11lb Turkey/ Brined, Mire Poix, Dry Rubbed...

[Smokey]

So for Thanksgiving, I figured I would try a Turkey in the #2.  We had a ham in the oven in the event it was a fail, as this was the first turkey I have ever made.

I thought I had completed the necessary research to make a top notch feast.  I wanted to brine it, so I tracked down a bird that the only ingredient listed was "Turkey" and it wasnt injected.  It weighed in a little over 11 lbs.  I let it thaw for 4 days, removed the goodies from inside and then brined it. After brining was complete, I rinsed and patted dry.  McCormick s Poultry Seasoning was then rubbed in, above and below the skin as well as inside the cavity.  I made a Mire Poix Mix (of equal parts of onion, celery, carrots, and green apple) and filled the cavity.   I then placed it uncovered in the fridge to dry out the skin some for a few hours.

I foil boated some Pecan wood from Fruitawood, loaded the turkey in the smoker and cranked it up to high.  Cooked the Breast to an IT of 165, then wrapped in foil (I have seen some say "tent" but i wanted to keep it warmer longer, so i wrapped it.  Wrapped in a towel as well and placed  in cooler to rest".  When I pulled the turkey from the cooler (it smelled amazing) I checked the breast temp again, this time just above 160.

Prior to slicing up the bird, the mire poix was discarded as was most of the skin.

The results:  While it wasn't terrible, it just wasn't what I expected.  The dark meat looked different than standard oven roasting.  The breast was somewhat moist, but wasn't the best I had had, or had in mind.  In my opinion the meat got better after sitting in the fridge for a day or two with the left overs.

For the amount of work and the amount of food we got out of the 11lb bird, I have thought of just trying it again with some large turkey breast vs working an entire turkey.

Did I miss anything, or what could be done for more favorable results?  Were the legs finished as well?

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[DivotMaker]

Sounds like you had a solid plan, Chris.  What was your brine, and how long?  Also, I noticed you have it probed with an analog thermometer...do you have a digital remote unit that you used during smoking?  Those analog thermometers can be notoriously inaccurate, so your bird may have actually been over-done (if it was a bit dry).  How much wood did you use (did you weigh it?), and what temp did you smoke it at?

Yes, the dark meat of a smoked bird, in my experience, looks a little different than oven-roasted (darker).  Just the smoke that does that.

You can certainly try breasts - lots of folks have great success with them.  We need to figure-out what happened on this one, too.  Your plan should have produced a turkey to die for!  A few more details will help us pinpoint the issue.

[Smokey]

Thanks Tony.  I brined it from something i Found from CUTiger80, which I believe was a hybrid brine of a couple recipes merged.

1 gallon water
1 C Kosher Salt
1 TBS granulated garlic
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS rosemary
1 TBS thyme
1 TBS Old Bay seasoning
1 C brown sugar
1 C orange juice

My notes I took down on this may have been discarded during cleanup, so I m going from memory on time of brine, but I recall 1hr minimum per pound, so I feel it was 12 hrs ish..., rinsed, patted dry then rubbed.   In terms of the wood, it was in the 2 to 2.5 oz range.  I have a digital scale, i just dont remember the number.   Also, a Maverick was used to monitor the IT throughout cooking which was inserted in breast.  I used the analog, to double check the temp afterwords to ensure it was fully cooked.  I did not probe a leg however.

The smoker was set to max temp.  I found a screen shot of the Maverick at 262 temperate inside smoker when the turkey hit 160.  It was only my second smoke, and I no longer monitor the internal temp of the smoker.  The temps will work themselves out.

I included another picture I had of finished product.

[DivotMaker]

Well, Chris, I can't explain it - bad bird, maybe?  Guess you can get a bad turkey, just like you sometimes get a bad cut of beef or pork.  With the exception of the brine recipe, this is virtually the same technique I just used on a 14 lb bird, and it came out fantastic.  I'm at a bit of a loss!

[Smokey]

Im going to try the same thing again on a tb at some point and give it another try.  Thanks.

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Just curious .........................do you or anybody ....really need to brine a bird ?

[NDKoze]

Emphatic YES you need to brine your poultry.

My 2 cents anyhow.

You could try one brined and one not and do a taste test as an experiment. I would be interested to hear the results.

[NDKoze]

I should clarify, that I would always brine if the bird was not pre-brined from the factory as some poultry is. For a pre-brined bird, I still brine them, but cut the salt by at least half of not more depending on the amount of salt solution in the factory brine.

On a pre-brined bird, you could just oil and rub the bird and throw it in the smoker.

[DivotMaker]

I usually adhere to the don't brine a solution-injected bird, but the last one I smoked was only a 3% solution, so I brined.  Turned out great.  I always brine chicken, though!

[SuperDave]

We bought extra turkeys at Thanksgiving for $10/ea, so I've got a couple in the freezer.  I am going to try one in the new smoker this weekend.  My approach to brining pre-injected turkeys is to omit most of the salt in the brine and replace it with sugar.  The increased sugar makes for great browning of the skin. And I believe that the brining of the pre-injected birds is a lot like Divots double duty on briskets.  The bird that I'll smoke this weekend is about 15#.

[DivotMaker]

Start a new thread to document your cook for us, Dave - can't wait to see the results!