tranch wrote:
> Did my first pork shoulder the other day and it turned out just fine. So
> now I'm feeling like I can barbecue just about any thing and have decided to
> do a turkey I've had in the freezer for a while.
> I read the FAC and the author seems to make it sound like a turkey is
> some what difficult to do for a beginner like myself. Is it really that hard
> to barbecue a turkey or am I just getting the beginner jitters? Any tips
> will be greatly appreciated!!!
>

As you will see/have seen there are two (at least) schools of thought on
what to do with poulty. You can roast with smoke (typical oven
temperature and timing) or you can slow cook at 225-275F with the wood
smoke. The results of the two methods are very different products.

Roasted turkey/chicken/duck will be similar to what you get in the oven
with some smoke character in the flavor. The skin will be crispy and the
flesh will be firm. A great time saver is to spatchcock the bird. This
makes it much flatter which allows it to cook more quickly.

Hot smoked turkey/chicken/duck is a different beast. The skin will be
soft and rubbery. The flesh will be softer, succulent and deeply
flavored with the smoke.

I suggest you try both methods using something managable. A five pound
chicken will take about 5-6 hours at 250 to reach 161 at the joint where
the thigh meets the body. If you don't like it hot smoked, you will only
have wasted $5.

I'll bet you will like it.

--
Matthew

I'm a contractor. If you want an opinion, I'll sell you one.
Which one do you want?