# 1st Try at a Smoked Turkey



## gmc2003 (Apr 24, 2018)

I've seen a quite a few done on the forum and they all looked great. So I decided to try smoking a turkey for myself. I bought this 15.5 lber. after Thanksgiving for 0.59 cents a pound, and let it go into a deep sleep until warmer weather came upon us. Cheap enough if I screw it up. It was already enhanced so I didn't bother with a brine. Well it hit the mid 60's yesterday so out came the WSM. Just injected it with the broth from the heart, neck and giblets. I added pepper, onion powder, butter and garlic powder to the mix after wifey ate the gizzards. 

Here's the bird in it's naked glory. Seasoned with Weber rub.







Out on the WSM at a temp of 300 to 325. 






A couple hours in. Smoking with hickory since I didn't have any apple chunks. She's getting a beauty of a tan.






It's getting there.






All finished. 






Sliced off the breast. Pic doesn't show how juicy it was






She's all carved up for supper. 






I didn't get a chance for a plated shot yesterday. So here's one of today's lunch. Waiting for the gravey to heat up.





And one for Lunch tomorrow.






I have to say that I impressed the misses and myself with this bird. She's actually considering letting me smoke the turkey for next Thankgiving. I know it probably won't happen, but it's a step in the right direction. She always gets the first cut. She loved the skin, it was crispy and tasty. Overall I was very very pleased with how this bird came out. I thought the hickory would overpower the bird, but it just added another layer of flavor. Maybe because I only used two smaller chunks. It definitely made an inexpensive turkey taste like an expensive one. 

Thanks for sharing my journey.

Chris


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## 73saint (Apr 24, 2018)

That looks great, the color is wonderful! We love smoked turkey, and it makes wonderful leftovers. I take the remainder of the meat, shred it and do things like smoked turkey enchiladas, or even plain old turkey sammys!!  

Points for a great cook, and great deal at .59 per lb!


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## SonnyE (Apr 24, 2018)

Oh My Word...
You done the WHOLE Bird! :eek:
It certainly looks wonderful!
Did the smokey goodness get into the meat well?
I don't think I could get much of a bird in my MES 30. :rolleyes:

I don't know why, but I've had a rotisserie Chicken on my mind.
But my mind is like a slough, slow and full of disgusting stuff.
One day I'll probably get a bird and do it. :)


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## motocrash (Apr 24, 2018)

Absolute Beauty Chris!


gmc2003 said:


> I have to say that I impressed the misses and myself with this bird. She's actually considering letting me smoke the turkey for next Thankgiving. I know it probably won't happen, but it's a step in the right direction.


I am "tasked" with smoking a turkey more often than every Thanksgiving.I use apple/pecan 50/50.
Carousel.


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## hillbillyrkstr (Apr 24, 2018)

Wow! Fine job chris! That looks dynamite! Anybody would be happy with that bird on the table for thanksgiving!

Scott


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## Geebs (Apr 24, 2018)

That turkey turned out awesome! I am always afraid to do one on the WSM, afraid its going to turn out like the Christmas dinner turkey from Christmas Vacation.


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## gmc2003 (Apr 24, 2018)

73saint said:


> That looks great, the color is wonderful! We love smoked turkey, and it makes wonderful leftovers. I take the remainder of the meat, shred it and do things like smoked turkey enchiladas, or even plain old turkey sammys!!
> 
> Points for a great cook, and great deal at .59 per lb!



Thanks 73, It was a shadow brook farms turkey - if I remember correctly. The leftovers from here on out are going into turkey soup. I did vacuum seal some of the meat for future lunches. Thanks for the like appreciate it. 



SonnyE said:


> Oh My Word...
> You done the WHOLE Bird! :eek:
> It certainly looks wonderful!
> Did the smokey goodness get into the meat well?
> ...



Thanks Sonny, I've done chickens before and they've turned out pretty good. Poultry takes on smoke really quick so I tried to minimize the smokiness  of the bird by reducing the amount of wood. It happened to work perfect for out tastes. You should try one - if I can do it anyone can.



motocrash said:


> Absolute Beauty Chris!
> 
> I am "tasked" with smoking a turkey more often than every Thanksgiving.I use apple/pecan 50/50.
> Carousel.



Thanks for the response Moto, Fortunately I've been married to the same woman for 33 years, Christmas and Thanksgiving have always been her forte. I'm just hoping to sneak one in before it's too late. 

Chris


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## SonnyE (Apr 24, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Fortunately I've been married to the same woman for 33 years, Christmas and Thanksgiving have always been her forte. I'm just hoping to sneak one in before it's too late.



Mine seems to think that cooking for 60 of her 65 years makes her some kind of an expert... :confused: o_O
Listen, if you wear pants, and you are a guy, you are _automatically_ wrong. :(:p
I just roll with it. :)


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## bdskelly (Apr 24, 2018)

That’s is a beautiful bird Chris. One of my favorite things to smoke. In fact I was thinking on doing one this weekend. I hope it turns out as nice as yours. Like! B


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## weedeater (Apr 24, 2018)

Great job on the big bird Chris!  Like!  Love the rich color.

Weedeater


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## motolife313 (Apr 24, 2018)

Impressive looking!! Points to you!


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## hardcookin (Apr 24, 2018)

Nice job with the turkey! Great color!


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## tag0401 (Apr 24, 2018)

Looks great I definitely have this on the list for the holidays


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## gmc2003 (Apr 25, 2018)

Mods can someone move this over to the poultry forum. Sorry.



bdskelly said:


> That’s is a beautiful bird Chris. One of my favorite things to smoke. In fact I was thinking on doing one this weekend. I hope it turns out as nice as yours. Like! B



Thanks for the like B. It's a first for me, but won't be my last.



weedeater said:


> Great job on the big bird Chris!  Like!  Love the rich color.
> 
> Weedeater



Thanks  weedeater, I was happy it didn't go any further on the color. I'd have a hard time getting my wife to try it if it did. Thanks for the like appreciate it.

Chris


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## SmokinAl (Apr 25, 2018)

Awesome looking turkey Chris!
I'm sure there will be many more of them coming off your WSM!
Congrats on getting a spin on the carousel!!
I also moved this to the poultry section.
Al


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## chopsaw (Apr 25, 2018)

Top shelf inside and out . Points for the tuck and tie .


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## tropics (Apr 25, 2018)

Chris That bird is beautiful should be a magazine cover shot. Point worthy 
Richie


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## Blue Kettle (Apr 25, 2018)

Looks really good, Chris.


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## GaryHibbert (Apr 25, 2018)

Great job Chris!!  Beautiful color on that bird.
The turkey and ham at Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving is Miss Linda's domain.  I don't even think about suggesting smoking them--which has probably added years to my life span.  LOL
POINT
Gary


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## gmc2003 (Apr 25, 2018)

hillbillyrkstr said:


> Wow! Fine job chris! That looks dynamite! Anybody would be happy with that bird on the table for thanksgiving!
> 
> Scott



Thanks Scott - I'm happy it didn't burn. 



Geebs said:


> That turkey turned out awesome! I am always afraid to do one on the WSM, afraid its going to turn out like the Christmas dinner turkey from Christmas Vacation.



Thanks Geebs. Go for it. The WSM is a wonderful smoker/cooker. I was a little weary when I started it also, but I figured at 59 cents/lb it was a win/win.



bdskelly said:


> That’s is a beautiful bird Chris. One of my favorite things to smoke. In fact I was thinking on doing one this weekend. I hope it turns out as nice as yours. Like! B



Thanks for the like B. Go for it and let us know. Turkey has definitely moved up the ladder on my favorite things to do.



SmokinAl said:


> Awesome looking turkey Chris!
> I'm sure there will be many more of them coming off your WSM!
> Congrats on getting a spin on the carousel!!
> I also moved this to the poultry section.
> Al



Thanks Al I was worried about it getting to dark, so I tented it for the last hour or so of cooking. Also thanks for the ride, point and moving of the thread. I'm not sure how I did that.


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## gmc2003 (Apr 25, 2018)

motolife313 said:


> Impressive looking!! Points to you!



Thanks moto, and thanks for the like. 



hardcookin said:


> Nice job with the turkey! Great color!



Thanks hard, I was worried the color would get to dark. thanks for the like.



tag0401 said:


> Looks great I definitely have this on the list for the holidays



thank for kind words tag. I working on that very same premise. 



chopsaw said:


> Top shelf inside and out . Points for the tuck and tie .



Thanks chopsaw for compliment. 



tropics said:


> Chris That bird is beautiful should be a magazine cover shot. Point worthy
> Richie



Thanks Richie, I almost didn't want to carve it up. Thanks for the like appreciate it.

Chris


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## yankee2bbq (Apr 25, 2018)

Nice job Chris!  How long did you smoke it for?


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## djsmokesupreme (Apr 25, 2018)

I've done lots of turkey breasts on the WSM, but never the whole bird.  Very Impressive!


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## gmc2003 (Apr 25, 2018)

Blue Kettle said:


> Looks really good, Chris.



Thanks for the like blue, it was really good. The only problem now is I'm getting turkey'd out.



GaryHibbert said:


> Great job Chris!!  Beautiful color on that bird.
> The turkey and ham at Christmas, Easter, and Thanksgiving is Miss Linda's domain.  I don't even think about suggesting smoking them--which has probably added years to my life span.  LOL
> POINT
> Gary



I agree Gary in my 33yrs of wedding bliss those have always been the wife's special day. The only thing I get to do is run errands and carve. Thanks for like, and the compliment.

Chris


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## gmc2003 (Apr 25, 2018)

yankee2bbq said:


> Nice job Chris!  How long did you smoke it for?


You know yankee, I'm not totally sure how long it took. I know I started around 1:00 pm  and finished somewhere between 4 and 5. best guess I didn't watch the clock. Thanks for the like. 



djsmokesupreme said:


> I've done lots of turkey breasts on the WSM, but never the whole bird.  Very Impressive!


Thanks for the like DJ, you should try it. It's easier then I originally thought. Sometime during the summer I want to do just the turkey breasts. I'm basically a white meat eater.

Chris


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## zippy12 (Apr 25, 2018)

I would join you in a heat beat! Point!


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## BKING! (Apr 26, 2018)

Nice color!


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## gmc2003 (Apr 26, 2018)

zippy12 said:


> I would join you in a heat beat! Point!



Thanks for the like Zippy, If your ever in the area let me know.



BKING! said:


> Nice color!



The color was my main concern when I first started this bird. I knew the wife would crown me if I brought in a burnt looking turkey. Thanks BKing

Chris


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## sauced (Apr 26, 2018)

Great job!!! Same with me, tried a smoked turkey and we love it way better than smoked chicken. I did the same as you, just injected it and let her smoke away with a mix of Apple and Hickory. Looks delicious!!


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## gmc2003 (Apr 26, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> Mine seems to think that cooking for 60 of her 65 years makes her some kind of an expert... :confused: o_O
> Listen, if you wear pants, and you are a guy, you are _automatically_ wrong. :(:p
> I just roll with it. :)



Thanks for reassurance. I remember my wife's first try at lasagna. She put one layer of noodles down over some sauce. Spread all of the ground beef across the noodles, mixed the cottage, ricotta, mozz, and Parmesan cheese together and spread it across the ground beef. Tossed some more sauce on top of that and added another layer of noodles and topped with more sauce. Baked it and served it to the family. She wondered why she still had so many noodles left. One layer lasagna. We still tease her about it. 

Chris


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## gmc2003 (Apr 26, 2018)

sauced said:


> Great job!!! Same with me, tried a smoked turkey and we love it way better than smoked chicken. I did the same as you, just injected it and let her smoke away with a mix of Apple and Hickory. Looks delicious!!



Thanks sauced, I wanted to use just apple, but didn't have decent chunks. 

Chris


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## Kade (Apr 28, 2018)

Fine lookin bird


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## uncle eddie (Apr 28, 2018)

Very nice!  Points!


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## gmc2003 (Apr 28, 2018)

Kade said:


> Fine lookin bird



Kade, thanks it was good.



uncle eddie said:


> Very nice!  Points!



Uncle Eddy, thanks for the like/point. I was nervous when I first started, but then felt more comfortable as I went along.

Chris


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## tx smoker (Apr 30, 2018)

_"Mine seems to think that cooking for 60 of her 65 years makes her some kind of an expert... "_

I guess I'm lucky in that my wife does not cook and she knows it. She just leaves it all to me. When I met her she tried a few things and thought that the smoke detectors in the house were cooking timers: When they went off, the food was done. Whew....glad all that's in the past now :-)

Robert


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## gary s (Apr 30, 2018)

Fantastic looking Bird   Nothing like a good smoked Turkey

Gary


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## Bearcarver (Apr 30, 2018)

Sorry I'm so late, Chris, but I'm Old & Slow!!
However that is a Beautiful Job on that Bird---The color is Fantastic!!:)

You get the Thanksgiving Job from now on!!!
Like.

Bear


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## gmc2003 (May 1, 2018)

gary s said:


> Fantastic looking Bird   Nothing like a good smoked Turkey
> 
> Gary



Thanks Gary. It was my first and won't be the last. Thanks for the like also.



bearcarver said:


> Sorry I'm so late, Chris, but I'm Old & Slow!!
> However that is a Beautiful Job on that Bird---The color is Fantastic!!:)
> 
> You get the Thanksgiving Job from now on!!!
> ...



Thanks Bear appreciate the kind words. I doubt I'll get the call, but at least I'll be there on standby. I've been married long enough to know which buttons to push. Thanks for the like.

Chris


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## crazymoon (May 3, 2018)

Chris, Great job on the turkey,looks incredible ! like


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## gmc2003 (May 3, 2018)

crazymoon said:


> Chris, Great job on the turkey,looks incredible ! like



Thanks for the compliment and like crazymoon. It was very good.

Chris


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## lovethemeats (May 4, 2018)

Nothing is better than turkey from the smoker. Beautiful looking bird. That looked really good. Skin looks nice and crispy.
Points for a awesome looking bird.


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## gmc2003 (May 5, 2018)

lovethemeats said:


> Nothing is better than turkey from the smoker. Beautiful looking bird. That looked really good. Skin looks nice and crispy.
> Points for a awesome looking bird.



Thanks LTMeats, I was worried when I first started. I didn't want to bring in a burnt looking bird to my wife. She would have crowned me, not to mention laugh. Thanks for the like also. 

Chris


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## smokingnkaty (May 24, 2018)

Beautiful bird Chris.   I would think the WSM would be the perfect smoker for this.  I do have a couple questions. I noticed the meat probe was in the breast, rather than in the thigh area.  Did you also use a thermometer to check other parts for doneness? Also, what was the  IT when you pulled it? 165?

Thank you for posting. My wife had asked about me doing one yesterday, and your post was my first read on this. Excellent presentation. Thank you!


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## gmc2003 (May 24, 2018)

Thanks smokingkaty, the WSM is a very good smoker. It's pretty close to set-it-and-forget-it smoking. The probe in the breast is the one I leave in the bird the pretty much the whole smoking time. Since the breast is usually finished quicker then the thigh I wanted to have a constant watch on it's temperature. I pulled it when the breast was about 165* and the thigh was reading close to 175* with my insta read thermometer. Give it a shot, as I said this was my first attempt. 

Let us know how it goes, and if you have any more questions - please ask away.

Chris


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## gmc2003 (Oct 26, 2018)

@texomakid thanks for the like appreciate it. Good luck with your turkey smoke.

Chris


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## az porky (Oct 30, 2018)

SonnyE said:


> Oh My Word...
> You done the WHOLE Bird! :eek:
> It certainly looks wonderful!
> Did the smokey goodness get into the meat well?
> ...


I have smoked many turkeys in my MES 40 and they all came out great.


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## kelbro (Oct 30, 2018)

Looks good. I'm pretty new with the WSM and turkey so I have a couple of questions. 

Do you run the vents wide open to hit those temps?

No water in the pan?

Thanks. Still trying to decide between the 18.5" WSM and the 22" Kettle for my turkey this Thanksgiving.

In the past, I've smoked them for about 1 - 1.5 hours and then finished them off in the fryer with peanut oil.


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## gmc2003 (Oct 30, 2018)

Answers in red:



kelbro said:


> Looks good. I'm pretty new with the WSM and turkey so I have a couple of questions. Do you run the vents wide open to hit those temps? Start with the vents wide open. When your about 30* from your desired temp start closing them down in smaller increments. Let the smoker stabilize before making another adjustment. One more point - I probably started with a half of chimney of lit coals.
> 
> No water in the pan? Correct - Leave then pan in the smoker empty, just cover it with aluminum foil.
> 
> ...



Chris


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## kelbro (Oct 30, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Answers in red:
> Chris



Thanks Chris.

One more point to clarify please. When you said 1/2 chimney of lit coals, is that it? Or 1/2 chimney of lit coals dumped into a pretty full ring of un-lit briquets?


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## gmc2003 (Oct 30, 2018)

kelbro said:


> Thanks Chris.
> 
> One more point to clarify please. When you said 1/2 chimney of lit coals, is that it? Or 1/2 chimney of lit coals dumped into a pretty full ring of un-lit briquets?



Full ring of unlit. With a 1/2 chimney of lit spread over the top. I always use a full ring of unlit coals to start my WSM. You never know what will happen.  When I'm done smoking whatever I smoking I just close down all the vent and snuff them out. I will reuse them the next time I fire up the WSM or kettle. 

Chris


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## kelbro (Oct 30, 2018)

Gracias señor


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## gmc2003 (Oct 31, 2018)

kelbro said:


> Gracias señor



No problem, let us know how it turns out, or if any questions arise. 

Chris


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## Shootr (Nov 5, 2018)

If I may tag into this thread...

I did a test run on a 13lb turkey last weekend to see how it would come out. (Camp Chef Pellet Grill) Was at 250 degrees, brined, seasoned, and butter under the skin. Using multiple temp probes (1 in each breast and one in a thigh) I noted the white and dark both merged at 165 degrees after 6.5 hours and I pulled and rested it.

The dark still looked a bit undercooked - possibly probe too close to a bone. My goal would be to get 165 at the breast and 180 on the legs/thighs. If I get the probe in the right location next time - and still get both meats looking like they will hit 165 at the same time, what can I do to keep cooking to get the dark up to a higher temp without drying out the breast?

I imagine foil over the breasts at some point could be an answer. But when? I'm guessing that around 140 degrees might be the time to loosely put some foil over the breasts to slow them down and let the dark keep going uncovered.

Has anyone been down this path, or know of a resource that has advice/tips/ideas?

Thanks in advance for any and all comments.


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## gmc2003 (Nov 6, 2018)

Shootr said:


> If I may tag into this thread...
> 
> I did a test run on a 13lb turkey last weekend to see how it would come out. (Camp Chef Pellet Grill) Was at 250 degrees, brined, seasoned, and butter under the skin. Using multiple temp probes (1 in each breast and one in a thigh) I noted the white and dark both merged at 165 degrees after 6.5 hours and I pulled and rested it.
> 
> ...



Hi shootr, I'm no expert at turkey as this was my first one. I didn't use a brine because it was already enhanced. I did however inject it with the stock made from the neck, gizzards and giblets. It was also cooked at an avg. temp of 325*. I tented the breasts for the last hour or so of the cook, because they were at the color I wanted. My wife would have crowned me if I brought in a black/burnt looking bird. So to answer your question - yes. I did go down that path, and it was a success. Someone else will chime in I'm sure with other or similar methods. As it is that time of year. 

Chris


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## CSR (Nov 8, 2018)

$0.37 cents a pound for birds here!  Looking at one in the roaster oven for the anti-smoke crowd on T-Giving (mainly the boss), one on the smoker at 300-325, and one cured between now and the end of the year.  Excited to try the different methods and have turkey sandwiches well into spring.


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## gmc2003 (Nov 8, 2018)

That's a great price. It's still to early around here for the discounts. I'll have to wait until the day after TG to get my smoking bird for next spring. 

Chris


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## Shootr (Nov 8, 2018)

gmc2003 said:


> Hi shootr, I'm no expert at turkey as this was my first one. I didn't use a brine because it was already enhanced. I did however inject it with the stock made from the neck, gizzards and giblets. It was also cooked at an avg. temp of 325*. I tented the breasts for the last hour or so of the cook, because they were at the color I wanted. My wife would have crowned me if I brought in a black/burnt looking bird. So to answer your question - yes. I did go down that path, and it was a success. Someone else will chime in I'm sure with other or similar methods. As it is that time of year.
> 
> Chris


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## Shootr (Nov 8, 2018)

Thanks for the details  I appreciate it. If you had to guess, what temp was the breast when you put the foil on? (I'm new to smoking in general and have been going mostly by temp).

I'm guessing right now - maybe 150-155 degrees at the breast then tent it.

Or if you tent at 165, the breast pretty much stops cooking?

Thanks again for your input.


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## gmc2003 (Nov 8, 2018)

Shootr said:


> Thanks for the details  I appreciate it. If you had to guess, what temp was the breast when you put the foil on? (I'm new to smoking in general and have been going mostly by temp).
> 
> I'm guessing right now - maybe 150-155 degrees at the breast then tent it.
> 
> ...



If I were to guess I think your right in the ballpark at 155*. +/-. The breast doesn't stop cooking, and I used a loose aluminum foil tenting. 

Thanks for the like.


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## catavalon21 (Feb 17, 2019)

Thanks for the tip on tenting.  I have a 15# bird going  on shortly, will have to try that!


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## gmc2003 (Feb 17, 2019)

catavalon21 said:


> Thanks for the tip on tenting.  I have a 15# bird going  on shortly, will have to try that!



Your welcome, and good luck with your turkey. Be sure to post up pictures.

Chris


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