Anyone else planning to smoke their turkey on BGE this Thanksgiving? Wondering what you have learned from last years cook. Spatchcock? Inject? What’s your plan?
We are smoking 8 turkeys for our church celebration Sunday. I only have 1 of the 8. Going to have to put the bird on before Sunday morning service and let it go until mid afternoon. Anyone else attempted a long cook on BGE while not at home? I have done longer cooks and temp seems to hold very steady, but I’m at home the whole time. Like 5-10 degree swings at the most. My brain tells me it will do the same if I am gone for 2 hours, but…….
I can tell you about my mistakes!
Make sure the egg is Rick solid on the temps for 30 minutes to an hour before you add the turkey. Watch it real close after you add the turkey and make sure it gets back up to temp and is holding before you leave it alone.
For me, I load the egg down with wood chunks (coal/chunks/coal/chunks layered until full). That’s probably one reason my temps fluctuate more than I’d like, but I like a good smoke flavor. Pecan works really well with turkey. Spatchcock is the way to go IMO.
I have had the same issue. I used too much pecan and apple and the temp really swung. The last time I smoked a couple of chickens I watched the temp, like you said, for at least 30 minutes. I also used a little less wood but I also made sure I had almost no small, pebble size pieces of coal either. Lots of learning and tweaks no matter if it’s steaks, ribs, or whole birds.
Alright! My wife got me an early Christmas present last night in a Pit Boss Pellet Grill (PB600PS1) from Lowes. Interesting thing was the price. The sticker said $349, but the register rang it up as $249. They said that was correct after doublechecking. This is my first pellet grill, so I'm looking forward to trying new stuff.
I'm coming from a charcoal grill/stick smoker. Does anyone have pointers or tips? Things to avoid with this pellet grill?
The higher quality the grill, the better you can regulate temps. My mother in law has one. It cooks well, but the temp adjustment is every 25 degrees.
Should have an adjustable vent for smoke stack. You can regulate heat a little that way as well. Check how well the lid seals when shut. Some adhesive felt can help hold in the heat as well.
I enjoy cooking on a pellet grill. Simple operation. If you decide to smoke stuff, a smoker tube that you can load with preferred wood chips would be a good thing to have. They are cheap too. Line your drip pan with foil so it will last longer. I always use a water pan because pellet grills seem to be a much dryer environment. Just a few if my personal observations.
Smoked turkey on MIL’s pellet grill, I started at 225, which is lowest setting on hers. Bumped 275 for the last hour and 1/2. Total cook on a 16lb bird was 5.5 hours. Seemed to pick up pretty good smoke at that lower temp. On my egg, I have started at 200 and bumped it up. On a lump coal or real wood burner, you can taste the difference in that extra low and slow time. Due to the chamber being a little more dry, the skin on poultry crisps better on a pellet grill IMO. I did really enjoy being able to set the temp and go in the house and watch football or whatever instead of managing the fire. All I had to do was baste with butter and herbs about every hour. Of course, I’m addicted and enjoy the fire management side when I have time to do it right.
I’m cooking steaks tonight and I will probably cook them off the fire until the inside is medium rare, then sear them and bring them to medium right over the fire. Almost the same concept as indirect smoking and then finishing over the fire to get a good crust on the outside. I spend way to much time thinking about this stuff. But I enjoy it.