multiple meats in the smoker

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regul8dhbbyist

Newbie
Original poster
Nov 28, 2014
29
10
Loveland Colorado
Hello all,

I am still quite new to smoking, so I figured I'd consult seasoned smokers.

So swmbo decided that I should just smoke a turkey and a chicken instead of a turducken. This is fine by me, but I'll be doing a fatty as well. So 15# turkey, 8# chicken, and as far as I can tell the fatty is 2#.

I'm thinking of following the instructions on the masterbuilt site because it's my first turkey. So, the question is, do I throw all the meat in at the same time? Or do I add items in stages?

I know that I want consistent temp and opening the door is my enemy. I'll be smoking the turkey at 200* for a long while and injecting stock and butter/ seasoning if that helps.
 
Here is what I would do. Ditch the 200° and go 275° if it is an electric or 325° if it is a propane. Dry the skin of the birds  well. You can inject if you want an rub the outside and under the skin. Don't put butter or oil on the skin unless you like rubbery skin. If you are doing 275° you will want to finish the birds in the oven or a grill 325° or above for crispy skin. If you put everything in at the same time it will all be done at different times. Remember to post a Qview.

Happy smoken.

David
 
I guess I'm actually doing it at 225*. Also, should I brine and inject marinade? What's the harm? Longer cook time?

I'm calculating 7.5 hours for the turkey, 4 hours for the chicken and fatty. Maybe increase time based upon how many times I open the door and adding the marinades?
 
Ok, guess I didn't see that first. Will do on the q-view too.

I find that in my case it's smarter for me not to think too much. However, I'm wondering if I would need to smudge the turkey (thick smoke in the beginning) with a four or five hour smoke time. My wife likes a heavier smoke flavor.
 
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Well, Christmas went of without too much trouble. I ended up compromising on temp. I brined the turkey and chicken overnight using 2 cups both salt and brown sugar for 1/2 cup worcerstershire, 1/2 cup soy sauce and added water to three gallons.

Pulled the birds out about 7a, dried and rubbed with my own blend and injected both birds with a stock, butter and spice blend. Turkey rested for an hour. In the smoke at 9a at 250*. Chicken and fatty went in at 11:30. Everything was done at 2:30p an hour before I expected it.

IT got up to 180*+/- and was incredibly forgiving. Thank goodness I brined and injected the birds. One of my guests was a chef and he told me it was one of the best turkeys he's had for a while.
 
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