Turkey Questions

Hey all,

So I have a brined turkey drying out in the fridge, ready to hit the
smoker in the morning. A few questions:

1. Temperature: Low and Slow (225-250), or normal oven temp (350)? Since
there is no collagen to break down, I'm wondering if there's a benefit
to smoking under 300 degrees.

2. Baste (or brush with oil) during the smoking, or leave it alone?

3. What are your thoughts on a rub? The brine I used has brown sugar,
apple juice, ginger root, garlic, sliced oranges, and of course the
kosher salt and water. After a 16-hour soak, would a rub be necessary?

I've done a few turkeys with decent results (tender, juicy meat, but the
skin was rubbery), but the brine I used those times was just salt and
water. I did use a rub for flavor then, but I'm curious if this bird can
take in enough flavor from the brine.

Look forward to your opinions!

ibk

On 14-Nov-2008, ibrokit <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:


Haven't smoked a turkey, but lots of chickens. Low and slow won't hurt,
but it's a waste of time and fuel. Regular oven temp is fine.


Some folks like to play with their food. I don't mess with it. I don't do
contests either, so I don't have to worry about what judges like.


Rub is not necessary, but I like it. My pork/beef rub isn't good on birds
though. I use Cajun rub on pork and beef. Old bay ain't too bad on
chicken, but you can surely do better. At any rate I consider it optional
on a flavor brined bird such as you're doing.


Plan on rubber skin. I would soak much longer then 16 hours. I soak
no less then 24 hrs for chickens. Consider finishing the bird in a very
hot oven to help the skin texture. Or jack your pit way up if that's
feasible.


That's my 2¢ worth. As you know, there's a lot of personal preference
involved in cooking. More then a few folks look at me funny for some
of the things I do to food. I actually feel sorry for some of my neighbors
who are seemingly incapable of exploring the culinary world around
them. They ooh and ahh when they are served something new that they
like, but they seem to never attempt to make it for themselves.

--
Brick(Youth is wasted on young people)
** Posted from [Only registered users can see links. ] **

Master Chef Richard Campbell wrote:
Good advice, thanks. I may toss in a few extra hunks of wood and crank
open the inlet the last 15 minutes to achieve the same thing.

ibk

[Only registered users can see links. ] wrote:

Good stuff, thanks. Since this is a practice turkey for thxgiving, I
opted to rub one side and see what the taste difference will be. So far
from just looking at it, the "untouched" side _looks_ a lot better. Has
a nice, glossy look to it, where the rubbed side is more of a matte
finish. I think I'll take pics of this one.

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 21:21:58 GMT, ibrokit <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:

(my opinions, based on reading here, and only a few smoked birds)

I don't see any advantage to low temp.


Conceivably, that could help the skin, but that's all. Conversely,
it'd cost you a lot of heat each time you opened. I'd leave the bird
alone, me.


Don't see a need for one.


My impression is that the only shot at a crisp skin is the higher
temp--350 or so--and perhaps MORE heat toward the finish. But that's
only speculation by me. I hope some of the more experienced folk here
chime in, even though that bird's done by now.

-denny-
--

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority.
The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

There is a recipe I'd recommend from the Jamisons' Smoke'n
Spice. . ."Worth-the-wait turkey"; I've made it many times.
It contains an injection liquid of garlic flavored oil, beer, and
cayenne, as well as a nice garlic-spice paste. This is a low and slow
method; use your favorite wood in your smoker. The flavors meld
together in a way which is greater than the sum of their parts. The
end result is a really unique smokey turkey flavor that is highly
addictive. It will be the star of any thanksgiving table. Some nice
sides come to mind, such as sweet potato pudding also in the same
volume. That; is cooked indoors.

Good luck.
Pierre

On Nov 15, 8:13*pm, Denny Wheeler <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:


I usually cook several turkeys a year on the smoker, not just for T-
day or Christmas. That being said, I have certainly cooked my share
inside in the oven as well. Remember when turkey was really cheap
over the holidays? That was my alarm to clean out the freezer to make
room for some birds.

Like you, I don't see any benefit from slow smoking. With no collagen
or connective tissue to break down, you can easily wind up drying out
the meat. And with no benefit to the taste, to me it seems pointless.

350 on the smoker will get you crisp skin. But if for some reason
that fails, it is an easy fix in the oven. Once the bird is fully
cooked, lightly spray the bird with some cooking spray (I used butter
flavored) or brush with butter or oil.

Put the bird in the oven uncovered (this works if you cooked it in the
oven or the smoker) with the heat at 450. Leave it in about 10 - 15
minutes and the skin will brown very well and be nice and crisp.

Robert

On Nov 14, 1:21*pm, ibrokit <[Only registered users can see links. ]> wrote:

I have found that if you go low and slow the bird will have more
juice. But the skin will be rubbery or dry...So i put in in the oven
forthe last 30 mins on 375 to get a crunch from my skin....hope that
helps some

On Sun, 16 Nov 2008 13:59:55 -0800 (PST), Pierre <[Only registered users can see links. ]>
wrote:


Heck, the best turkey I ever had/made (same bird) was to a recipe in
the Cook'n Cajun cookbook. I'm very glad I found that again--I
thought I'd lost the book.

I've got _Smoke & Spice_--I'll hafta look at the turkey recipes,
especially the one you mention. (probably w/o the cayenne, though)

--

"Every single religion that has a monotheistic god
winds up persecuting someone else."
-Philip Pullman

-denny-
(not as curmudgeonly as I useta be)

On Fri, 14 Nov 2008 20:52:04 -0600, Brick <[Only registered users can see links. ]>
wrote:

Just remembered a joke,

One hippie says to the other that he is going to smoke a turkey.

Second hippie says, "Where do you get rolling papers for them?"

BADA Bing Crash boom Bang


--
Master Chef Richard Campbell
100% Delightfully Evil for Your Protection

I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long
and I assume they deserve it. --Dogbert