Smoking a turkey

[unclefish]

Got one on the smoker right now. Trial run for Thanksgiving. It's a 10lb bird brings in saltwater/sugar solution for 18 hours.

Smoker is steady at 225 with hickory wood. Been on for 2.5 hours. Will see how it turns out.

[Husker]

Been doing this for last 8 or 9 years. To brine get a couple bottles of cranberry juice. Smaller bird one 64oz bottle might work. Disolve some canning salt in the juice (a cup or two) then put bird in container and fill up with the cranberry/salt solution and put in fridge overnight. I have a small cooler that works well. The extra bottle of cranberry juice I use to mix with my vodka while the bird smokes...we're both smoked in about 8hrs .
I also coat the outside of the bird with maple syrup part way through. (stuff under the skin butter and seasoning.

[cosmiccowboy]

To give the bird that classic golden color out of the smoker I use an oven bag to start off with and cut about ten 2" slashes in the top....it lets it smoke and steam at the same time without giving it that dark, hard bark. About an hour before it's done I will rip the bag back on top (still letting the bottom of the bag hold the juices) and let it brown up.

[AtTheWall]

10lb young bird with a Traeger Cooking system. Smoke it for 10 minutes at 180 degrees. Drop the smoke and let it roast at 180 degrees for 4 hours. Kick the cooker up to 250 degrees and run it for 2 more hours and pull. Comes out juicy and golden.

[chrisgunguy]

We are smoking away....

[chrisgunguy]

On our new pit I might add. Its working well.

[gonzaleziam]

Just smoked one yesterday for office. Smallest I could find was 19 lbs which had me nervous through the process.
Didn't brine
Smoker to 250 degrees with mesquite
After 2 hours I checked internal temp of breast. Digitial thermometers are awesome.
Once internal temp got to 140ish,(took about 2.5-3 hours to get there) I took it out and put in a roaster at 250 degrees. Kept checking internal temp every 30 minutes and at 45 minutes it hit 168.
IT WAS READY!!!!
Thigh temps were always 10 degrees more.
Even though it was a bigger turkey, it was my best so far. People at office couldn't get enough. The breast came out way more juicer than the dark meat. I didn't inject the meat either. Needless to say, I've been contracted to make several on Turkey Day.
Good luck.....

[Ironman]

That's a lot of birds!