Turkey Canon cook times?

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retfr8flyr

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
OTBS Member
May 20, 2013
613
228
Providence Forge, VA
I will be doing my first turkey this Thanksgiving on my Akorn and I am going to use a Turkey Canon. I have read varying cook times with the canon, I am planning to do the cook at 325° and was figuring on about 12 minutes a pound. For any of you that have used the canon, does this time sound about right?
 
RetFr8Flyr, I have been using a turkey cannon for years.  My favorite way to cook/smoke a turkey. 

10-12 minutes a pound is a pretty good guideline on the cannon. If you are not using a Maverick to monitor breast and thigh temps, give both areas a temp check at 10 mins per pound at 325F to see how it is progressing. 

If you have the cannon in a drip pan filled with veggies it will take a little longer than 12 mins/lb.  If the drip pan is on a grate below the turkey, you're in good shape with that 12 minute guideline.

Remember though, Internal temp decides when it is done, not time.     
 
Thanks for the reply. I will be putting the bird on in a little while, I have a CyberQ WiFI for temp control so I am not really worried about the temps I just wanted a ball park figure on the total time. I will have a drip pan sitting on the ceramic diffuser, so the times should be good. There were so many different cook times, based on different cook temps, that I was just winging it on the time required..
 
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Remember the Q-view.....
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The unbrined, 18.3 lb'er I did last Sunday at 325F took 3 hrs 25 mins for the thigh to reach 165F.  Breast was at 172F.  That works out to 10.7 minutes per pound.

Putting a brined 18.3 lb'er on the smoker today.  Time should be similar.      
 
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Wow...that's fast.
And that's just one of the reasons I use a turkey cannon.

Smoker is being a bit finicky this morning though with the extra veggie mass and liquid in the drip pan.  The chamber temp started at 350F but once I loaded the drip pan full of veggies then the turkey the chamber temp dropped into the 250's.  It's climbing back slowly though. Will take a little longer to be done but it will be fine.  We're not in any big hurry today. 

Happy Thanksgiving!
 
Well my first Turkey smoke for Thanksgiving will definitely not be my last. Cook was a little hectic, as it was rain mixed with snow while I was trying to cook the bird. The Turkey Canon worked great and I highly recommend it. My 13lb bird only took 90 minutes at 325° and it was 165° in the heart of the breast and 185° in the thigh. Here is a shot of it going on the Akorn, you can see the leg of my ladder in the shot, that I had put next to the grill with an umbrella on top, to keep some of the rain off the grill.


Here is the finished bird on the table ready to be wrapped up and put in the cooler.

[

I used a little apple and cherry wood for the smoke and the flavor was fantastic.
 
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