Thanksgiving Food traditions (1 Viewer)

I have an electric smoker, only hits 275 as top temp. I've done a 15 lb bird before, took about 12 hours. I will be monitoring it, so if it hits temp early, I'll take it out and do about 5 minutes in the oven before serving.

They say about 40 minutes per pound, and it's not exactly warm weather out (I'm in Indiana). I am injecting it with a mixture of honey, sea salt, white pepper, white wine, and butter. Also using a very, very light butter and brown sugar rub/baste on top.

Using Cherry Wood chips
 
I have an electric smoker, only hits 275 as top temp. I've done a 15 lb bird before, took about 12 hours. I will be monitoring it, so if it hits temp early, I'll take it out and do about 5 minutes in the oven before serving.

They say about 40 minutes per pound, and it's not exactly warm weather out (I'm in Indiana). I am injecting it with a mixture of honey, sea salt, white pepper, white wine, and butter. Also using a very, very light butter and brown sugar rub/baste on top.

Using Cherry Wood chips

To be clear, I'm not criticizing your plan, but poultry always seems to cook fairly fast for me. That injection sounds really nice.

Of course, I generally cook poultry on the hot side. It still enough time to get some smoke on it, and it will make the skin nice and crispy. (I am also going to spatchcock, and not really going for presentation).

I am toying with the idea of making my own butter and whipping some sage and garlic into it for basting.
 
I have an electric smoker, only hits 275 as top temp. I've done a 15 lb bird before, took about 12 hours. I will be monitoring it, so if it hits temp early, I'll take it out and do about 5 minutes in the oven before serving.

They say about 40 minutes per pound, and it's not exactly warm weather out (I'm in Indiana). I am injecting it with a mixture of honey, sea salt, white pepper, white wine, and butter. Also using a very, very light butter and brown sugar rub/baste on top.

Using Cherry Wood chips
I remember where you are. Been raining? There's a thin blanket of snow on the ground up here but it'll turn to rain.
 
I remember where you are. Been raining? There's a thin blanket of snow on the ground up here but it'll turn to rain.


Raining, yes. And forecast has it raining for the first 5-6 hours I am supposed to be smoking (50% ish chance). So I'll be putting one of those pop up canopy tents up. Fortunately, while cold today, tomorrow is supposed to be almost 60 despite the rain, so that should help.

It's the perfect scenario. I'll stay up all night smoking it, head over to MIL house, eat, then claim to be exhausted from staying up all night and go home early to sleep/watch football :p
 
I'm debating if there's any prep I need to do other than just stick the turducken in the oven. The bird is already well seasoned, since I bought it from Hebert's Specialty Meats. I've cooked their stuffed chickens and those are pretty much idiot proof. But with the turducken, I'm not so sure.
 
I'm debating if there's any prep I need to do other than just stick the turducken in the oven. The bird is already well seasoned, since I bought it from Hebert's Specialty Meats. I've cooked their stuffed chickens and those are pretty much idiot proof. But with the turducken, I'm not so sure.

Probably not. I'm not sure how it's packaged, but it's probably worth taking it out and letting it air-dry in the fridge for 12-24 hours before you cook it.
 
I agree with the masses here. I wouldn't keep smoke on that bird for more than a couple of hours. If you smoke it for 18 hrs, it will likely just taste like ash. Smoke it for a couple of hours and then finish it in the oven or some "non smokey" heat source.
 
Probably not. I'm not sure how it's packaged, but it's probably worth taking it out and letting it air-dry in the fridge for 12-24 hours before you cook it.

Yeah, it's shrink wrapped. The air dry idea sounds like a great idea. I wasn't sure because with it shrink wrapped, I thought it would keep the seasoning locked in better.

Also, directions calls for baking in oven covered at 375 for 4 hours, then uncovered for 1 hour.

20201124_095223.jpg
 
Yeah, it's shrink wrapped. The air dry idea sounds like a great idea. I wasn't sure because with it shrink wrapped, I thought it would keep the seasoning locked in better.

Also, directions calls for baking in oven covered at 375 for 4 hours, then uncovered for 1 hour.

20201124_095223.jpg

It has probably taken as much seasoning as it's going to. I would definitely take it out of the packaging. I would also tend to follow their cooking directions - you might consider cranking up the heat for the last 10-30 minutes to crisp the outside (depending on how the skin is looking and how you like it). Also remember, taking the internal temperature is your friend. No way their time directions are suitable for every bird they send out and every oven their customers have. Cook it to the temp you like and then take it out (that's about 153-155 for me, because it will continue to rise). You probably want to let it rest for 30 minutes to an hour. Also, since there are three birds there, take the temp at different depths to make sure it's cooking through.
 
For us, Sweet potato casserole covered by baked marshmellows on top. Cornbread stuffing, cream corn, mojo marinated fried turkey. Shrimp/Crab meat stuffed mirliton, artichoke casserole.
 
For us, Sweet potato casserole covered by baked marshmellows on top. Cornbread stuffing, cream corn, mojo marinated fried turkey. Shrimp/Crab meat stuffed mirliton, artichoke casserole.

Yeah, we're definitely doing the sweet potato casserole. One of my big childhood Thanksgiving memories is that crisped marshmallow top. Yum!
 
Yeah, we're definitely doing the sweet potato casserole. One of my big childhood Thanksgiving memories is that crisped marshmallow top. Yum!

Yuck. I've never understood why people take sweet potatoes and make them MORE sweet. Blech. My wife's family makes bourbon mashed sweet potatoes. They put a LOT of bourbon in them. I'm not really fan of messing up perfectly good sweet potatoes that way either, but at least I can catch a buzz.
 
Yuck. I've never understood why people take sweet potatoes and make them MORE sweet. Blech. My wife's family makes bourbon mashed sweet potatoes. They put a LOT of bourbon in them. I'm not really fan of messing up perfectly good sweet potatoes that way either, but at least I can catch a buzz.

Yeah, I hear you. I've always had a sweet tooth though. And I don't do anything with marshmallows often, so this is it. :hihi:
 
I agree with the masses here. I wouldn't keep smoke on that bird for more than a couple of hours. If you smoke it for 18 hrs, it will likely just taste like ash. Smoke it for a couple of hours and then finish it in the oven or some "non smokey" heat source.
I've never used an electric smoker but I think that it can still provide heat without the chips/pellets.
 
I've never used an electric smoker but I think that it can still provide heat without the chips/pellets.

Once the wood burns off, the heating element then only provides heat. The more wood you put when you start it, the longer it smokes... at least that's how my old one works. I haven't used it in a while because when I changed the outside plugs to GFIC, it trips the ground fault when the fat starts to drip and I end up with outside temp food if I don't notice.
 

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