Smoked Turkey
Saturday, November 29, 2008 at 03:17PM 
On Thanksgiving Day, or thereabouts, I fire up the outdoor grill and smoke a whole turkey. This is not too difficult, provided that you have the right kind of grill. The best grill is one that is rectangular in cross-section, more than twice as long as you need to cook a turkey. This permits the charcoal-and-wood-chunk fire to be laid on one side of the grill and the bird to be placed on the other.
The first picture (above, right) shows my own grill, a real work-horse made by Brinkman that is in its seventh season of use. Note that there are air controls high and low; these are present on each end of the unit. The placement of the air controls is important. For 
smoking, I leave the lower left control wide open and close the lower right control; the upper left control also remains closed and the upper right control is fully or partly opened, as needed. This results in a flow of hot smoke around the bird, which is placed on the right-hand side of the rack.
To start the charcoal I use two of the chimney-type starters filled with briquettes. These starters use crumpled newspaper to light the charcoal; no petroleum-based fluid is needed. The second picture (above and left) shows the two starters in the grill. Use a good quality of charcoal which burns evenly.
The next step is to add wood chunks to the fuel. This is done after the charcoal briquettes have ignited and burned down part-way, leaving a space at the top of the chimney. The wood chunks are shown in the third picture (to the right); in the front row, three chunks of applewood and in the back row, two chunks of heartwood cherry and one chunk of mesquite. I prefer chunks because the provide a long burn and don't require soaking in water, as the chips do.
The turkey has been prepared by thawing (if necessary), washing with cold water, and then soaking in salted cold water for about an hour. Do NOT use stuffing in a turkey being smoked by this method; this can result in incomplete heating. No special preparation is necessary. Rubbing oil on the outside of the bird is a waste of oil, since the skin of a turkey has a high fat content. Any spices placed on the skin will flavor the skin, which you shouldn't eat. If you must be fancy, put a few springs of fresh sage or basil in the cavity; otherwise, leave well enough alone.
The photograph above shows the chimney starters in the grill; note how far the briquettes have burned down.
In this photograph, the wood chunks have been loaded into the top of the chimneys. They should be left long enough that they have charred on the bottom and side and have begun to burn.
On the right, the wood chunks have begun to char. On the left, two (stacked) pans and water, which will go under the bird.
In the picture above, the fire has been laid, on the left; the aluminum pans have been placed, on the right, and then filled with water, to within a half-inch of the top of the pan.
Now the turkey is placed on the right and it is time to close the lid and start cooking. The next picture, on the left, shows the turkey after about half an hour of cooking; it has taken on a light brown coloration.
The air control on the upper right of the grill can be used to regulate the temperature. When the lid is first closed, I set the control at about halfway open; this helps to hold in the heat. The temperature gauge should rise to about 350 degrees F. within five minutes. Once that point is reached, I open the control a little at a time until the temperature stabilizes at just under 350 degrees F. The temperature will fall slowly over time as the coals burn down and at about halfway through the process (1-1/2 to 2 hours), the bird must be removed and more charcoal added to return the temperature to the 350 degree mark.
The last picture, below, shows the bird after a little more than an hour of cooking. As an alternative to re-stoking the charcoal, you can remove the bird to the indoor conventional oven, tent it with foil, and finish roasting until the proper temperature is obtained (an internal temperature of 185 degrees F.) The turkey in the pictures was hot-smoked for 1-1/2 hours, then finished inside. This results in a slightly less smoky flavor, but not too much less than when you finish the cooking outdoors.
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Reader Comments (5)
Mine is a Brinkman Smokin' Pit Professional. It's barrel-shaped, and has a smaller round firebox that enables you to fill the entire smoking chamber with food. It doesn't look to be as deep as yours, but may be a little wider.
I used to smoke turkey breasts and ducks in it. They were really good.
My latest thing is deep fried turkeys, which I've been doing for about three years.
I don't know which one I like better.
Wonderful step-by-step! Where do you acquire the hunka hunka hardwood and mesquite?
Is there an optimal size for the oblative turkey? I.e., does a bigger one risk drying if you go through the entire process in a smoker?
I roasted a 29-pounder for the multitudes in my 1932 Hotpoint with some success, according to the sounds of contented dining--had to baste & foil the breast for part of the process & use a lower heat than you.
Suggest a more comprehensive cookbook--"Smokin' with J.R."
Happy Thanksgiving!
JW - - 29 pounds?!? I've never tried one over 18, and generally go for 14 pounds, plus or minus a bit. For a 29-pounder, I would go with smoking for 1-1/2 to 2 hours, at a lower heat (300 degrees), then removing the bird to an oven, tenting with foil, and finishing cooking inside.
Actually, what I would do is smoke a pair of 14-pounders, and to #&^$ with all that basting.
For the wood chunks, I recommend an eBay seller,vamtnwoodproducts, http://myworld.ebay.com/vamtnwoodproducts/ who sells not only applewood chunks, but also cherrywood and other smoking woods. He is located in Chilhowie, so you have the option of having the wood chunks shipped, or arranging a pickup if you are in the vicinity.
JS: One of my brothers-in-law has a sideboxer - - here is a turkey smoked in one:
http://whynotpotteryblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/thanksgiving.html
I've had deep fried turkey; quite good; but not something I have a desire to do myself. Too into the charcoal and wood chunks thing.
Interesting article, Jay. You're a real traditionalist! Alas, I've caved in and gone Gas for the grill, electric for the smoker. I'm still a wage-slave, so time is money...