Need help: smoked turkey has chewy, papery skin

[mlodge]

Hi all,

For turkey day this year we are planning to smoke the turkey -- have a Traeger pellet grill. I did a "test run" with a chicken this week, and per Meathead's recommendation in "Turkey outdoors made easy" spatchcocked the bird, put it on for 15 mins at 225F to get some smoke on it, then raised the temp to 325F and smoked it until the digital thermometer read 150F in the breast.

The meat itself was very juicy and tender, with a nice smoke ring. However, the skin was chewy, papery and inedible. Which is not supposed to happen. So what do I need to do differently?


Thanks!

[DavidNorcross]

Welcome from Virginia. Did you baste or spritz during the cook? Did apply oil or butter to the skin before putting on the cooker?

[Draznnl]

Did you dry the skin as much as possible before putting it on the smoker? It is a balancing act. Smoke adheres better to a wet surface, but skin crisps better when it is dry. By the way, welcome to the posting side of the Pit. Try cooking at 350 or even 375.

[mlodge]

Welcome from Virginia. Did you baste or spritz during the cook? Did apply oil or butter to the skin before putting on the cooker?

Hello! No oil, did not baste or spritz.

[mlodge]

Did you dry the skin as much as possible before putting it on the smoker? It is a balancing act. Smoke adheres better to a wet surface, but skin crisps better when it is dry. By the way, welcome to the posting side of the Pit. Try cooking at 350 or even 375.

Thanks! No, I had dry brined 48 hours previously and it had sat in the fridge covered, so the smoke would adhere better.

[DavidNorcross]

I agree on raising the temp slightly. I also dry off as much as possible and then coat with oil.

[Draznnl]

I’ve never tried coating with oil. Maybe I’ll give that a shot Thursday.

[DaveD]

Personally I would skip the lower temp step entirely and just go directly to your main cooking temp, and 350-375/175-190 is a good range to be in. That poultry skin is really hard to prevent getting like that if it sits at the lower temps.

And welcome from the northern Virginia burbs of DC!

[barelfly]

This is my preferred way of cooking some yard bird as well!

[DaveD]

barelfly Yeah, me too, I've cooked way more chicken than I have turkey (probaby true for most of us)...

[barelfly]

Welcome from the Land of Enchantment! You have some great tips above!

[RonB]

Welcome to the posting side of The Pit. Separating the skin from the carcass can also help the skin crisp.

[MarkN]

Some advise adding (aluminum free) baking powder with the rub and overnight in the fridge. That helps dry the skin.

[shify]

There are three things you can do to get better skin

1) Dry brine bird uncovered overnight to dry the skin out
2) Add oil to the turkey before putting on the grill (not butter as there is a lot of water in butter)
3) Cook at a higher temp, 325 or higher.

Even if you do those three, you still aren't guaranteed to get crispy skin like if you roasted in the oven but your likelihood will increase.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

Remember that a turkey will cook slower than a chicken, so more time for the skin to do something... however there's a chance the grate temp is nowhere near your set temp and you're gonna wanna bump things up to 375 or so. Put the bird on the grill cold and shoot straight to cook temp, poultry takes on smoke quick and the startup smoke isn't usually too harsh in a short exposure (some pellet grills I've seen have horrid bad smoke start ups, but I don't think Traegers are one of them that I've seen anyway).

Another option is to remove the skin and smoke the bird at 275-300, just baste that bad boy a couple times with butter or something. Put the skin flat on a rack in your oven and crisp it up separate then dice or chop it to serve with slices of bird.

[mlodge]

Thanks everyone for the warm welcome and all the cooking tips -- seems like higher heat is the main thing to do, along with oiling the skin. When we have not deep fried the turkey, we've done it hot (425F or so) in a Big Easy infra-red cooker and that gets spectacular crispy skin but is hard to control (you have to watch the temperature carefully, and guests want to chat...) and carry-over is difficult to estimate.

[DogFaced PonySoldier]

I agree, the hotter the better for skin crisping - at least, toward the end. My plan is about 250-375, then blast at 425 or so the last 10-15 minutes, I think.