Turkey @325-350 risk dry breast?

[mauismoker]

I’m concerned that if I smoke at the mostly recommended higher temp for a turkey (compared to 250-275), I will risk a dry breast. Does smoking rather than cooking in an oven help reduce the risk of this? I was going to do a standup method with a foster can. I’m less concerned about a crispy skin than I am juicy meat.

 

[tropics]

I’m concerned that if I smoke at the mostly recommended higher temp for a turkey (compared to 250-275), I will risk a dry breast. Does smoking rather than cooking in an oven help reduce the risk of this? I was going to do a standup method with a foster can. I’m less concerned about a crispy skin than I am juicy meat.

Brine it the day before,let it air dry in the fridge the night before.It will stay moist you can always add liquid to the can.
Richie

 

[hillbillyrkstr]

What Richie said for sure. Brine turkeys every time.

Also after brining you can smoke it at 250 and then hit it hot the last hour or so to crisp the skin. That’s what I do on my turkey breasts on the bone. Works well.

Good luck
Scott

 

[mauismoker]

What Richie said for sure. Brine turkeys every time.

Also after brining you can smoke it at 250 and then hit it hot the last hour or so to crisp the skin. That’s what I do on my turkey breasts on the bone. Works well.

Good luck
Scott

How long you think for a 15 lb bird @ 250?

 

[tropics]

How long you think for a 15 lb bird @ 250?

Hope Scott comes back because I wouldn't smoke a bird at that low of a temp.
Richie

 

[BKING!]

I’ve always recommended brine/injection and cooking at 300+ deg. You will not get a dry breast if you don’t overcook it and you brine or inject it. I’d take the turkey off the smoker once the breast reaches 160-165 deg internal. Remember less is more when it comes adding smoke to a turkey.

It typically takes me 3-3.5 hours to smoke a large spatchcock turkey at 325 deg for reference. Once I started spatchcocking birds I never went back. It’s easier to carve too.

 

[chilerelleno]

Brine
Brine
Brine
Inject brine or marinade
Inject brine or marinade
Inject brine or marinade

Cooking at 250°-275° is fine, I smoke poultry at 350°-375°.
But I almost always spatchcock so they cook evenly, with a spatched bird if you turn up the heat all it does is cook faster.

I like to eat the skin, so I almost always dry brine and air dry the skin for as long as possible, e.g. 12-24hrs minimum.

 

[mauismoker]

What about putting seasoning under the skin (salt especially)? Will this suck moisture out of the bird?

 

[mauismoker]

Brine
Brine
Brine
Inject brine or marinade
Inject brine or marinade
Inject brine or marinade

Cooking at 250°-275° is fine, I smoke poultry at 350°-375°.
But I almost always spatchcock so they cook evenly, with a spatched bird if you turn up the heat all it does is cook faster.

I like to eat the skin, so I almost always dry brine and air dry the skin for as long as possible, e.g. 12-24hrs minimum.

Will Salting under the skin suck out moisture and dry out the meat?

 

[chilerelleno]

No, not if given time for the salt and meat's juices to form the brine and osmosis to draw the brine back into the meat.
I've taken to dry brining the skin and separately injecting a brine solution (1T Kosher salt 2C water) or marinade into the meat.

 

[mauismoker]

No, not if given time for the salt and meat's juices to form the brine and osmosis to draw the brine back into the meat.
I've taken to dry brining the skin and separately injecting a brine solution (1T Kosher salt 2C water) or marinade into the meat.

You mean foregoing the water and salt mixture and just rubbing the meat down and letting it be for 12-24 hours? Do you inject at the same time or just before the smoke?

 

[chilerelleno]

Dry brine and inject separately.
Dry brine and air dry say for 12-24 hours.
Inject a brine or marinade through the meat (not the skin, keep it dry) and let it work for 4-8 hours.
Then cook as normal.

 

[gmc2003]

I don't brine store bought turkeys, but I do inject them with some flavor profile that tickles my fancy the day of the cook. Remember always cook to temp.

Chris

 

[mauismoker]

I don't brine store bought turkeys, but I do inject them with some flavor profile that tickles my fancy the day of the cook. Remember always cook to temp.

Chris

I seem to have an issue many times when I bake a bird with getting that armpit type area between the wing and breast cooked through. Do you feel smoking does a better job of cooking the bird thoroughly? I guess the deep part of the breast is hard to get cooked too, which why it's suggested to insert the thermometer there.

 

[mauismoker]

Dry brine and inject separately.
Dry brine and air dry say for 12-24 hours.
Inject a brine or marinade through the meat (not the skin, keep it dry) and let it work for 4-8 hours.
Then cook as normal.

Thank you Chile! You've been very helpful.

 

[chilerelleno]

The issues of uneven cooking that sometimes occur with a whole bird is why many spatchcock.
Spatchcocking allows the bird to cook much more evenly and that you can crank up the temp and it just cooks faster.

 

[gmc2003]

I seem to have an issue many times when I bake a bird with getting that armpit type area between the wing and breast cooked through. Do you feel smoking does a better job of cooking the bird thoroughly? I guess the deep part of the breast is hard to get cooked too, which why it's suggested to insert the thermometer there.

I usually smoke at a higher temp(325 to 350*). I'll put my Maverick probe in the breast about an hour into the cook. I check other parts of the bird with my instant read. I'm not overly concerned with some pink around the bone as long as the breast is cooked to 165* and the dark meat to 175*. I'll usually pull a few degrees early to allow for the overcooking.

Chris

 

[mauismoker]

The issues of uneven cooking that sometimes occur with a whole bird is why many spatchcock.
Spatchcocking allows the bird to cook much more evenly and that you can crank up the temp and it just cooks faster.

I have a Master Forge Bullet, ECB basically, so I don't think I have the room to spatchcock. In the past I stood the bird up with a Foster can, which I plan to do again this year. But I've only done one, so I want to make sure to get it right.

 

[gmc2003]

I have a Master Forge Bullet, ECB basically, so I don't think I have the room to spatchcock. In the past I stood the bird up with a Foster can, which I plan to do again this year. But I've only done one, so I want to make sure to get it right.

I'd go to Walmart or somewhere and get a Turkey stand if you don't have the room. You don't want it tipping over and hitting the sides of your smoker. How big is your MFB. I have a 22" WSM that I can fit a 15+ pounder in whole.

Here's a link to my first bird as you can see there's plenty of space.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/1st-try-at-a-smoked-turkey.274867/

Chris

 

[mauismoker]

I'd go to Walmart or somewhere and get a Turkey stand if you don't have the room. You don't want it tipping over and hitting the sides of your smoker. How big is your MFB. I have a 22" WSM that I can fit a 15+ pounder in whole.

Here's a link to my first bird as you can see there's plenty of space.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/1st-try-at-a-smoked-turkey.274867/

Chris

I think it's 18". Here is a link to the one I did five years ago. You are probably correct about the stand as I did have a hard time getting the bird to stay upright the first time, though I was able to.

https://www.smokingmeatforums.com/threads/maui-thanksgiving-with-q-view.153380/

Here's the picture of the final results: