OK. I Lied! I Said I Wouldn't Post Again Until I'd Smoke Some Meat - Need Help with Turkey

[rabbithutch]

My Bride has made disparaging remarks about my manhood and questioned whether I still have any cojones left because I said I wasn't going to smoke the Thanksgiving turkey.  So now I have do it and not mess up - at least not too bad.

I thought about brining the 11.5 pound bird, but will not have time as it has been thawing about 12 hours and has a bit to go.  If it smokes for 5-6 hours or maybe a bit more, there will be no time for a good brining.  That will have to wait for another smoke.

I'm going to make a dry rub that is mostly just poultry seasonings with lemon zest.  I will apply that rub to the cleaned bird just after I coat it good with EVO.

I plan to use hickory chips in the MES 40 and some brown sugar, and this is where my questions come in.

Do I use chips during the entire smoke or add them maybe a couple hours before expected completion? 

I plan to put about a half cup of brown sugar in an aluminum foil shaped container that I will put in the water pan with no water.  Again, I'd like to know whether to put the sugar at the start or add it some time into the smoke.

My manhood is on the line so I need your help!!  This is my first smoke in the new MES 40.

rh

 

[rbranstner]

I would use the chips the whole time. Do you have to refill your chip pan or does is it one of those auto loaders? If you have people coming that don't like much smoke then just run one or two pans full but for me I smoke it the whole time.

What are you planning on doing with the brown sugar in the pan? Are you catching drippings in the pan and want some brown sugar in their for flavor when using the drippings later?

 

[jrod62]

Don't give up on the brine. !!!!!!
It makes it so much better! !!
Just fill the sink or cooler with cold water.
Change water ever 30 minutes .
Then you will still have time to brine it for 12hours.
(Then tomorrow night you will be using your manhood! !):biggrin:

 

[SmokinAl]

I agree on the brine. DO IT!

And use smoke the whole time.

 

[rbranstner]

(Then tomorrow night you will be using your manhood! !)

Ha Ha that's funny stuff right there!

 

[rabbithutch]

Thanks for the answers.  I just didn't allow time to thaw AND brine the turkey.  It's a rookie mistake, I know, but then I'm the oldest and rookiest rookie here.

I'm smoking from the git go.  I preheated the smoker and added chips.  When it reached 250 degrees, I put the bird in.  There's a good column of smoke coming out of the top vent.

The brown sugar is an experiment. I have the water pan sitting in the bottom rack and there is a container I shaped out of foil with about 3/8" of sugar spread over its bottom.  The container is about 4" by 8"  I'm hoping that the 250 degree temp and its location near the heating element will cause the sugar to burn a bit and add sweet smoke.  I've done this on a charcoal grill with the foil container directly on the coals.  That worked well, but I'm certain that the sugar got a lot hotter.  Even if it makes no smoke, it will do no harm.

I took a couple of pics of the bird with rub on it before it went in the smoker.  I'll get some when it's done and post them later when I give my first smoke report.

Again, thanks for all your help, your generosity, and your patience.

rh

 

[rbranstner]

Hmm brown sugar smoke. I can't say that has ever crossed my mind. You will have to let us know what happens and how it turns out. On your first run did it smell like burning sugar?

 

[wan2smoke]

As others have said put the turkey in some cold water and change it often. It would still have time to be ready for the smoker and the Thanksgiving meal. I honestly can't see the Brown Sugar adding anything to the mix unless you are smoking at high temperature.

 

[oldschoolbbq]

Rabbithutch, I'm also wondering about the Br. Sugar; if your pan boils dry,it could give off a strong flavor... I would do a brine and add the Br. Sugar to it and cook at 275*f or higher(325*f). Turkey does well at higher temps. and you are graranteed to be out of the danger zone in 4hrs.

You shouldn't have a problem,however if you are worried, split(spatchcock ) her. You'll get a quicker trip through the 40* to 140* zone.