Just cooked another whole turkey on my Smokefire and took it off at 158 degrees. Turned out much more moist this time. I did inject with butter before the cook. The smoke flavor seems to be all in the skin though. Has anyone else just taken the skin completely off and cook a whole bird with seasoning directly on the meat? I’m thinking of doing that next time around as it seems it would allow more smoke penetration through the meat and keep the seasoning where you want it. All in all, a great cook. I was much happier with the results compared to my over done Thanksgiving turkey fail. Cooked it at 320 degrees for 2.5 hours seemed to be the ticket.
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Last edited by Mark-B; February 20, 2022, 06:18 PM. -
If you don't want skin, rub under it but leave it on. The smoke gets through the skin just fine IMO. Also if you're gonna chuck the skin you can just smoke the whole way if you wanted. -
Spatchcock the turkey and remove the ribs. Smoke low and finish high.
Have fun.Comment
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If you remove the skin, I would highly recommend you inject with phosphates, especially the breasts. Do the before you dry brineComment
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I feel that my smoked turkeys pick up smoke flavor even through the skin, but then again, more of them have been spatchcocked, or even deconstructed, in recent years. Or rotisserie (which gives the best skin). I don't go for a lot of added smoking wood these days with the turkeys though. My main concern with removing the skin before cooking might be drying out the breast meat, but maybe you should pioneer this technique for us and report back on the results, as you have me curious.Comment
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Turkey is so lean that it dries out easily. The skin provides a protective barrier and a little bit of fat to keep the bird tender. If you want to apply smoke flavor to the meat remove the skin after the cook and use it like a rag and rub the meat with it after the meat has been cut.Comment
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Yup, leave it on & keep workin on it. You’ll get it.Comment
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