Turkey on Grill Too Smoky--What to change?
I'm doing my Thanksgiving turkey on the grill this year, and I decided to go with Alton Brown's Honey-Brined Smoked Turkey (an adapted recipe's on SE under the Thanksgiving tab). I've been a user of propane (and propane accessories) until just a few weeks ago when I made the switch to charcoal, so I'm a bit new to it, but I have had good results so far.
I did a trial run with a 5 lb chicken. I reduced everything proportionally. Slight change to the recipes: I had the bird breast down on a carrot/celery/onion raft in a foil roasting pan with 1 cup cider vs. breast up on the grate over a drip pan. 1/2C soaked applewood chips, 1 cinnamon stick, 1 sprig rosemary in a foil pack for smoke--just one pack for the whole cook time. Cooked over indirect heat in my Weber until temp was 165F--70 min. Rest for 30 min.
Great results for a smoky bird--moist and flavorful. Added bonus was the cider gravy. No problem there. I know it will be too smoky for my Thanksgiving guests, though.
This stays in my rotation as a staple, but what to do for turkey day...Do I redo with 1/4C chips? No chips? Go back to the oven (last year's was a hit, and I don't think anyone would mind a repeat)?
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13 Comments:
"Do I redo with 1/4C chips? [YES] No chips? [NO] Go back to the oven (last year's was a hit, and I don't think anyone would mind a repeat)?" [YOU CAN'T ARGUE WITH SUCCESS]
nightmoon at 3:04PM on 11/04/09
I finally gave up on smoking turkeys as they always turned out too smokey. Last year I got one of those infrared turkey cookers from Lowes that fries without oil.
Uncle Dudley at 3:24PM on 11/04/09
I'm glad you've left the dark side of propane and seen the light of charcoal.
I would do it again with a quarter cup.
If you had time to experiment I'd see if your results were any different if you waited until the last 30 minutes of the grilling process to add the half cup of wood chips, but the safest route in my opinion is cutting back to 1/4 cup, and make sure they get a thorough soaking.
Worst case scenario your turkey has a light smoky flavor, which isn't really a bad thing.
AyeEat at 3:29PM on 11/04/09
As everyone else suggested, less chips. I would also add:
use a "lighter" type of wood: like pecan or applewood. Mesquite and hickory are very strong.
AnnieNT at 4:09PM on 11/04/09
Since a turkey is so much larger than a chix, it'll take more time for the smoke to penetrate the meat. Turkey meat also has more flavor than chix meat, too. No advice, just considerations...
finewinendine at 6:21PM on 11/04/09
There's a big difference between a 5lb. chicken and a turkey which I'm guessing will be 15-20lbs. That being said, I'd be afraid to experiment on Thanksgiving dinner. A safer bet may be to do a short smoke on the grill, then finish in the oven, where you have a better handle on the heat.
dmcavanagh at 6:33PM on 11/04/09
All good points. I think I'll try 1/4 C chips soaked for longer. All I'm looking for is a kiss of smoke--1/2 C was more of a grope-fest.
Being new to charcoal, I was first worried about sharpening my technique and tweaking the flavor second. Everything turned out great--crisp skin and dark and white meat both were cooked through but juicy. If I like the results of the redo, I'll feel pretty confident about scaling it up to the big bird (well, medium bird--12-16lb). The only difference will be that I'll have to add a half a chimney of coals at the one hour mark. Depending on the results of the redo, I might skip a second smoke packet or even pull the first one out. Is there a difference between smoking for the first half of cook time vs. the second half?
If it's not smoky enough, then, at worst, I'll have a well-cooked turkey with the added benefits of the charcoal-grilled flavor and a free oven for sides.
All of this and then it will be a windy, rainy, and/or snowy mess on Thanksgiving and I'll have it in the oven anyway...
thebeef at 9:07AM on 11/05/09
Charcoal itself adds a bit of smoke to the bird, so your idea of using less chips will work. You can always add more but you can't take away.
CJ McD at 10:40AM on 11/05/09
I would add the soaked chips directly to the coals once then forget about chips and just maintain heat with charcoal....goodluck
nhfoodie at 3:27PM on 11/05/09
I smoke a turkey every year... and not only is it hard to hold, but it's a bitch to keep lit as well!
Seriously, You're talking about (I assume) a large bird, certainly larger than a chicken anyway. The turkey has a much larger mass, and more of it's own flavor, so the smoke won't be nearly as noticable. I use 1.5 cups of applewood chips done in stages (1/4 cup at a time) and baste with cider in the beginning of the process. I have always had great luck and never too smokey.
Good luck and let us all know what you do....
Pavlov at 6:25AM on 11/06/09
I just noticed that my original question was unclear. When I asked about 1/4 C chips, I was referring to another 5lb chicken trial. I would scale the smoke up to the trukey as well once I found a smokiness that I think would work for everyone.
Another trial next week with 1/4 C chips, soaked overnight.
thebeef at 1:15PM on 11/06/09
Here's a suggestion that should work.
Just use the chips for the first 60-90 minutes while roasting the bird.
I use mesquite and/or hickory chips and in the case of a larger piece of meat, I use the chunks.
You'll get some smoke flavor, but not all the way through the meat.
Of course, I come down on the smokey taste that improves the next day.
Once other suggestion, baste the bird after it starts to brown.
I use a bit of cider vinegar and cherry or pomegranate juice.
It'll brown the bird and you'll serve a really gorgeous looking bird.
Be sure to let it rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Grifola frondosa at 8:23PM on 11/07/09
I use about a cup or more of the wood chips or chunks.
I start with the bigger chunks and then add chips during the cooking process.
It helps to have a smoker box since the foil pouch seems to burn up too quickly.
Grifola frondosa at 8:27PM on 11/07/09