermal conductivity of the meat is also a constant.

The temperature above 212 F only effect how fast the outside gets burnt.

dcarch

Cynic - The smoky flavor was fabulous! We used a mixture of Oak, Hickory and Apple because that's the bag that was sitting next to the smoker when we bought it! Since we will be smoking 2 more birds - I want to try one with just apple and the second using the mix again.

I also added the smoky juice from the bird to my pre-made gravy. I'm not sure if this was a good idea or not! It gave the gravy a lovely smoky flavor - but can one have too much smoky flavor? Do you think I should have left my gravy alone?

Dcarch - Really? I'm not sure I understand - but I'll chew on it a while. Thanks!

Yes, sometimes it is difficult to understand why high heat will not really cook meat faster.

Take a look at this classic physics experimemt, you can even boil water in a paper cup. The water prevents the temperature going higher than 212 F.

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful: boiling water

Wondering is anyone frying a turkey? I am sure one will be on the table where I will be, as well as one in the oven for gravy and stuffing.
Fried turkey is the best!! really wonderful!
And if you are careful.....no need to set the garage on fire...;-Q