Barbecue (alt.food.barbecue) Discuss barbecue and grilling--southern style "low and slow" smoking of ribs, shoulders and briskets, as well as direct heat grilling of everything from burgers to salmon to vegetables.

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
  #1 (permalink)   Report Post  
Davis
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

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.
  #3 (permalink)   Report Post  
jmcquown
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

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


  #4 (permalink)   Report Post  
Jack Curry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

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


  #5 (permalink)   Report Post  
BOB
 
Posts: n/a
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




  #6 (permalink)   Report Post  
frohe
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

Davis wrote:
> 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.


Best thing to do with smoked turkey skin is feed it to the dogs. It don't
crisp up like chicken does when you boost the cook temp at the end of the
cookin time.
--
-frohe
Life is too short to be in a hurry


  #7 (permalink)   Report Post  
JD
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

"frohe" > wrote in message

> Davis wrote:
>> 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.

>
> Best thing to do with smoked turkey skin is feed it to the dogs. It
> don't crisp up like chicken does when you boost the cook temp at the
> end of the cookin time.


I've been pondering this very question. I've seen how you can brown a
merigue with a small kitchen torch. I'm sorely tempted to take the leaf
burner that I fire up the pit with and turn it on the smoked chickens and
turkeys to see if it doesn't crisp things up a bit.

JD


  #8 (permalink)   Report Post  
Jack Curry
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey


"JD" > wrote in message
...
> "frohe" > wrote in message
>
> > Davis wrote:
> >> 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.

> >
> > Best thing to do with smoked turkey skin is feed it to the dogs. It
> > don't crisp up like chicken does when you boost the cook temp at the
> > end of the cookin time.

>
> I've been pondering this very question. I've seen how you can brown a
> merigue with a small kitchen torch. I'm sorely tempted to take the leaf
> burner that I fire up the pit with and turn it on the smoked chickens and
> turkeys to see if it doesn't crisp things up a bit.
>
> JD
>
>

I did that years ago with a heat gun with modest success. It raises
blisters on the skin and crisps it somewhat, but it doesn't brown much at
all.
Jack Curry


  #9 (permalink)   Report Post  
Brick
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

<snipped just about everybody in the group>

> 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
>
>

I gave up on chicken skin. My best effort resulted in a texture
somewhat like celluloid. The meat didn't last long enough to
form much of an opinion. The table ended up littered with
bones and skin. The only comments were muttered curses
about a stingy host that wouldn't cook enough to go around.
Fortunately it was BYOB so they couldn't bitch about that.

Brick( smoked chicken skin sux )


  #11 (permalink)   Report Post  
shotgun*@osbaccess.com
 
Posts: n/a
Default Skin Treatment on Smoked Turkey

(snip....)
>Best thing to do with smoked turkey skin is feed it to the dogs.

(snip....)
>--
>-frohe



Say,
Those must be outdoor dogs. ;o}

shotgun


>
>


Reply
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules

Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Skin in Ground Turkey - THE FACTS Khubla General Cooking 7 21-03-2006 03:16 PM
Smoked turkey skin question. Cliff Barbecue 11 18-11-2005 07:19 PM
Skin on - Turkey Day prep Kevin B Barbecue 4 20-07-2005 03:19 PM
Lost turkey recipe (skin wrapped stuffed boneless turkey) jammer General Cooking 3 23-11-2003 01:05 AM


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 03:34 AM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004-2024 FoodBanter.com.
The comments are property of their posters.
 

About Us

"It's about Food and drink"