Well, not too shabby if I do say so myself.
It didn't last long at our office lunch today.

12lb butterball (self basting "turnkey") turkey
let the bird thaw in the refrigerator for a day
then rinsed/cleaned it out and put it back in
the fridge to continue thawing for another day.

Suffed with:
1 onion, 1 apple, sliced and stuffed into turkey

Wood: 2 oz pecan and 2 oz mesquite
Oven: CookShack 008
Rack: lowest rack by the smoke box
(it would either fit in middle and
be close to the top, or on the bottom)
Temp: 225
Time: 9:15 hours (I cooked to temperature)
Temp: pulled out at 179F, carry over 181F

Let it rest for about 15min then carved.

I did this Friday, the day before, and kept the
turkey refrigerated in a covered glass tray till
noon today when it was decended upon by a room
full of hungry people. Except for those few
pieces that I ate after cooking, and the one or
two that the cat snuck off with.

The wings were way too dry to bother with as were
the very ends of the drumsticks, but that was
expected. Next time I'm using more wood and taking
it out at 177F or closer to 9 hours

--
DougW

"DougW" wrote in message
...
Well, not too shabby if I do say so myself.
It didn't last long at our office lunch today.

12lb butterball (self basting "turnkey") turkey
let the bird thaw in the refrigerator for a day
then rinsed/cleaned it out and put it back in
the fridge to continue thawing for another day.

Suffed with:
1 onion, 1 apple, sliced and stuffed into turkey

Wood: 2 oz pecan and 2 oz mesquite
Oven: CookShack 008
Rack: lowest rack by the smoke box
(it would either fit in middle and
be close to the top, or on the bottom)
Temp: 225
Time: 9:15 hours (I cooked to temperature)
Temp: pulled out at 179F, carry over 181F

Let it rest for about 15min then carved.

I did this Friday, the day before, and kept the
turkey refrigerated in a covered glass tray till
noon today when it was decended upon by a room
full of hungry people. Except for those few
pieces that I ate after cooking, and the one or
two that the cat snuck off with.

The wings were way too dry to bother with as were
the very ends of the drumsticks, but that was
expected. Next time I'm using more wood and taking
it out at 177F or closer to 9 hours

--
DougW


You didn't tell us what it tasted like!

Kent wrote:
"DougW" wrote ...
Well, not too shabby if I do say so myself.
It didn't last long at our office lunch today.

You didn't tell us what it tasted like!


It tasted like smoked turkey.




..
..
..



*grin*

Actually it tasted a bit smokey, kinda mellow,
hence my notes to add more wood next time.
The dark meat came out wonderful and moist,
the white was (as turkey usually is) a bit dry
but not overdry. The only thing I took home from
work was the empty tray. No complaints and a
couple of requests to do it again for the Christmas
party.

--
DougW

Actually it tasted a bit smokey, kinda mellow,
hence my notes to add more wood next time.
The dark meat came out wonderful and moist,
the white was (as turkey usually is) a bit dry
but not overdry. The only thing I took home from
work was the empty tray. No complaints and a
couple of requests to do it again for the Christmas
party.


Can't complain about that! :-)

Two thoughts...white meat doesn't keep that long in the fridge, it'll
definitely be dry after three days. Second, maybe skip the stuffing,
split the backbone, and cook a bird that size in 4/5 hours. If you get
up early in the morning and get started, you can deliver a freshly
cooked bird with juicy white meat.

-John O

Eddie wrote:
"JohnO" wrote:

Two thoughts...white meat doesn't keep that long in the fridge, it'll
definitely be dry after three days. Second, maybe skip the stuffing,
split the backbone, and cook a bird that size in 4/5 hours. If you
get up early in the morning and get started, you can deliver a
freshly cooked bird with juicy white meat.

John, I also thought 9 hrs 15 min a bit long. I've been smoking for
years and I do it in about 4-5 hrs. Using K7. I've always understood
that turkeys are not good for "low and slow"
Eddie

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe that
came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got delayed) the
final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.

--
DougW

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe that
came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got delayed) the
final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.


If the center of the breast gets to 160 it's done...I've read some guys
pull the bird when it hits 155 and it'll go to 160 while it rests.

-John O

"JohnO" wrote in message
ups.com...

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe that
came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got delayed) the
final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.


If the center of the breast gets to 160 it's done...I've read some guys
pull the bird when it hits 155 and it'll go to 160 while it rests.

-John O

My own experience confirms that. You don't need to go over 155F.
The resting is very important.

Kent

Kent wrote:
"JohnO" wrote in message
ups.com...

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe
that came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got
delayed) the final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.


If the center of the breast gets to 160 it's done...I've read some
guys pull the bird when it hits 155 and it'll go to 160 while it
rests. -John O

My own experience confirms that. You don't need to go over 155F.
The resting is very important.

Kent

I'll have to try. Being bird (turkey/chicken) I like to error
on the side of safety when it comes to cooking temperature.

--
DougW

DougW wrote:
Kent wrote:
"JohnO" wrote in message
ups.com...

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe
that came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got
delayed) the final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.


If the center of the breast gets to 160 it's done...I've read some
guys pull the bird when it hits 155 and it'll go to 160 while it
rests. -John O

My own experience confirms that. You don't need to go over 155F.
The resting is very important.

Kent

I'll have to try. Being bird (turkey/chicken) I like to error
on the side of safety when it comes to cooking temperature.


I agree, and that's why I went to 160. When I think it's time to pull
the bird, I check that breast temp a couple times, and also check the
thigh in a deep spot. The diff in the breast meat between 165 and 180
is pretty dramatic...moist vs. crumbly. There's nothing better than
taste testing a piece of that moist meat as you slice it....just to be
sure. mmmmmmm. :-)

-John O

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:49:00 -0600, "DougW"
wrote:

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe that
came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got delayed) the
final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.

that's way high.
You might want 180 after it's rested; certainly not that temp when you
pull it from the cooker/oven.

-denny-
--

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority.
The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:54:06 -0800, Denny Wheeler
wrote:

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:49:00 -0600, "DougW"
wrote:

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe that
came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got delayed) the
final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.

that's way high.
You might want 180 after it's rested; certainly not that temp when you
pull it from the cooker/oven.

161 in the breast; 170 in the thigh at the same time, if you're lucky

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 21:24:04 -0700, Kevin S. Wilson
wrote:

On Tue, 05 Dec 2006 19:54:06 -0800, Denny Wheeler
wrote:

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 14:49:00 -0600, "DougW"
wrote:

There were simply too many opinions so I just followed the recipe that
came with the cookshack. 9:15 was a bit too long (I got delayed) the
final temp hit about 185 and I was aiming for 180.

that's way high.
You might want 180 after it's rested; certainly not that temp when you
pull it from the cooker/oven.

161 in the breast; 170 in the thigh at the same time, if you're lucky

Given that the bird's brined, one can go higher than that w/o risking
dryness--and I know some folks would be uncomfortable with less than
about 170.

-denny-
--

The test of courage comes when we are in the minority.
The test of tolerance comes when we are in the majority.