Smoked post-Thanksgiving Turkey

Had an extra turkey on hand so I decided to smoke it for a small potluck. It’s actually my first time cooking a turkey so it was quite the experiment.

Stuffed the cavity with garlic and lemon slices. Put butter, rosemary, and black garlic under the skin and dry brined overnight with salt, pepper, and Meat Church Gospel.

Smoked at 225 on super smoke for a few hours with a bowl of beer in the pit. The breast was running ahead of the thighs early on, hitting about 120 while the thighs were still around 70. Since I was ahead of schedule for carving, I let it go until the breast reached 145 and the thighs were around 106, then dropped the pit to around 170 to hold for a bit. That let the thighs keep coming up while the breast stayed mostly where it was, while I also killed some time so I could keep the Turkey carving on schedule.

To finish, I lightly oiled the skin and cranked the heat to 375. I pulled it with the breast in the high 160s and the thighs still climbing, and everything evened out during the rest.

Let it rest about 45 minutes before carving. Super juicy with great smoke and crisp skin. The drippings also made an incredible gravy.

Holding the bird before the hot finish gave me way more control over timing and doneness. I only wish the skin didn’t crack at the end.