Use Water Pan for Smoking Turkey?
I am going to attempt my first smoked turkey breast (bone in) this year and I am wondering if you guys use the water pan or not. If so, do you just use water? I have thought about an apple juice/wat...
Forum Discussion
I've never smoked just a turkey breast...
...but I've done the family turkey's since 2001 for both Thanksgiving and Christmas on a (charcoal/wood, not electric) water smoker. For a whole turkey, I typically would run the smoker for an hour or two without the water pan to put a good dose of smoke and heat on the turkey skin.
I would then put the water pan in. I typically used apple juice/water/beer mix to start and then would top off with each in succession until the turkey was done. Since there was usually some drinking involved as the day went on, the addition sequence became less precise over time.
The outside temp shouldn't be a problem as long as you can keep the wind off the smoker. I typically carried a roll of shrink wrap (the 2' or so wide handheld roll) and some PVC stakes that I'd put up as wind barriers.
...but I've done the family turkey's since 2001 for both Thanksgiving and Christmas on a (charcoal/wood, not electric) water smoker. For a whole turkey, I typically would run the smoker for an hour or two without the water pan to put a good dose of smoke and heat on the turkey skin.
I would then put the water pan in. I typically used apple juice/water/beer mix to start and then would top off with each in succession until the turkey was done. Since there was usually some drinking involved as the day went on, the addition sequence became less precise over time.
The outside temp shouldn't be a problem as long as you can keep the wind off the smoker. I typically carried a roll of shrink wrap (the 2' or so wide handheld roll) and some PVC stakes that I'd put up as wind barriers.
