1st Turkey smoke didn't work out

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goldmine1965

Smoke Blower
Original poster
Nov 9, 2015
113
12
Iowa
Not sure what I did wrong. 11 pound turkey brined for 12 hours. Took it out of the fridge and put it in a 250 degree MES 30 and 3 different probes said the breasts were 150 degrees after 1 hour, thighs were 129. I had planned on a 5 hour smoke, but this allegedly was done under 2. How in the world can a turkey be done in under 2 hours? Temperatures were checked with a Thermowrks DOT, Maverick ET-732 and an instant read. Does brining speed up the cooking process? Something does not add up.

Going to to use the AMNPS next time. Throwing in chips every 1/2 hour is a pain in the you know what..
 
Last edited:
Are you sure your mes was at 250? A 11 pound bird is on the smaller size so you could be done earlier, but 2 hours is a bit early. At 325-350 I have had 14 pound birds done in 2 1/2-3 hours.
 
The MES digital display said 250 degree. I did not use any other probes for the smoker temperature.
 
The mes was probably around 280. Never trust the mes thermo it's always off. Mine will read 20 degrees or more off every time.
 
So I did a little experiment. I set the smoker to 250 and set the probe on the second shelf.

2:21pm -smoker 77 degree, Maverick 91

2:24 - smoker 91, Maverick 113

2:29 - smoker 166, Maverick 207

2:36 smoker 253, Maverick 289

The last 2 readings were over 30 and 40 degree difference. That makes it difficult to set the MES to the proper temperature. If you are supposed to smoke at 250, do I set the MES to 210 or 220? This is frustrating..
 
Yes that's exactly what I do. Set it 20 degrees low and after its leveled out check the temp on your probe. If it's still a little off ajust accordingly. It's a joke how far it's off but what can you do?
 
 
Not sure what I did wrong. 11 pound turkey brined for 12 hours. Took it out of the fridge and put it in a 250 degree MES 30 and 3 different probes said the breasts were 150 degrees after 1 hour, thighs were 129. I had planned on a 5 hour smoke, but this allegedly was done under 2. How in the world can a turkey be done in under 2 hours? Temperatures were checked with a Thermowrks DOT, Maverick ET-732 and an instant read. Does brining speed up the cooking process? Something does not add up.

Going to to use the AMNPS next time. Throwing in chips every 1/2 hour is a pain in the you know what..
I'm confused here. Per USDA food safety standards, turkey should be cooked to an internal temp of 165°. If you pulled the turkey meat at 150 and 129 degrees respectively they were way undercooked.
 
daRicksta - I took it out at 150 because I felt something was wrong. I did not see how the turkey  could get to 150 in 1 hour when I was anticipating a 4-5 hour smoke time. My wife took over with the turkey in the oven.
 
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