Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

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Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby SmokeAlot » Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:22 am

My PG500 arrives tomorrow.... :cheers: I’m looking for help from Master :chef: with the Pellet Smokers... It looks like I’ll be Smoking a Turkey for :santa: day.... We’ll have lots of judges so any help with your vast knowledge would be appreciated in helping :chef: me pull this off the 1st time out... Cook time, Temperatures, Adding Smoke tube?, Foil or not, water pan, Injection... :dont: Thanks in Advance... :cheers:
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby OldUsedParts » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:01 am

Never done a Bird in my Pellet Pooper, I always do them on a beer can in my ECB. OK, having said that, let me add that I've always been tempted to try one on my PP and here are the Directions that I got with it.
WHOLE SMOKED TURKEY
1 Whole Turkey 20-25 pounds thawed
Your favorite Seasoning - - Suckle Busters has many :tup:
Smoke Paprika (eh?)
3 Tbsp Butter

Fill with Hickory or Cherry (I would use Apple or Mesquite but that's just me)

Preheat and reduce to Medium 275 to 350F
Rub outer surface of bird with seasonings
In a small container mix butter, seasonings and paprika together and rub between breast and skin

Place turkey breast side up in center of grill and grill until golden brown about 11 to 123 min per pound and an internal temp of 180 in the thigh and 170 in the breast
Remove turkey cover with foil and rest for 10 minutes before carving

Once again let me just say that this is copied from my Pit Boss Pellet Grill Manual - Good Luck :santa: :chef: :texas:
:tup: :salut:

Off the record: I would inject it liberally with Tony's Creole Butter Injection. OK, I'll s'hup now.
I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death. William Barret Travis - Lt. Col. comdt "The Alamo"
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby SmokeAlot » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:27 am

Thanks OldUsedParts for your reply... I’m used to Smoking with Offset Smokers which turns out beautiful and great tasting Turkeys, however I have a new PG500 arriving tomorrow and have never even eaten anything that was cooked from a Pellet Pooper... I’m excited and nervous at the same time.... I have six different Pellet flavors and leaning heavily on the hickory.... Should I use an additional Smoke tube? :dont: ... I’m also used to cooking low and slow... Maybe I need do do a whole chicken for a dry run lol.... This will be interesting for sure... I’ll let everyone know how it goes, so I guess we can all grab some :happ: and see how it turns out...
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby OldUsedParts » Thu Dec 21, 2017 8:34 am

no doubt you'll do just fine - - - as far as the smoke tube goes, let me just say this and I'll hush for fear of being chastized :laughing7: :D :lol: I have an AMAZN smoke tray and I used it twice BEFORE just taking the time to keep the Smoker on "SMOKE" setting for some extra time early in the cook and I personally have never missed the smoke adding device :dont: :roll:
I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death. William Barret Travis - Lt. Col. comdt "The Alamo"
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby SmokeAlot » Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:05 am

Lol... Well I’m new to the pooper and have lots of questions in my mind during this learning curve... Hopefully i’ll get a couple of passes before I get chastised or :deadhorse: lol.. jk of course... looking forward to the experience.. thanks...
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby OldUsedParts » Thu Dec 21, 2017 9:11 am

Lots of Pellet Peeps here that are way more experienced and knowledgeable that MOI so hopefully they will Rise to the Occasion :tup:
I am determined to sustain myself as long as possible & die like a soldier who never forgets what is due to his own honor & that of his country—Victory or Death. William Barret Travis - Lt. Col. comdt "The Alamo"
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby Papa Tom » Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:13 am

The recipe OUP listed looks reasonable, I have smoked a lot of turkeys and have usually brined them with a poultry brine as spices rubbed on the skin do not penetrate.
Citrus works well with poultry you can stuff a couple lemons or oranges in the cavity while cooking.

BTW I have several add on smoke devices including the Amazing tray and a (home made) tube that I DO NOT use except for cold smoking, PPs can produce appropriate smoke flavor alone. Also I lean toward lower temps, more time try both.

Also be aware that the PG 500 smoker heats from the top down the opposite of your typical smoker.
For the best color on the bird try cherry pellets.
tarde venientibus ossa....
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby Papa Tom » Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:30 am

Looked @ that recipe again and I'd change the start up by switching the pit to a "Smoke" setting for the first hour or more to get the good color while the bird is cool.
Also I'd probably Just run cherry (or whatever flavor pellet) for the first few hours then switch to a more neutral pellet (oak, alder maple etc) for the rest of the cook.
tarde venientibus ossa....
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby Swamp Donkeyz BBQ » Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:40 am

I have an Englander PG100, which is a knock off of the PG500. Eddie helped make them. I would start out slow, around 225, and then finish hot, around 325, to crisp the skin up a bit. I have no issues getting smoke flavor using B&B pellets.
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby CaptJack » Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:50 am

I added a water pan, and use my pellet smoker tray, but my tube would work just fine too
I also do my pork butts on a wire rack over a pan and collect all the drippings all the way to the end
I strain the drippings and then use a turkey baster to suck out the juice under the fat as it separates
I add all the juice back to the meat after i pull it - makes it extra juicy
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby bondobill » Thu Dec 21, 2017 3:06 pm

I've only done a half dozen or so Turkeys in my pellet in the last couple years.
All but one I smoked whole.
Best one by far was the one I spatchcocked. A 22lb that I brined for 2 days.

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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby SmokeAlot » Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:32 pm

Everyone’s input is very much appreciated, starting to feel you’re cutting my learning curve down a bit.... Papa Tom, you mentioned not to penatrate? So are you saying you never inject? I guess brining the turkey for a day or so would be sufficient.... I’m a CoonAss so we normally inject most things lol... I’ve never cooked with cherry before, however I bought a six pack and Cherry is one of them I chose.... It sound awesome so I think I’ll give that a try... :D like to cook low and slow... however I like Swamp Donkeyz Suggestion to kick it up to 325 towards the end to give it some crisp... So at 225, how much time per lb... Approximately of course... I’ll be using a temp. Probe, just trying to get a ball park time at that temp... Spatchcock Cocked... Sounds great and I’ve done that with chickens.... However this is my new wife’s family and I took the turkey over, so I don’t wanna get :deadhorse: by producing a turkey that looks different... :shock: I think they are oven cookers... CaptJack... I like the pan and rack... The drippings are excellent for the gibblet gravy.... A water pan can only help keep everything moist...

Well I feel like :santa: is coming early tomorrow to bring me my new Pellet pooper. Hopefully I’ll heat her up and break her in tomorrow evening... Then make a trial run with a chicken Saturday...

Again... thanks for everyone’s input... :cheers:
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby Papa Tom » Thu Dec 21, 2017 7:50 pm

I'm saying that dry rubs don't penetrate well through the skin brining works well and although I have never injected a turkey it should work fine.
tarde venientibus ossa....
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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby Swamp Donkeyz BBQ » Thu Dec 21, 2017 10:17 pm

I'd say roughly 30 minutes per pound. But the last 20 to 30 minutes, when you raise the temp to crisp the skin, will knock a little off that.

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Re: Wanting to Hit it out of the Ballpark....

Postby SmokeAlot » Sat Dec 23, 2017 1:18 pm

Thanks everybody for all the tips and suggestions... My Pellet pooper didn’t arrive yesterday... :angryfire: ... Outside chance for today, so i’m planning on plan b which will be Smoking with my offset... :banghead: JK... with the head bang... My offset Smokes really good meat... I was looking forward to setting the temp.. and letting the Pag work it’s magic... :chef:

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