New to this sorta. I've done ribs on the grill with a smoke box and brisket on the charcoal grill but I just bought a Searwood 600 and loaded with Kirkland pellets and did my burn in.
Our grocery had bone in turkey breasts for .99 per pound. I got a nearly 10 lb one and cut off the skin, washed it off and dried, then a light coat of oil and coat of Killer Hogs TX rub. I put it on the top shelf with a pan of water under on the main shelf. I set it to 250F and let it go 3.5hrs until it was about 140F internally. I took it off and put it in a foil pan, brushed a 1/2 stick of melted butter over it and put in in the oven at 250F. 1.5hr later it was about 160F so I took it out and let it sit covered about 20 minutes.
It looked awesome, cut easy and was juicy but it smelled SO much like smoke. I also make stuffing and turkey gravy and asparagus but all I could taste was smoke. Did I do something wrong? Do people like it this way? After we ate I cut apart the rest for leftover and basically carved off all the dark, seasoned outer layer and tossed it.
I know the lower the temp, the more the smoke and of course the longer in the smoke. Next time I make leave the skin on and do it at 350F for 1.5 hours or whatever it takes. Would this be better way?
by Sigma–6
4 Comments
poultry can very easily be overwhelmed with smoke, i much prefer chicken and turkey hotter and faster
Yeah hotter and faster is the trick. Set it for 300° and check it at 2.5 hrs. It will be less smoky.
Higher temp. Cook it faster. Poultry takes on smoke and it’s easy to overdo it. Faster cook means it’s gonna be less dry anyway. You’re looking for doneness not collagen breakdown on birds.
Next time ditch the water pan. The moisture is likely causing the skin to absorb more smoke flavor than intended. Like others have said, cook it hotter and faster. That will help crisp the skin a little too. I usually spatchcock and smoke at 375. For a bird that size it takes less than 1.5hrs. Cook based on the thigh temp and go to 180. Then rest it for about 30 min before cutting. Breast temp should be close to 165 when thighs exceed 180 on a spatchcocked bird.