Hi, I have an extra Thanksgiving turkey defrosting in the refrigerator. I’d like to smoke it in my small propane smoker. Any advice? I need to break it down, never done that before but there’s plenty of you tubes. I’ve got a variety of wood chips, all kinds of stuff for a dry rub, beer, wine, apple juice I can use in the pan. I’d be grateful for any tips. Thanks!

I've never used a propane smoker, only a pellet smoker so your mileage may vary. I always (always) brine my turkey for at least 24 hours. IMHO doesn't matter what brine you use but its a must do for me. The Traeger Orange Brine and Turkey Rub kit is good, but Costco has one and spice island turkey brine kit worked well for us too.Day of my smoke I drain the turkey, pat it down well. Put some rub (I like the McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning) use about 2 table spoons to coat the cavity, the more outside. Also separate the skin from the meat and spread butter around. Sometimes I mix the butter in with seasoning. Letting it rest in the fridge for an hour is nice but honestly I've only done it a few times.Then I fire up the smoker and set the "Smoke" or about 180-225° generally for about 4 hours or until you hit about 110° internal temperature, then increase the smoker to 350° until your internal temp reaches 160° - depending on your setup the total time on the grill might be 4 hours, I just don't know enough about a propane smoker to help on that aspect.Good luck & enjoy!

I respect Y-Guy as a cook and a smoker, and I don't disagree with his method. I do mine differently though.I cut the backbone out of mine and flatten it out for more even cooking. It's called Spatchcock style, and you can find plenty of YouTube videos for instructions. Picture the way they grill the birds at El Pollo Loco.I do mine at 325* to get crispier skin.I use Susie Bulloch's pork/chicken run recipe and absolutely love it. https://heygrillhey.com/best-sweet-rub-grilled-pork-chicken/

Do you need to break it down because of smoker rack size? Consider spatchcocking the bird if you can fit it in your smoker. Everything lays flat and gets even smoke and heat.Also, I smoke poultry as hot as I can get my smoker - ignoring the smoker's mantra of "everything low and slow". Basically, I'm oven roasting birds in my smoker. Eliminates the rubbery skin problem and produces a nice crispy skin.I can easily get 325-350° in both my wood fired and propane fired smokers.

Y-Guy wrote:I've never used a propane smoker, only a pellet smoker so your mileage may vary. I always (always) brine my turkey for at least 24 hours. IMHO doesn't matter what brine you use but its a must do for me. The Traeger Orange Brine and Turkey Rub kit is good, but Costco has one and spice island turkey brine kit worked well for us too.Day of my smoke I drain the turkey, pat it down well. Put some rub (I like the McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning) use about 2 table spoons to coat the cavity, the more outside. Also separate the skin from the meat and spread butter around. Sometimes I mix the butter in with seasoning. Letting it rest in the fridge for an hour is nice but honestly I've only done it a few times.Then I fire up the smoker and set the "Smoke" or about 180-225° generally for about 4 hours or until you hit about 110° internal temperature, then increase the smoker to 350° until your internal temp reaches 160° - depending on your setup the total time on the grill might be 4 hours, I just don't know enough about a propane smoker to help on that aspect.Good luck & enjoy!There would be little I could add to this. Be certain your brine is real cold, like ice cold or in a fridge over night. I make my own simple brine with 1/2 cup salt 1/4 cup sugar and 1 cup soy sauce. Kinda fun to add some fresh garlic smashed up and maybe some rosemary. Brining is real important to the great flavor of a smoked turkey as the salt penetrates the meat it takes water with it and that keeps it real moist at the time of completion as well as enhancing the flavor. I never need to "part the bird out" but breaking down the turkey shouldn't be to difficult if it's thawed. Just cut at the joints. I would prolly separate the back...then cut the bird in half and brine it along with the back. If you remove the leg/thigh from the carcass it will cook easier but you will lose a certain amount of moisture that way. If you do the brine above wiht chicken overnight and smoked whole, the results are outrageous. Have fun!

As for "breaking down", just remove the thighs, legs and wings. You can put them on ice and do them as the second batch.I have smoked whole turkeys in a full sized Weber Kettle Grill. The trick is to find the special charcoal holders that hold it over to the side.I have not brined/soaked it pre-smoking, nor have I applied any rub. I am smoking rookie, so I probably had the grill too hot for a true smoking. If you do use a kettle with side charcoal holders, watch how fast the coals burn. You will probably have to add more and it the old ones have burned very low, it is hard to get the additional ones lit.DO NOT STUFF YOUR TURKEY ! The stuffing picks up too much of the smoke taste.

Breaking down and smoking a turkey? | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

dedmiston
Moderator
Dec 30, 2020
I respect Y-Guy as a cook and a smoker, and I don't disagree with his method. I do mine differently though.

I cut the backbone out of mine and flatten it out for more even cooking. It's called Spatchcock style, and you can find plenty of YouTube videos for instructions. Picture the way they grill the birds at El Pollo Loco.

I do mine at 325* to get crispier skin.

I use Susie Bulloch's pork/chicken run recipe and absolutely love it.

https://heygrillhey.com/best-sweet-rub-grilled-pork-chicken/
Y-Guy
Moderator
Dec 30, 2020
I've never used a propane smoker, only a pellet smoker so your mileage may vary.
I always (always) brine my turkey for at least 24 hours. IMHO doesn't matter what brine you use but its a must do for me. The Traeger Orange Brine and Turkey Rub kit is good, but Costco has one and spice island turkey brine kit worked well for us too.

Day of my smoke I drain the turkey, pat it down well. Put some rub (I like the
McCormick Smokehouse Maple Seasoning) use about 2 table spoons to coat the cavity, the more outside. Also separate the skin from the meat and spread butter around. Sometimes I mix the butter in with seasoning. Letting it rest in the fridge for an hour is nice but honestly I've only done it a few times.

Then I fire up the smoker and set the "Smoke" or about 180-225° generally for about 4 hours or until you hit about 110° internal temperature, then increase the smoker to 350° until your internal temp reaches 160° - depending on your setup the total time on the grill might be 4 hours, I just don't know enough about a propane smoker to help on that aspect.

Good luck & enjoy!

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Breaking down and smoking a turkey?

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