Justin A. Parr - Technologist

I get asked about this all the time, so here are some instructions and tips

Note:  All temperatures are in degrees Fahrenheit.

 

Selecting and Preparing the Turkey

– Cook two smaller turkeys, instead of one big one.  This requires less cooking time, there is slightly more dark meat (as well as four drumsticks instead of two), each smaller bird is easier to manipulate than one big one.  Also, “leftovers” are a lot easier, since you will probably have a fractional part of one SMALL bird to deal with instead of one LARGE one.

– Don’t stuff the turkey.  Stuffing makes it extremely difficult to bring the core up to the 165-degree minimum safe temperature.  The stuffing will cook unevenly, the breast will be dry, and you could inadvertently kill someone with salmonella poisoning.  Cook the stuffing separately.
http://www.foodsafety.gov/keep/charts/mintemp.html

– Don’t brine, rub.  Make a salt-based dry rub.  I usually apply mine at the time I put the bird in the smoker, but some people apply a dry rub up to 2 days in advance.  Pepper, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, rosemary, chilli powder, fennel, citrus zest, and red pepper flakes are all good dry rub ingredients — a good rule of thumb for a poultry rub is 1/2 salt, 1/2 “everything else”, to your liking.

Example dry rub:
— 1/4 cup salt
— 1 Tbsp  ground pepper
— 1 Tbsp paprika
— 1 tsp  garlic powder
— 1 tsp onion powder
— 2 tsp rosemary
— 2 tsp chilli powder

This is 1/2 cup total — plenty for one large or two small birds.  Adjust to your liking.

– DO NOT USE SUGAR – SUGAR WILL JUST BURN.

– Do not use Jelly.  Jelly is made with sugar, and sugar will burn.

– YES, you CAN cook fully frozen.  Add 4 hours to the timeline for a large bird, 2 for a smaller bird.  Cut the time in half, for half-defrosted, etc…  There is a myth that you must defrost the turkey before cooking — although more convenient, there is NO DANGER of contamination.  YES, it will take longer, but not much longer.  Smoking is a much longer process than cooking, meaning, that you are already committed to a much longer timeline than just throwing it in the oven.  Defrosting on the smoker only takes a few hours, which is a relatively small portion of the overall timeline.

– Do not rub with butter.  Butter has a lot of water in it, which is bad.  Moist meat doesn’t have water in it — moist meat has fat in it.  Water turns to steam and evaporates, so you want to draw out as much water as possible BEFORE you cook, and then ensure that the meat will soak up as much fat as possible.  Instead of butter, use a light coating of olive oil.

– Cook breast-side down.  This allows fat from the darker back meat to drip down through the bird, and in to the breasts.  This is probably the biggest trick to keeping the turkey moist while smoking.

– Example Turkey Preparation Instructions:

— Put the bird in front of you, breast-side-up

— If there is a turkey timer (small plastic insert) in one of the breasts, remove it and discard, as they are useless.

— If the turkey came with any kind of butter or other seasoning packet, or any kind of glaze, discard them.

— If thawed, remove the neck and gizzards.  If frozen, leave “as-is” until the bird is melted enough to remove the gizzards (it will be thawed 2-3 hours after you put it on the smoker)

— Splash with some balsamic vinegar

— Coat with a light coating of olive oil

— Apply a liberal coat of dry rub.

— FLIP THE BIRD (breast-side-down)

— Splash the back with balsamic vinegar

— Coat with a light coating of olive oil

— Apply a liberal coat of dry rub

— COOK BREAST-SIDE DOWN (See above)

 

Stuffing and Sides

If you have room, you can cook stuffing and other sides on the grill, in the last 2 to 3 hours of cook time (See below for an explanation of the timeline).

– Cook stuffing separate.  DO NOT COOK STUFFING INSIDE THE TURKEY.  This can lead to bacteria leaking in to the stuffing, and you could kill someone.

– Use glassware or an aluminum pan.  A better option is to use a glassware (Pyrex or Corningware) casserole dish, or disposable aluminum pan.  Cooking on a grill or smoker can result in glassware becoming discolored due to the heat and smoke.  Although it can be cleaned, getting glassware clear again after grilling can be difficult.  If you either don’t care, or plan to have a separate set of glassware for grilling, glassware is the best option.   A good alternate option is to use a disposable aluminum pan.  These can be purchased individually or in bulk, in several sizes, inexpensively.

– Smoke flavor.  To add some smoke flavor, leave the stuffing or other dish uncovered for all or part of its cook time.  To avoid smoke flavor (cook or reheat normally), just cover with a glass lid or aluminum foil.

Sides that go well with smoke:
— Green beans
— Beans
— Stuffing (light smoke)
— Potatoes (light smoke)
— Most meat dishes
— Some cheese casseroles, such as macaroni and cheese (light smoke)

 

Selecting the Wood

Note that all of this information is relative to what you can obtain commercially in Dallas, TX.  Tips about varieties of wood, or good sources of cooking wood are greatly appreciated.

– Stick with specific varieties.  Don’t burn generic “fire wood”, that may contain harmful oils and chemicals.  Do not cook with pine!

– Don’t burn moldy, mildewed, or rotted wood.  Self-explanatory.

– Select a sweet, flavorful wood.  In general, mesquite, hickory, oak, pecan, apple, and cherry are all good cooking woods.  For cooking turkey, in order of preference, I prefer:

— Option 1:  Cherry – very sweet smoke, goes very well with poultry.  Cherry is somewhat difficult to get in logs, but can be obtained in chunks.

— Option 2:  Apple – almost as sweet as cherry, goes very well with everything.  Apple is available in chunks and logs, but logs can be expensive.

— Option 3:  Pecan – when burned correctly, produces a light, sweet smoke, and goes very well with everything, especially beef.  Pecan is cheap, and easy to obtain in chunks and logs.

– Get a variety of woods.  If you plan to use apple or cherry, these can be more expensive than pecan.  You can heat up the cooking chamber with oak or pecan.  Likewise, if you have some last minute sides to prepare, pecan can be used to finish.

– Wood burns hotter than charcoal.  In a water smoker, charcoal is adequate to heat up the cooking chamber.  Wood should be soaked in water (at least 24 hours soak time), because the wood will burn too quickly, and the cooking chamber will get too hot.  In an offset smoker, you probably need wood logs or chunks just to get the cooking chamber up to temperature.

– If you start frozen, the turkey won’t absorb any smoke flavor until it starts to thaw (perhaps 1/2 hour to 1 hour after starting).  This might help you plan what wood to use, accordingly — for example, you could start with pecan, then switch to apple or cherry after the first hour.

 

Preparing the Water Pan

– Smoke greatly reduces humidity.  Using a water pan greatly increases humidity while cooking, and can be used to infuse flavor.  In a water smoker, the water pan is absolutely required, in order to regulate temperature and deflect direct heat.

– Don’t cook with tap water.  Ever.  Use filtered or distilled water.  If your water smells bad, your food will taste bad.  There is fluoride in tap water (and depending on your location, sulfur) and other impurities that will be absorbed in to the turkey.   The same applies to your potatoes and other side dishes — they will all taste much better without the “benefit” of tap water.  You can get a cheap $20 water filter pitcher that uses replaceable filters — if you don’t have a tap water filter, this is well worth the investment.

– If you start frozen, the turkey won’t absorb any flavor until it starts to defrost — approximately 1/2 hour to 1 hour after you start.  In this case, start with just plain (filtered!) water.

– Add alcohol to the water pan.  The following alcoholic beverages and distilled spirits can be added to the water pan to greatly enhance flavor.  Alcohol evaporates at about 160 degrees, much lower than water, and is easily absorbed in to the meat.

— Fruit-flavor-infused vodka.  Don’t use plain vodka — plain vodka has no flavor, and won’t add anything to the taste of the meat.
— Brandy.  Brandy is distilled fruit wine.
— Bourbon.  Enough said.
— Beer.  Use something you like to drink.  Don’t use cheap beer (unless you like to drink cheap beer).  Lagers work well (most American beers are lagers), as do red / brown ales.  Stouts have a really intense flavor that might not go well with the delicate flavor of the turkey.
— Wine.  Use something you like to drink.  Tend toward something blush or light red, and fruity.  White Zinfandel and white Merlot both work well.

A good rule of thumb is to add 1/3 alcohol to water.

– Add spices such as cloves and pepper to the water pan.

 

A Word on Smokers

There are four major types of smokers.

– Electric / smokers.  Electric smokers use an electric heating element, like an electric oven.  Smoke flavor is added by burning a small amount of wood chips.  This type of device is more of an oven.  If you want to cook in an oven, use an oven with liquid smoke, rather than purchase an expensive electric smoker.  This type of device will not be discussed.

– Pellet smokers.  Pellet smokers use a timed device to periodically inject compressed pellets or discs (consisting of compressed wood shavings or sawdust) in to a burner, thereby closely regulating the temperature, while maintaining appropriate levels of smoke.  “Pellets” and “discs” are available in a wide variety of woods.  I’m sure these devices are great, but I have no personal experience with them, so they won’t be discussed.

– Water (vertical) smokers.  This type of smoker has a fire pan at the bottom, a water pan above it, and one or more cooking racks above the water pan.  The water pan is used to regulate the cooking temperature, and deflect direct heat from the fire pan (creating indirect heat).  You can obtain an inexpensive water smoker for about $60, and requires much less knowledge and experience than an offset smoker, making it a good beginner-level smoker.  In addition, water smokers require very little maintenance, and last a very long time without rusting.  Vertical water smokers don’t have much cooking surface area, but some have multiple racks that can be stacked inside the cooking chamber.  Even a low-end vertical water smoker has enough room for a 20 lb. turkey, or a small brisket.  Don’t expect to smoke a big brisket or a whole rack of ribs without some cutting or twisting involved.

– Offset smokers.  Offset smokers have a fire box on one side, coupled to a cooking chamber, with a smoke stack on the opposite end.  Offset smokers are higher-end, and require more experience and knowledge to operate.  Offset smokers range from $200 for a low-end model, and up.  Offset smokers offer a greater cooking surface area, and can be used in most weather conditions (except heavy rain) and temperature ranges.  Offset smokers are generally preferred by “professional” pitmasters, but require more maintenance, and you must have some knowledge of your smoker in order to use it… meaning, you WILL cook some awful meals while you “learn” your smoker.  Better quality offset smokers require less maintenance, are made from more durable materials (such as thicker metal), hold a more steady temperature, and are larger.  Some offset smokers are built on top of trucks or trailers, and might be large enough to cook 20 turkeys!

– Reverse-flow smokers are a type of offset smoker.  Reverse-flow smokers have a path from the fire box, where the smoke cools and the temperature drops, then the exhaust doubles back at the end of the smoker before passing over the food being cooked.  Reverse-flow smokers are better suited to cold smoking — a process that adds smoke flavor, curing the meat without really cooking it.  Although this type of smoker is great for making sausage and jerky, the goal is to cook the turkey, thus we won’t be discussing reverse-flow smokers.  Reverse-flow smokers look like an offset smoker, except that the fire box and smoke stack are on the same side.  In a standard offset smoker, the fire box and smoke stack are on opposite sides of the main cooking chamber.

– Brinkmann’s “Smoke’N Grill”, a vertical water smoker, makes an excellent starter smoker:
http://www.brinkmann.net/products/details.aspx?item=810-5301-C
These typically sell for about $60, and can be purchased at most hardware stores, department stores, and sporting goods stores.

 – Brinkmann’s “Smoke’N Pitt” is a decent entry-level offset smoker for occasional / light use:
http://www.brinkmann.net/products/details.aspx?item=810-3045-S
Home Depot sells this for about $180.  This was my first offset smoker (a hand-me-down from my father-in-law), which I had for quite a few years before it finally rusted through.

– Oklahoma Joe’s “Longhorn” is what I have today.  This is sold under the Charbroil label, available at some retail stores for about $500, but worth every penny.
http://www.charbroil.com/oklahoma-joe-s-longhorn-offset-smoker.html

– We will be discussing both water (vertical) and offset smokers.

Setting Up a Water (Vertical) Smoker

If you are using an offset smoker, skip this section and see below.

For this section, I’m assuming the use of a Brinkmann “Smoke’n Grill” or similar, where there is a fire pan at the bottom, a water pan immediately above, followed by a cooking rack, a second cooking rack near the top, and a domed lid.

– Use mostly charcoal, with soaked wood chunks.  This type of smoker doesn’t have room for big wood logs.  Further, charcoal maintains a steady, even temperature.  The best approach is to cook with charcoal, and use water-soaked wood chunks for flavored smoke.  (See above, “Selecting the Wood”).  You’ll need one big (20 lb) bag of charcoal, but because your fuel consumption rate may vary, have a 2nd bag on standby.  I prefer Kingsford, but any standard charcoal will work.  Don’t get fancy, but don’t go cheap.  The store brand of charcoal is packed too dense, and won’t burn hot enough.  “Fancy” charcoal, such as flavored or “natural wood” charcoal, won’t add anything.  You can add all the flavors you want with a combination of wood chunks and a properly prepared water pan.  (See below, “Preparing the Water Pan”)

– Soak the wood chunks.  Soak wood chunks for about a day (24+ hours) prior to cooking.  The easiest way to do this is to use gallon freezer bags.  Every smoker is different, and other factors such as altitude, temperature, and humidity affect the total amount of fuel required (rate of fuel consumption), but 2 x 1 gallon bags of chunks should be more than sufficient.

– Plan ahead.  You will need to add water to the water pan, and charcoal / wood to the fire pan.  There is a small access door, which is wholly impractical for adding water due to the location, and only marginally practical for adding charcoal.  This means that you will need to completely disassemble and reassemble the smoker at least twice, maybe three times.

– You need a large, steady, clean, heat-resistant work surface, to set the cooking grid while you add water, or perhaps the grid and the water pan, while you add charcoal.  One approach is to set out some baking trays or multiple trivets on an outdoor table or folding table.

–  You need a fire poker, small fireplace shovel, or other tool for manipulating the charcoal and wood chunks.  The fire pan is really hot, and you need a way to move stuff around in there, without touching it directly.  I use a fireplace shovel, and an old pair of long-handled tongs.

– Pro tip: Remove the clips for the fire pan.  Remove the lid, cooking grids, water pan, and fire pan.  Remove the clips where the fire pan normally sits.  Measure the height from the bottom of your fire pan to the ground, and use a brick or paver stone to hold it at the correct height.  When cooking, this allows you to pick up the entire assembly by the side handles (minus the floating fire pan) and set it to the side, in order to add charcoal, stoke the fire, add wood, etc…  When done, simply pick up the entire assembly and set it back down on top of the fire pan (which is “floating” on a brick or paver stone).  This will save you a ton of time and grief, compared to either disassembling the smoker to add charcoal, or trying to add more charcoal through the narrow side door.

– Use lighter fluid.  “Purists” say that using lighter fluid makes your food taste like lighter fluid — if done properly, by the time you start cooking, the lighter fluid will be completely burned.  Also, remove all cooking surfaces and the lid, that might come in contact with lighter fluid fumes, until the lighter fluid burns off.  If done properly, YOU CAN NOT TASTE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOD COOKED WITH, VERSUS WITHOUT LIGHTER FLUID.  Save yourself the hassle, and use it!

– Cook the turkey on the top rack.  The top rack, directly under the dome, is the best place to cook the bird.  This allows easy access, it’s easier to lift off of the smoker assembly (to access the water pan or fire pan), and has the best combination of smoke and steam.

– A smaller smoker like this is suited to cooking one turkey at a time.  If you plan to cook two or more, consider finishing them in the oven in order to decrease end-to-end cook time (the 2nd bird can be smoking while the 1st bird is finishing in the oven).

– Consider using a drip pan.  With this type of smoker, the drippings normally fall in to the water pan.  A drip pan placed directly under the cooking grid can be used to catch the drippings, if you intend to use them for gravy or other dishes.  In this type of smoker, a drip pan can be tricky.

— If your smoker only has two positions for the cooking grid, the lower position rests directly on the water pan.

— If your smoker has a 3rd position (half-way between the top of the water pan and the top of the body), use the mid-point position instead.

— Place a 2nd grid either at the mid-point position, or directly above the water pan, and set a small drip pan on the lower grid.

— Use a drip pan that is smaller than the water pan, to make sure that steam rising up from the water pan isn’t blocked.

— Keep in mind, using a drip pan means you have the pan itself, plus an extra cooking grid to contend with, as you add water to the water pan, or make other adjustments.

– Start the water smoker.

— Remove the lid, cooking grids, and water pan, so that the only parts left are the body and fire pan.

— Spray the cooking grid with non-stick spray, or wipe lightly with olive oil.

— Fill the fire pan with 1 layer of charcoal.  Soak with lighter fluid, then stack the charcoal in to a pyramid.  Light!

— (use the time in between steps to prepare the turkey)

— Once the coals are 50% white, with a red glow in the center of the pyramid, spread them back out in to a single layer, then add another layer of charcoal.

— When the 2nd layer of charcoal is 50% white, add a 3rd layer (extra thick — add a layer-and-a-half), then replace the water pan (empty).  If using a drip pan, replace the lower grid and drip pan.  If not using a drip pan, just leave the lower grid off completely.  Add the top (cooking) grid.

— When the 3rd layer is white on the corners, you’re ready to cook!  At this point, the original bottom layer should be completely burned.

— Fill the water pan (see above, “Preparing the Water Pan”) — be careful of steam.  This can be done by pouring directly through the cooking grid.

— Make sure the cooking grid is at the highest notch — should be just below the level of the body.

— Put the turkey on the top grid, breast-side down, and cover with domed lid.

— While cooking, use the side door and the top airflow regulator to adjust the temperature.  More airflow equals hotter temperature.

– As you are cooking, expect to add charcoal about every hour to 2 hours.

— If you unclipped the fire pan, simply lift the entire assembly by the side handles vertically, and set it to the side.

— If not, prepare to disassemble!  Remove the lid, set it aside.  USE HOT PADS to remove the cooking grid, and set it (with turkey) on a baking tray.  Be careful removing the water pan — the ideal time for a full refill of the fire pan is when the water pan is nearly empty.  After adding charcoal, assemble in reverse order.

— Small amounts of charcoal can be added through the side door.  Either make the charcoal bag’s opening in to a funnel, or add a few lumps of charcoal at a time using tongs.  Disassembly can be quicker and easier.

— Don’t wait for the charcoal to burn completely.  Restarting is a pain.  Before the black charcoal disappears completely, add more charcoal.

— Wood chunks (soaked) produce a lot of smoke and steam initially, and then as the water boils off, they burn and cause the temperature to increase.  Never add more than 1 or 2 wood chunks at a time, as each wood chunk will significantly boost the temperature, as it burns after the water boils out of it.

Congratulations!  You’re off and running.   Be sure to stick to your timeline.

Setting Up an Offset Smoker

If you are using a water (vertical) smoker, skip this section and see above.

An offset smoker provides plenty of room for a turkey and a couple of side dishes, or two turkeys.  The most difficult part of using an offset smoker is maintaining the proper temperature, and adding wood at the right time.

– Use mostly wood, with a bed of charcoal.  Charcoal builds and maintains a steady temperature, while wood does the real work.  My preference is Kingsford charcoal, but any decent-quality charcoal will work.  Don’t buy fancy charcoal, but don’t go cheap.  Store-brand charcoal is too dense, and won’t burn hot enough.  Fancy flavored or natural charcoals don’t add anything, and are a waste of money.  Select the proper wood, and set up the water pan correctly, to add flavor.  Expect to use a 20 lb bag of charcoal (so you might want a spare), plus a large bag of wood.  If you use chunks, expect to use 3-4 bags, plus half a large bag (during the cooking phase).

– Airflow.  The biggest problem with maintaining the correct temperature in an offset smoker is airflow.  Make sure there is a grid in the fire box, allowing air to flow an inch or two beneath the charcoal / wood.

– Water pan.  Offset smokers don’t have a water pan.  Temporarily move or remove one of the cooking grids, and place an aluminum pan directly on the bottom of the cooking chamber (below the cooking grids) six to eight inches from the aperture separating the fire box from the cooking chamber (then, replace the cooking grid).  The half-size disposable aluminum steam table pan works perfectly, with the disposable aluminum meatloaf pan as a next best option.

–  You need a fire poker, small fireplace shovel, or other tool for manipulating the charcoal and wood chunks.  The fire pan is really hot, and you need a way to move stuff around in there, without touching it directly.  I use a fireplace shovel, and an old pair of long-handled tongs.

– Use lighter fluid.  “Purists” say that using lighter fluid makes your food taste like lighter fluid — if done properly, by the time you start cooking, the lighter fluid will be completely burned.  Also, when starting an offset smoker, start with both lids open.  If done properly, YOU CAN NOT TASTE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN FOOD COOKED WITH, VERSUS WITHOUT LIGHTER FLUID.  Save yourself the hassle, and use it!

– Place the turkey centered on the cooking grid:  If you are cooking two turkeys, place them side-by-side (same distance from the fire box) if possible.  If not, place then touching, centered across the midpoint.  Placement may not seem that important, but the temperature can vary by 10 degrees or more, over just a few inches, even in an expensive smoker.  Lower quality smokers can vary by 200 degrees between the fire box and smoke stack!  Placing anything too close to the fire box, even with a deflector, will result in BURNED FOOD COVERED IN SOOT.  The first 8 to 10 inches in front of the fire box is a “no zone” for that reason.

— If you are starting with a frozen turkey, point the neck toward the fire box, then rotate once half-defrosted.

— If you are starting with a defrosted turkey, point the legs toward the fire box.

– Consider using a drip pan.  A drip pan placed directly under the cooking grid can be used to catch the drippings, if you intend to use them for gravy or other dishes.

– Leave the smoke stack and fire box side door open.  This is contrary to popular theory, so here is an attempt at a more complete explanation:

Things that DON’T work:
— DON’T:  “hold in” the smoke by closing the smoke stack.  Closing the smoke stack doesn’t hold in anything, and meanwhile, blocks airflow.  You want air to flow smoothly through the firebox, through the cooking chamber, and out through the smoke stack.
— DON’T:  fill the fire box full of wood right away.  This can result in excessive heat, or without oxygen, bitter smoke.
— DON’T:  control temperature by blocking airflow.  This results in incomplete combustion, and produces bitter smoke.

Things that DO work:
— DO:  leave the smoke stack and fire box side door fully open.  This allows good airflow from the fire box, resulting in complete combustion, producing lighter, sweeter smoke.
— DO:  Add wood as you need it.  As each log / chunk burns half way, add one to replace it.  This keeps the temperature even.
— DO:  Control temperature by adding more or less wood.
— DO:  Control temperature by spreading out the coals to reduce temperature, or piling them up to increase temperature.

– Good smoke, bad smoke.

— Dark smoke means something is wrong — you might be inadvertently burning oil or some other chemical from the inside of the smoker.  Dark smoke can also occur when there isn’t enough oxygen in the fire box.  DO NOT COOK OVER DARK SMOKE.  Dark smoke can result in heavy soot on the food, and a very bitter taste.

— White, thick smoke means that the wood isn’t burning completely.  This can result in some soot on the food, and possibly a bitter taste.

— White, wispy smoke is normal when the fire box is cold, or when you add a new log, and should have a sweet smell.  This is “good” smoke, ideal for the “smoking” phase.  Keep the coals cooler by spreading them out, as well as adding wood less frequently to maintain this type of smoke.

— Wet wood (as with a water smoker) will produce steam, which is OK.

— Little to no smoke means that the wood is burning hotter, and more completely.  This will result in the meat absorbing sweeter, more diverse flavors from the burning wood, and is ideal for the “cooking” phase.

— More smoke means the wood is colder, and not burning completely.  Less smoke means the wood is hotter, and burning more completely.

— To control temperature, use more or less wood, and / or keep the coals spread out or piled, rather than closing off airflow.

– Start the offset smoker.

— Open both lids.  Remove the water pan and drip pan, if applicable.

— Spray the cooking grid with non-stick spray, or wipe lightly with olive oil.

— Lay out one layer of charcoal on the grid in the fire box.  Soak with lighter fluid, then stack in to a pyramid.  Light.

— (use the time in between steps to prepare the turkey)

— Once the coals are 50% white, with a red glow in the center of the pyramid, spread them back out in to a single layer, then add another layer of charcoal.

— When the 2nd layer of charcoal is 50% white, add a double layer of charcoal.

— Place the water pan (empty) and drip pan if applicable, Close both lids, open the smoke stack’s vent, make sure the firebox side door is open.

— When the corners of the 3rd layer start to turn white, add your first log (or 2 logs) of wood.

— As each log burns half way, replace it with a new log (this keeps the temperature even)

— When the smoker reaches 300 degrees, you’re ready to cook!

— Add water and / or flavoring to the water pan by pouring down through the cooking grid.

— Place the turkey or turkeys (see above) breast-side down.

— Close both lids, but keep both the smoke stack and fire box side door fully open.

— As you are cooking, replace each half-burned log with a new one.  Add smaller or fewer logs to reduce temperature, or add larger or more logs to increase temperature.

Congratulations!  You’re off and running.   Be sure to stick to your timeline.

Stages of Cooking and Timeline

Cooking on a smoker involves several stages at different temperatures.  Planning and maintaining a timeline ensures that everything comes together, and that you don’t miss any steps.

– Absolute temperature.  Remember that the cooking chamber’s temperature is relative to the ambient air temperature:  If it’s 40 degrees outside, you’ll need to raise the cooking chamber 260 degrees in order to reach 300.   Conversely, if it’s a bright, sunny 90 degrees (don’t laugh, 90 degree Thanksgivings DO occur in Texas), you only need to raise the cooking chamber 210 to reach 300.

– Go by temperature – use a cooking thermometer.  Don’t go by time, go by temperature.  Shoot for an internal temperature of 175, using a cooking thermometer inserted at the base of the thigh, as well as the end of the breast (near the wishbone).  If one end is cooking faster, rotate.  Once the bird is done, let it rest at 180 to 200 degrees, which should carry the internal temperature to 180.  Cooking by feel is inexact, and could result in an under-cooked bird.  A good pitmaster is not afraid to use a thermometer!  Likewise, cooking by time is inexact due to ambient variables, as well as the size of the turkey.  Plan for it to be done an hour early, and rest.  If you need the extra time, you have an extra hour of cook time.

– Make sure your smoker’s thermometer works.  A water smoker typically has one thermometer located on the dome lid.  Offset smokers might have one or two thermometers on the lid of the cooking chamber.  Two thermometers gives a better picture of the heat differential between the fire box and the smoke stack, but if you have just one, it should be located either above center of the cooking chamber, or above left of center (3/4 toward the smoke stack).  If your smoker’s thermometer is broken or missing, you can get a drop-in replacement at the hardware store for about $10.

– If using an offset smoker, rotate, rotate, rotate!  Offset smokers can vary in temperature 50 to 200 degrees between the fire box and the smoke stack.  This means that meat closer to the fire box will cook much quicker.  Have a rotation plan, where you rotate the bird (pick up, spin 180 degrees right-to-left, put down) once every 2 hours.  If you have 2 birds, rotate the birds individually, AND be sure to swap positions as well.

– Cooking Stages

— Start.  Start with the smoker empty at 300 degrees.  This ensures that everything is nice and hot, and ready to cook.

— Defrost if frozen.  Shoot for a temperature of 200 to 225 for 1 to 2 hours (note that this is HALF the defrost time, but you can start smoking as the bird is half-defrosted).

— Smoke.  Lower the temperature to 180 degrees for 4 to 6  hours.  This part is subject to preference, as a longer smoke time results in more smoke flavor.  2 hours would result in a light hint of smoke.

— Cook.  Raise the temperature to 300 degrees, and cook for 2-3 hours.

— Rest / Hold Warm.  Reduce the temperature to 180 degrees, and let the bird rest for at least 1 hour.  The turkey can be held at this temperature for 2-3 hours without worrying about over cooking.

 – For best results, smoke uncovered, then cook in a roasting pan covered in foil.  After smoking is complete, cooking with a pan and foil will create steam, resulting in faster cook times, and very tender meat.

— Take an aluminum turkey pan, empty, and add a thin coat of olive oil to the bottom.

— Carefully lift the turkey, and place it breast-side-down in the pan.

— Drizzle some olive oil across the back, and cover with foil.

— While cooking, the pan should start filling with juices that can later be used for gravy or other dishes.  Monitor the level of liquid in the pan — if the pan is too dry, the breast skin and meat could burn.  If the pan is sizzling, add some chicken broth or water (about 1/2 inch), and re-cover with foil.

— Measured where the thigh meets the body AND at the top end of the breast (near the wishbone), the bird is done once it has an internal temperature of 175 degrees to 180.  At 175, if you plan to let it rest, the temperature should carry over to 180.

– Holding warm.

— If you need to “hold warm” after fully cooking, if not already covered, put the bird in a pan and cover (to prevent soot) and move toward the smoke stack, away from the fire box (if using an offset smoker).

— Let the wood burn down to coals (there should be some black coals, no flame, but don’t let them burn out), spread the coals out with a small shovel, then add a bed of charcoal (1 to 2 layers).  The new charcoal layer will burn slowly, maintaining an even temperature.

— Shoot for about 180 degrees to “hold warm”.  Add more charcoal as each layer burns 50%.  Add less charcoal to reduce temperature, or more to increase temperature.

— If in a pan covered with foil, the turkey can be held warm for 2 to 3 hours if needed.

— If you have room, other sides can be be kept warm by covering, and placing on the cooking grid, on the side AWAY from the fire box, making the smoker a convenient alternative to using up oven space.

– Sample timeline.  Having a timeline with target temperatures ensures that you will stay on track, and won’t forget a step.  Assuming one large (20 lb) turkey, starting completely frozen, here is a sample timeline:

Time required:
— Prep time: 30 minutes.  Getting things ready
— Build the fire, warm up the smoker:  2 hours  (target
— Defrost:  2 hours at 200
— Smoke:  4 hours at 180
— Cook:  3 hours at 300
— Rest:  1 hour at 180
— Padding:  1 hour

Working backwards, if we want to eat at 5 PM, the timeline looks like this, with an extra hour of padding at the end:

3:00 AM:  Get ready (gather materials, clean smoker)
4:00 AM:  Light smoker.  Doors and lids open (offset), or lid, grid, water pan removed (water)
5:00 AM:  Begin heating smoker to 300.  Close lids (offset), or replace water pan, grid, lid (water)
6:00 AM:  Begin defrosting (pecan wood, target 200).  Add water to water pan
7:00 AM:  Rotate.  Add flavoring to water pan.  Switch to cherry wood (target 200)
8:00 AM:  Begin smoking  (cherry wood, target 180)
10:00 AM:  Rotate
12:00 PM:  Begin cooking.  Put in pan, drizzle with oil, cover in foil.  Rotate.  (oak wood, target 300)
1:30 PM:  Rotate.  Check internal temperature – should be in the 120 to 130 range.
2:30 PM:  Check internal temperature – should be in the 160 range
3:00 PM:  Begin resting.  Move to cool side.  (charcoal, 180)  Begin warming up sides.
5:00 PM:  Done!

Get ready for a long day!

 

Summary

– Cook breast-side down

– Use a water pan

– Plan out a timeline

– Use the proper wood

– Build in some padding / rest time.

– Good food comes from good quality – using good quality meat and ingredients, good wood, and carefully following a process rather than taking shortcuts.

I hope you enjoy this, and have fun smoking a turkey!