Well I just finished my post Thanksgiving turkey on the smoker I chickened out at the last minute and did a brine in addition to using all the butter. Needless to say it is just incredibly delicious, moist, juicy it doesn't get any better than this. First time using the Weber Smokey Mountain in a direct heat and that made me nervous too but great idea Larry! Special thanks for the carving tips and most of all using that Cleaver to crack the backbone. I had an especially tough bird that did not want to give up and that made all the difference. Thank you again onward as we sally forth into the holidays. Cheers!
So glad it came out for you! Brining will always help with turkeys, no doubt. I didn’t brine in the video because I didn’t have time. But, I was still extremely happy with the result. When I do whole turkeys for groups of people I will brine. Just helps. Thanks for following up with me! Always happy to hear how cooks go.
That makes me feel good! Just putting out there what works for me and hope it helps others. Glad it’s been successful with you all! Let me know how it goes for you when you give it a go! Cheers!
When you said direct heat, I thought you meant moving the coals up to the water pan height. But I see what you mean, just remove the water pan. I do that when I spatchcock chicken, so I can see how it should work perfectly with turkey. Which you just demonstrated. Smart move on sticking the butter under the skin, can't remember who taught me that but how it melts throughout the whole cooking process adding fats+liquid back into the meet as you cook? Love it. This was a great video, Larry! I still remember when you and I were just starting out on youtube. You've gone so far with this! Almost 4000 subs. Way to go man.
Exactly. By direct heat I just mean nothing in between the fuel and the food. As you know the WSM has plenty of room in between the top and the bottom and that unless you let it get blistering hot, it’s still going to be great! Every so often I circle back to your channel as well to see if I’ve missed anything. I do appreciate the fact we were starting at the same time and I enjoy your cooks! Would definitely love to do a cook with you! But, you know, the whole living in different countries thing. Lol
I found your channel through Reddit, and I’m really digging your content. I have a couple questions as I’m looking to replicate this recipe for Thanksgiving this year. What size WSM did you use here? Would you recommend the WSM for a first time smoker? Do you feel this method would work for a larger bird, say 20 lbs, without drying it out? Thanks in advance!
Glad you find the channel!! And thanks for checking it out. - I have the 22” WSM. I definitely recommend the WSM for a first time smoker. It’s very easy to use and control. Always feel free to reach out with questions on them. I have a couple of them and they’re the easiest things to use and super versatile. - I do think a 20lb bird would work on here, but it would take a little longer. Mine was only 12.5lbs and took about 3 hours. I’d expect a couple more hours for that size bird. You can always be safe and brine in overnight the night before you cook. That always leads to a juicy bird!
It would flare up a bit when I opened the lid. Which is expected because you’re adding oxygen to the fire which will always make it burn more. Other than that, no flare ups or spikes in heat. That’s one of the great things about the WSM, it’s so versatile.
