Smoked Turkey Question - Suggestions?

[Perry Mason]

Last Thanksgiving, I smoked my first spatchcocked turkey in my Ole Hickory smoker. I was running it at 275 degrees. The problem I had was that when the breast reached 165, the thigh joint was only 155. I thought that was too low, so I continued cooking it for a good while until the thigh joint was 161 degrees. Problem was that the breast ended up too dry. I'm guessing that I should've taken it off with the thigh at 155, but is that too low? (Turkey was not injected, but dry brined overnight in the refrigerator, then basted occasionally with apple juice while cooking.) Overall flavor was great, just a dry breast. Total cook time ended up at 5 hours, but the breast had reached 165 degrees after about 4 hours.

[Jerod Broussard]

Is there a way to place the dark meat towards a hotter part of that cooker?

[Perry Mason]

The back of the rack is hotter than the front. I can't remember which way I positioned it. I'll make a point of putting the dark meat towards the back next time. Thanks.

[LA Pork Butt]

Place two baggies of ice clipped together on the breast for an hour or two. That will make the breast colder than the thigh meat. You will lose some smoking effect if you do this for an hour or two out of the refrigerator before putting it on the smoker. I guess it is a trade off more smoke drier breast verses less smoke moister breast. Remember if the breast lags behind the thighs in doneness the thighs will suffer less from overcooking than the breast.

[Perry Mason]

Thanks! Might give that a try next time!

[RonB]

You could also separate the dark meat from the breasts and pull each when ready. If you want the presentation of a whole bird, just place the dark meat where it should go when plating.

[Perry Mason]

Didn't think about that - if it's already spatchcocked, would be easy to separate. Thanks!

[Bad Hat BBQ]

I rotate my turkeys during the cook and like to cook medium size birds (~14lbs)

[Draznnl]

I’m with RonB The simplest solution is to separate the pieces before putting them on the cooker. What you lose in the aesthetic of presenting a whole bird, you, IMHO, more than gain in having everything cooked right so not to sicken your guests.

[JeffJ]

Cook at a higher temperature. 275 is too low for birds IMO. I recommend 300-330. Turkey is so lean. The skin is what keeps it moist.

[Draznnl]

I agree. I smoke my turkeys at 350F.

[Perry Mason]

we also had a brisket going which is why I didn't cook any higher. Trying to compromise probably made the brisket and the turkey less than optimal.

[Santamarina]

Two things I’ve done for a successful turkey smoke - which have both been mentioned here…

Higher temp. I shoot for 325+…but I understand why you didn’t last time.

If there’s a big discrepancy between temp of light and dark meat I’ll separate the legs from the breast. As you said, pretty simple process once the bird is spatchcocked. Sometimes I just skip ahead and separate them before I start cooking. Gives the flexibility of moving pieces around to find the best heat, and you can pull pieces as they’re done.

Good luck on the next bird!

[Perry Mason]

Good suggestion. I think this time I'll increase temp to 325 and separate the legs from the breast ahead of time. I always slice it up before serving, so I'm not concerned about the presentation. Thanks!

[Santamarina]

Presentation is what got me to switch to spatchcocking. We never present the whole bird at the table, we always carved it in the kitchen before taking a platter of meat to the dining table. So after reading about the benefits of spatchcocking I went for it. The rest is history!

Looking forward to your report of this years cook!

[Purc]

Any problems smoking a stuffed turkey on the Bronco?
I want to use a bread/butter/seasoning/mushroom and onion stuffing. I have always roasted a stuffed one in the oven or spun it on the Kettle. Thanks in advance.