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BOB
 
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Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

Jack Curry typed:
> jmcquown wrote:
>> Davis wrote:
>>> Hi all
>>>
>>> I've been basting with margarine with each new addition of coals
>>> (about every 1.5 hours) while smoking a 12 pound turkey, but the skin
>>> is still coming out very dark and leathery. Any suggestions? Thanks
>>> in advance for your input.

>>
>> It's probably taking FOREVER to smoke that turkey because you aren't
>> suppose to mess with it every hour, let alone baste it. Margarine?
>> Yikes! If you have a decent smoker, you shouldn't have to replenish
>> the coals and hickory, apple or whatever wood every 1.5 hours. And
>> the water pan should keep the skin of the turkey moist. So I'm not
>> sure what you're doing....
>>
>> However to address the colour of the skin, smoked turkey has a skin
>> the colour of a good mahogany. And yes, it will appear wrinkled.
>> But, if you keep the water pan filled, it will not be dry, tough or
>> leathery.
>>
>> Jill

>
> Sorry Jill, but that's not so. A water pan will make little or no
> difference in retaining moisture in the meat (it just acts as a heat
> deflector and a pan full of sand works equally well). Slow smoking a turkey
> is going to result in a rubbery-textured skin, which is the price paid for
> this method of cooking a bird.
> OP, just toss the skin and enjoy the meat.
> Jack Curry


You can also raise the cooking temps during the last 1/2 hour to 45 min to try to
crisp the skin, but it may not work. You also need to take this into
consideration when you calculate the cooking time vs internal temps (takes
practice) or you will overcook and dry out the bird. Back to "toss the skin"
until you have enough real experience to get a moist bird with crispy skin.

BOB