Any tips for smoking a fresh turkey & fresh turkey breast together?

[DarbyDog]

Planning on doing both in my #2.  Not planning to use any added moisture and plan on using either cherry or sugar maple.  Am also going to try the carrot, onion and celery stuff in the cavity of the turkey.
Suggestions?

 

[swthorpe]

I see no reason no to do both at the same time.  I smoked two 5# turkey breasts (bone in) over the weekend at 230F and they took about 4 hours to reach an IT of 160.    The last time I did a whole turkey (13#), I seem to recall that it too took about 4 hours to reach 160IT in the breast.  So, I would suggest the whole turkey on the bottom and the breast on a higher rack (if they don't fit together on one rack).  If you have only one temp probe, then I would probe the breast and monitor for 160IT.  When it reaches 160, remove the breast and check the whole turkey...I suspect it might need a bit more time than the breast, but probably not by much.

 

[DivotMaker]

Steve is on the money.  Whole turkey on the bottom, but take it to 165.  I personally like 165 for any poultry, but some go to 160 on breasts.  Personal preference, I guess.  I just like the results at 165; don't want a turkey under-done.  I know you'll like the results of the mire poix (onion/celery/carrot mix)! 

 

[swthorpe]

I think 165IT is the better bet on a whole turkey just to give the legs/thighs a little more time.  I will be going with 165IT on Thursday with a 12# turkey.  Word to the wise...be sure about your temp probe placement!  I did two 5# turkey breasts over the weekend as a trial run; the probe was telling me 160IT at about 2.5 hours!  My common sense said no!  I repositioned the probe and it took another 1.5 hours to reach 160IT on the breasts, and they were perfect!  This is where I was glad I had another remote therm to check the temps.

 

[DivotMaker]

I see that 160 on the breasts, Steve.  I've always done whole birds, not breasts.  And, I do all poultry to 165, so I would do a breast to 165 also.  If 160 works, I'm all for it!

 

[DarbyDog]

Divot
Do you use any additional moisture for the whole birds?

 

[Pork Belly]

He does not, nor do any of us that I know of.

 

[swthorpe]

No, you shouldn't need additional moisture.  For a whole turkey, the carcass will actually hold moisture during the smoke.

 

[DivotMaker]

Cool thing about a whole bird (turkey or chicken) is they have their own built-in juice pan, called the "cavity!"  Moisturizes from the inside-out.  The skin pretty much prevents external moisture from getting in.

 

[DarbyDog]

Thanks for the help guys. And here's to a smokin and happy Thanksgiving.