first bird done. pics can be found here
http://weberkettleclub.com/forums/grilling-bbqing/thanksgiving-practice-run/ .
had a request for cook info to be posted here and as I think it's a good idea, gonna give a bit more detail in the hopes that it helps someone out.
so here goes-
I've never done a whole turkey prior to this ever, to include other methods of cooking. Decided since I have a smoker and my sister usually hosts Thanksgiving at her place that I would offer to cook the bird this year so she doesn't have to worry about as much. She agreed. So I start doing my internet research about methods/temperatures...etc. Now as I'd never done one before, I didn't want my first time to be the big day in case I flubbed up. Wanted to be able to learn from and correct any mistakes before it was too late. On Wednesday after work, I went to the store and bought a frozen turkey that weighed just under 11 pounds. While selecting him, there was a blurb on the package that said it may contain up to x% of whatever solution. while it didn't say "enhanced" I figured they were in essence telling me it was. This is important because the solutions they use to enhance meats contains sodium. One popular method of preparing a turkey is to brine them before cooking. There is a good chance that if you brine an already enhanced meat that the end result will be too salty(I've experienced this w/a pork roast because I didn't check the package well enough beforehand). So no brine for this gobbler. When I got home, I put it in the fridge to thaw. large pieces of meat are best thawed slowly in a refrigerator so that you don't run the risk of spoilage on the outer areas before the inside is fully thawed. And there it sat. Fast forward to Friday. Got home from work and checked on the progress. I could still feel it frozen in a few places. Taking a calculated risk, I pulled it out and sat it on the counter for an hour or so to give a boost, but not leave it out too long, then back in the fridge. On Saturday afternoon I decided to start prepping. Pulled it out and removed it from the packaging. it was still frozen in some places. I removed the included gravy packet and set it in the fridge. then I removed the neck and assorted bits from the body cavity and discarded. Once that was done, I surveyed my quarry. There was still ice in between the ribs inside and some frost and frozen places. Pulled out all the ice I could and let it sit for a few minutes. Then rubbed it inside and out w/Tony Chachere's Salt Free Seasoning. I put more inside than out. And back into the fridge it went. Sunday morning, I got up and fired up my 18.5 WSM. I didn't want to go hot and fast and risk burning it, but I didn't want to take all day going low and slow. Decided to cook at 275 which takes about 20-25min per pound giving me a cook time between 3hrs 40min and 4hrs 35min. While letting the initial white smoke to clear and let the bullet warm up, I pulled the bird out of the fridge. I took two sandwich sized ziplock bags filled with ice and placed them on the breasts while the bird sat on the counter. The breasts finish sooner than the thighs, but by keeping them cooler, they will finish near the same time and prevent you from having dry white meat. After the bullet was heated up, holding steady and puffing thin blue, I put the turkey on the top rack and a pan underneath to catch the drippings. Time on was about 1240pm. Went out from time to time to make sure the temps weren't dipping or spiked. Vent tap here, vent tap there and no problemo. At two hours, I could resist peaking, so I did and snapped a pic. Started checking meat temps at about 3.5hrs. Just shy of the 4hr mark, I pulled it for a planned 30min rest in the cooler after wrapping with parchment paper and foil. The rest turned into an hour because the wife decided she wanted rice instead of green beans and I figured let the sucker rest while I made the rice. At this time I cooked up the included gravy packet and added the drippings for flavor. The end result can be seen in the link. Hope this helps