PBC Smoked Turkey questions

[doctorak]

Howdy everyone! I've been a bit of a lurker but got my PBC early this summer, and have done a few cooks with it. It's my first smoker so I'm still in learning mode. The first ribs were a...work in progress...but the second ones were delish. I'm getting the hang of it pretty well, and the one thing I nailed from the get go was doing some full chickens. I do them with S&G, hang them for about an hour with the lid cracked just a bit, and they've turned out perfect every time.

Anyway, this weekend I'm doing a "Friendsgiving" to try out a smoked turkey on the PBC before my family will let me make it for the real deal Thanksgiving next month, and I have a few questions:

-How do people handle catching the drippings for the gravy? I can't think of how I can get the roasting pan underneath the turkey since the turkey would almost certainly hang below the level of the grate. I do have a hinged grate but can't think of how that would help.

-I'm assuming I would need to crack the lid a bit? Or maybe leave out one of the hanging bars? What are people's experiences? Obviously I'll be hanging a temp probe from my Maverick next to the turkey and will adjust accordingly but just curious how people have handled in the past.

-I oversmoked my first batch of ribs with too much wood, so I'm thinking just one smallish chunk of apple wood at the beginning of the cook should suffice. Any other experiences?

-Should I wrap the wings in foil for the whole cook? Just the first 30 minutes or so?

-Any other tips unique to the PBC that differ from Meathead's technique? Unexpected things I'd rather know about ahead of time than run into unknowingly on Sunday?

Praying for a rainless day Sunday here in Southern CT, but outlook not too good and I may be running out in the rain and possibly picking up a tent to put over the PBC if it does rain.

Any help is very much appreciated. I'll try to take some pics before the guests dig their grubby little hands in and post when I'm done.

[W.A.]

I spatchcock it, but I'm thinking of cutting all the way in half because one breast seems to cook faster than the other. I make a turkey stock the day before for gravy with turkey wings, spine, neck, giblets and then a stock after with the bones. Crack lid with a small piece of foil or stick to get it around 350. Cut off wing tips for gravy. One or two small chunks of cherry- adds color too.

[fzxdoc]

Leaving one rebar out will most likely keep you around 350 or so. At least that's how it works with my PBC. It's way easier than cracking the lid repeatedly.

Have fun with that cook!

Kathryn

[fzxdoc]

FWIW, Here are some comments I shared with a fellow Pit member a week or so ago who asked about smoking a turkey on the PBC:


I've done several turkeys on the PBC but have never used the PBC hanger. I spatchcock my turkeys so they cook more evenly.

I don't use the S&G rub because it's too herby for my family's tastes.

For my turkeys, I used the PBC All Purpose rub, just as I do with chicken. It's amazingly delicious on turkey.

I inject with melted butter, which can be tricky since it hardens quickly in the cold bird. I have a big injector with holes along the first inch or so of the needle so if I get the butter a little warmer, it injects really well. It looks a lot like this, although mine is not this brand and the holes in the multi-holed needle are larger on mine:





If I had this particular injector, I'd probably use the needle with the single hole at the end for injecting warm butter.

Here is the link to the post I wrote on how to smoke a turkey on the PBC.

https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/fo...856#post108856


One technique note: After you've rubbed the meat down under the skin with your rub, be sure to smooth all the skin back down really well. Otherwise it will shrink up and look like a too-small shirt on Mr. Turkey. Also, foil booties on the "feet" help keep the meat and from shrinking up on the legs.

Kathryn

[Jerod Broussard]

Have you tried fresh clarified butter? I use Tony Chachere's butter injection, and typically sprinkle Tony Chachere's on the skin. Both contain plenty salt, and both work well on birds that supposedly have been brined plenty already.

[fzxdoc]

Good to know, Jerod Broussard . I'll have to try some.

So you don't use PBC AP rub on your turkeys?

Kathryn

[Jerod Broussard]

I use it on chicken. Most, if not all the turkeys I cook are for other people, so I keep rolling with the Tony Chachere's. I was doing oven turkeys for other folks before I got the PBC and the APR.

[Northside Brian]

Regarding your question about catching the drippings...without some serious modifications it is impossible to do. One of the unique things about the PBC is that the drippings hitting the hot coals add moisture and flavor back onto the meat which is one of the secrets to why food on the PBC tastes so awesome. I have used the turkey hangers on a couple of cooks and have not had any problems with them so far but then I have only done chickens from them. If you did use the hangers you would not be able to leave one of the re-bars out and you would need to crack the lid. When I do chickens I cook them normally with the lid closed and once they get close to temp I crack the lid about 1/4" to get the pit temps up to over 300 to crisp up the skin and they always come out perfect. Regarding wood...a little bit goes a long way. I never use more than 2 or 3 small chunks of wood.

[Pit Barrel Cooker Co.]

Northside Brian is correct about the drippings hitting the coals and adding flavor to the food. Please feel free to check out the Holiday Turkey video on our website here: http://www.pitbarrelcooker.com/videos/holiday-turkey. We recommend using wood chips at the beginning of the cook instead of wood chunks that change the charcoal burn and may increase temps.

[PappyBBQ]

I use the turkey hanger, but I immediately discovered that a rebar fits perfectly through the round hole at the top of the hanger, so that allows me to leave one rebar out. I run the one rebar for the hanger diagonally so the turkey can be squarely in the middle of the PBC. Doing the turkey whole makes for a spectacular "Rockwellian" display on the holiday table!

[PBCDad]

Wow, once again a single tip worth the cost of the Pitmaster Club membership. Thank you!!!

[PappyBBQ]

Totally agree. And you're totally welcome! I'm glad I can give back!!

[lschweig]

That is absolutely awesome solution and checked it out after a cook a couple of days ago. Plus I completely agree with PBCDAD regarding the membership cost.

[doctorak]

All such great suggestions. Thanks everyone! I'm about to go prep the bird for tomorrow.

As for the gravy, I guess I'll just make it in the oven without the drippings?

[EdF]

My wife would kill me if I did that, but we have different equipment. Some guy (I think Kenji Alt-Lopez) suggests buying extra turkey wings to use to build the gravy. Forget the details though.

[LSUBBQFan]

Thanks, doctorak for posting this question. I'm about to smoke my first PBC turkey on Saturday as a trial before Thanksgiving.

While I have spatchcocked a few on my Weber kettle/SnS with great results, since I plan to cook two (simultaneously) on the PBC for Thanksgiving I will need to use the hangers.

My questions for the group are:

1) Are there any tricks/tips to getting an even cook since I can't spatchcock them? Is this really a big issue or just a minor one?
2) Since I'm going to be cooking a single 14.5# turkey for a trial, what differences do you foresee on cooking time when cooking 2 birds together? I assume a little longer cooking time, but any idea how much longer?
3) For future, if cooking a single turkey am I correct that the hanger is not compatible with the spatchcock method? (i.e., not enough room)

As always, I really appreciate the helpful advice from members of this site. It has revolutionized my barbecuing the last couple years!

[PappyBBQ]

Thinking back, I'm wondering if I could even get two whole turkeys in the barrel! I seem to remember that when I did one (14 pound) it took up quite a bit of real estate in the barrel. Two would be a tight fit I think. I'd be more tempted to spatchcock and hang 2 birds using the S hooks... Could probably easily fit three birds that way. But, you're probably looking for the "Rockwell" Thanksgiving table featuring an intact bird. Heck, maybe two 14 pounders would fit. Certainly wouldn't want them touching either the sides or each other. And I would expect 2 to take a bit longer than 1 but my guess as to how much longer would be as good as yours! I'm sure someone on here has done multiples and can give you better answers than I.

[kill2grill]

LSUBBQFan you are correct - Noah's video on their site not only demonstrated the fowl colonoscopy capabilities of the Turkey hanger but shows him using TWO of them at once.

[PappyBBQ]

kill2grill right, I just saw that as well, but those looked like pretty small birds to me.

[kill2grill]

PappyBBQ I figured them birds were just cold and that could account for the abnormal size.