Testing turkey parts on the WSM.

[GregS]

went pretty simple basic here to see how bad i can screw this up.

cut the breast off, that's on the bottom tray.  (because they're thicker)

legs and wings on the top tray.

poured 1/3-1/2 bag of KF original in the bottom, added about 5-8 well lit coals.  some apple wood chips and chunk mixed in thar. 

bottom vents are all approx 1/4 inch open, top vent is better than half open.  water pan has 1 to 2 inches of water.

lightly seasoned a rub of bread crumbs, pepper and lawrys seasoning salt. 

it's been on 1/2 hour so far.  will add thermo at some point. 

[GregS]

yep.

i royally fubar'd that.

i think i let it go too long, and the top grate seemed to get more heat than the lower.  the dark meat (upper grate) was the definition of rubber while the white meat (lower grate) is fine.

it went about 15 degrees over on the white meat, it read 185 but we were walking the dog and i didn't think it'd be done so fast.  my grill temp according to the redi check and stove thermo inside both read about 295 on the lower grate.  the upper must have been hotter.

at least jane and the kids can eat the white meat tonight. 

the parts of the dark meat that weren't rubber tasted great.   

[Bman]

poured 1/3-1/2 bag of KF original in the bottom, added about 5-8 well lit coals. 
bottom vents are all approx 1/4 inch open, top vent is better than half open.  water pan has 1 to 2 inches of water.

How come?   This isn't a long drawn out 225* pork butt cook, but rather a 350ish "outdoor oven" cook.  Dump a chimney of unlit in the WSM and fire up a chimney of lit and dump on top of the unlit with wide open vents.  When the (thick white) smoke clears and you're up to temp, add the turkey & smoke wood.  You'll have enough fuel to burn the few hours it'll take to 'bake' the bird.

Last year (thanksgiving & Xmas) I had to turn the vents down as I was well north of 350, even on the 22" WSM

[1buckie]

Yeah, my #1 problem with turkey is being somewhere else when it's supposed to come off......happened more times than I'd like......just need to plan more for the ending as the preparation always seems to take center stage......


Dawg's eatin' good, eh?

[GregS]

How come?
This isn't a long drawn out 225* pork butt cook, but rather a 350ish "outdoor oven" cook. Dump a chimney of unlit in the WSM and fire up a chimney of lit and dump on top of the unlit with wide open vents.  When the (thick white) smoke clears and you're up to temp, add the turkey & smoke wood.  You'll have enough fuel to burn the few hours it'll take to 'bake' the bird.

Last year (thanksgiving & Xmas) I had to turn the vents down as I was well north of 350, even on the 22" WSM

because i thought that was how you do it?    thank you.  and thank you!

Yeah, my #1 problem with turkey is being somewhere else when it's supposed to come off......happened more times than I'd like......just need to plan more for the ending as the preparation always seems to take center stage......
Dawg's eatin' good, eh?

truth.
naw, she's got a sensitive tummy and we have to be very careful about what she eats.  she's a rescue and it took us 6 months to void the whip worms, tummy issues, ear infections, who knows what else including a stick wedged across the top of her mouth that had been there a really long time.  while rescue shelters do a great job, she didn't get the best care.  so we're reeeeaaally careful with her diet now.  probably spent over $2K on her in vet bills, every penny well spent.  she's a very happy dog now, 100% american family mutt. 
thanks buckie.

[addicted-to-smoke]

I would have thought the top area stays hotter. From what I've read, both "zones" (grates) only settle to similar/same temps when doing a long cook.

[GregS]

I would have thought the top area stays hotter. From what I've read, both "zones" (grates) only settle to similar/same temps when doing a long cook.

based on the results i had, i would say you are correct.   

[pbe gummi bear]

If you are running water the top grate will definately be hotter than the bottom grate. The water is no hotter than 212F because science, but the top is running at pit temp to cook your meat via convection PLUS you have the radiant heat from the lid. Thus there could be close to 100F temperature gradient in your WSM if you run water. Sometimes you can use this to your advantage but in this case it hurt you. I also second the comments that dark poultry meat doesn't respond well to low and slow.