Smoking a turkey

[emac]

So i have a big chief smoker that i have never used. I have never used a smoker period. My buddy has a frozen turkey left over from thanksgiving and he offered it to me to smoke for a party we are having the day after the 4th. So since i have never smoked anything i was looking for some tips. I know big chiefs are pretty popular so i figured some of you have probably got one and smoked a turkey in it. Thanks in advanced for any info

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[Song Dog]

What I do is take the following:
1 cup Tender Quick
1 cup sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
sprig of fresh Basil
sprig of fresh Rosemary
1-1 1/2 gallons of apple cider
Mix all into a container large enough to hold the turkey, I use an old cooler and add some Ice.  Place turkey into brine and let it soak for 24 hours.
Remove and rinse the turkey pat dry and let set for about twenty minutes while you preheat the smoker.  In the mean time take a stick of butter 1/4 cup and a half cup of brown sugar melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until it forms a paste.  Brush it onto the turkey don't worry about covering the whole bird it will harden a little onto it.  Place Turkey into Smoker and smoke for about 2-4 hours depending on how much smoke you like.  * with the big chief smokers I would only smoke for about 3 hours because they have a tendicy to get hot. Remove turkey and place into a preheated 350 degree oven and continue cooking until done.

[Bean Counter]

*tag* 

[emac]

What I do is take the following:
1 cup Tender Quick
1 cup sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
sprig of fresh Basil
sprig of fresh Rosemary
1-1 1/2 gallons of apple cider
Mix all into a container large enough to hold the turkey, I use an old cooler and add some Ice.  Place turkey into brine and let it soak for 24 hours.
Remove and rinse the turkey pat dry and let set for about twenty minutes while you preheat the smoker.  In the mean time take a stick of butter 1/4 cup and a half cup of brown sugar melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until it forms a paste.  Brush it onto the turkey don't worry about covering the whole bird it will harden a little onto it.  Place Turkey into Smoker and smoke for about 2-4 hours depending on how much smoke you like.  * with the big chief smokers I would only smoke for about 3 hours because they have a tendicy to get hot. Remove turkey and place into a preheated 350 degree oven and continue cooking until done.

Thanks for the recipe. And the play by play. I think i am going go with it since its the only one but it sounds tasty

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[Fishstiq]

What I do is take the following:
1 cup Tender Quick
1 cup sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
sprig of fresh Basil
sprig of fresh Rosemary
1-1 1/2 gallons of apple cider
Mix all into a container large enough to hold the turkey, I use an old cooler and add some Ice.  Place turkey into brine and let it soak for 24 hours.
Remove and rinse the turkey pat dry and let set for about twenty minutes while you preheat the smoker.  In the mean time take a stick of butter 1/4 cup and a half cup of brown sugar melt the butter and stir in the brown sugar until it forms a paste.  Brush it onto the turkey don't worry about covering the whole bird it will harden a little onto it.  Place Turkey into Smoker and smoke for about 2-4 hours depending on how much smoke you like.  * with the big chief smokers I would only smoke for about 3 hours because they have a tendicy to get hot. Remove turkey and place into a preheated 350 degree oven and continue cooking until done.

Thanks for the recipe. And the play by play. I think i am going go with it since its the only one but it sounds tasty

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Woah there fellas......

You said you have a big chief.  Those only get up to about 160 degrees or so.  That isn't nearly hot enough to smoke a turkey, even a small one.  You need a smoker that will maintain a temp of 220-240 degrees.  The bird's internal temp needs to reach 165, and that ain't gonna happen in a big chief, sorry.

Also worth noting, you can only smoke a turkey up to a certain size.  It takes 30-40 minutes per pound to fully cook a turkey in a smoker at 220-240 degrees, so a 20 pound turkey is gonna take 10-14 hours.  That's waaaaayyyy too long in the "danger zone" of temperatures, your contamination risk would be super high.  10-12 pounds is about as big as you want to go in a smoker.

"The temperature range in which food-borne bacteria can grow is known as the danger zone. Food safety agencies, such as the United States' Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), define the danger zone as roughly 4–5 to 60 °C (39–41 to 140 °F).  The FSIS stipulates that potentially hazardous food is not stored at temperatures in this range in order to prevent foodborne illness (for example, a refrigerator's temperature must be kept below 40 °F (4 °C), and that food that remains in this zone for more than two hours should not be consumed.  Foodborne microorganisms grow much faster in the middle of the zone, at temperatures between 21 and 47 °C (70 and 117 °F)."

*Edit - I don't mean to rain on your parade, sorry.  Just don't want to see anyone waste a good turkey, or worse, eat one that has been unintentionally contaminated.   

[Song Dog]

And you missed the part about cooking the turkey in the oven after a light smoke

[Badhabit]

This is a killer brine

Smokin’ Okie’s Holiday Turkey Brine:

1 gallon water
1 cup coarse kosher salt
3/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
4 tablespoons black pepper
3 - 4 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon allspice
Optional: 1 oz. (or 2 tablespoons) Morton’s Tenderquick (Note: In older brines, this is there to help with Food Safety, I just omit)

Tip: Try beer in place of some of the water, or substitute apple juice.  Try a variety of spices

[Fishstiq]

And you missed the part about cooking the turkey in the oven after a light smoke

No, I didn't. 

Putting a raw turkey in a big chief for "2-4 hours" as you say is the perfect recipe for rapid microorganism growth.  The hottest you are ever gonna get a big chief is 165, and that's in ideal conditions.  Add in a breeze, cool weather, or a 10 pound cold turkey, and that likely puts your temp around 100-120.  After 3ish hours of that, no amount of oven finishing is going to undo the spoilage.

Get a hotter smoker, shorten your smoke times (90 minutes, tops), or roll the dice on ruining a bird or making yourself sick.  It's your call.  I was just trying to provide the information so an educated decision could be made.

[Kc_Kracker]

NOT TO BE A PARTY POOPER BUT A BIG CHIEF WILL NOT HIT THE PROPER TEMP SOON ENOUGH TO KILL BAD ORGANISMS

fyi

[Kc_Kracker]

And you missed the part about cooking the turkey in the oven after a light smoke

thats backwards,. cook it then smoke it or your microorganisms will not be handled. also, you will not break down the muscle and connective tissue soon enough to be tender. no way in hell id eat it. your lookin to make your family sick.

[Song Dog]

Good to know I based my times on my smoker since I have never used a Big or Little Chief.  This is why I like this forum.

[T-Dozzer]

Have a digital Bradley smoker. I did a turkey while back. Got recipe off Bradley website. It was really good.