Quote:
Originally Posted by rellascout
Smoked meats are awesome. I smoke a Turkey for Thanksgiving every year. We also do a bird in the oven. If you are going to smoke a turkey look for a 12 to 14 lb bird. You also need to cook it at a higher temp than other smoked meats. If you do low and slow, 225-275 degrees the bird will stay in the "danger zone" too long. You want the meat to stay between 40 and 140 for less than 4 hours
Also I recommend Spatchcocking or butterfly the bird. When you cut the back out and flatten out it will cook more evenly and it will cook faster. Your white meat will not be overdone.
I also recommend a dry brine vs a wet brine. Wet brines were all the rage 5-7 years ago but with more testing and trial and error people have found it does not introduce better flavor into the bird it just makes them moist and flavorless.
A dry brine will pull flavor into the bird and the salt will help the bird retain its own natural moisture and keep it from drying out. You can dry brine for 24 up to 72 hours before cooking.
I like smoked meats! I do pork shoulders, turkeys, chickens, ribs, steaks. fish you name it in smokers.
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So for a 14 pound bird, what temp and how long do you recommend?