Low and Slow Smokin’ Birds
Posted By Greg on January 5, 2009
I have a smoking problem. I admit it. Shamefully, I reveal to you my dirty, little BBQ secret.
The habit started small, with a Big Chief smoker in the early 90’s. I was smoking everything in sight – pears with alder, quail with tea leaves, mozzarella with cherry – it was really a bit unseemly.
As all addictions go, what started small grew uncontrollably. I found myself living in Austin, TX and found that I just did not like Texas BBQ. The art that is put into the rubs used is admirable and delicious, but the mesquite smoke was just too subtle.
That admission could get a person shot down in the streets of Texas, but I was used to the highly smoky Alabama and Carolina style BBQs that I grew up on. Out of self-defense, I had to learn to make the BBQ that I and my beautiful wife, Michelle, knew and loved if I were to have it during our time in exile…aka Texas.
The skin turns black from absorbing the smoke. Pure smoky goodness.
A 50-gallon barrel smoker, a.k.a. The Can, was a Valentine’s gift of genius proportions from my bride, and the great smoking habit sank to new depths. Pork butts, chickens, sausages, ribs, and turkeys were all sacrificed on the altar of the smoking gods. The learning curve was steep, but eventually I arrived at a blend of Texas style seasonings with the smokiness of Alabama’s hickory and oak. There was much celebration. And Texans hated it – which suited me just fine.
I happen to have a turkey in the fridge, at the moment, so although you might be done with that bird until next fall, it’s my protein du jour for this week’s adventure in painfully slow, delicious, mouth-watering food.
To make this happen, you’ll need a source of smoke – there are many types of smokers out there, and it can even be done with a charcoal grill, a chaffing dish, or a couple of rocks and a chain link gate. I’ll not try to sway you in any particular direction, as it is a deeply personal choice.
Now, repeat after me:
This is my smoker
There are many like it, but this is MY smoker
It is a part of me
Without it, I am useless
Now, we need to flavor the meat. I like dry rubs for pork and beef, but poultry really needs a brine, to help keep it moist while sitting in the smoke for hours on end. I use the same flavors as my rub for the brine, so if you are going the beef or pork route, follow this method but omit the water and sugar, and decrease the salt to 2 pinches.
Low and Slow Smoked Turkey
For the brine:
1 gallon water
1 cup sea salt
1 cup sugar
2 tbsp chopped garlic
2 ancho chiles, ground in a coffee grinder or mortar and pestle
1 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp ground cloves
2 tsp fresh thyme
1 tsp fresh rosemary
Put all of these into a pot and boil for 3 minutes, just to dissolve the salt and sugar. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature.
Now put the turkey into a bucket, large pan, whatever you have on hand and put it in the fridge for 12 hours. (6 hours for chicken)
For the Smoke:
12 hours later, go start a fire in your smoker. You want a slow, lazy fire, not intense, glowing coals. The temperature of the smoker should be kept between 200 and 225 degrees. While the fire is starting, remove the turkey from the brine, pat it dry inside and out, and truss it like you would a chicken. (Google Thomas Keller’s trussing method if you have any doubts on how to do this properly) This will help keep the breast moist while the thicker legs cook.
Put your turkey in the smoker and close it up. Don’t mess with it unless the temperature gets too high (in which case, close the air holes a bit) or the smoke stops (open the air holes a bit, or add more wood). Every time that you open the smoker, you’ll be introducing oxygen to the fire, which will make it burn hotter. Hot = bad when it comes to smoking.
Our turkey is a 22 pounder, so we’ll budget about 6 hours to reach 160 degrees in the thickest part of the thigh, which means it’s done – in a way. It’s perfectly edible, but leaving it on the fire for as long as your patience allows will take it past the point of a nicely done roasted turkey, and the meat start tenderizing to that perfect, fall off the bone texture that good BBQ has.
Remove the turkey from the heat, and do not even think about cutting into it for at least five minutes. Then, carve with great abandon and enjoy the fruits of your 18 hours of labor. And yes, it is so worth it.
Stumble it!
Greg,
I will definitely try your recipe for a chicken or turkey.
My smoking equipment consists of both a 55 gallon smoker and a Char-Griller which is about half that size. The Char-Griller works well for smaller portions and has good air and temperature control for maximum benefit of both charcoal and smoke even without using the side smoke box. The purchase price is very affordable, under $150 most places. Aint bad for 7 years use (so far).
I keep a good supply of hickory and apple wood.
Definitely like your website.
Charles
Great stuff - I did a apple juice, orange, clove, ginger brine - then smoked on my trusty Weber Smoky Mountain bullet smoker with lump charcoal and apple and cherry wood.
I use a DigiQ II draft control unit that powers a 15 cfm fan that plugs into one of the bottom 3 air vents on the weber - the unit monitors pit and meat temperature - and then controls the fan unit to keep temperate at the pit temperature specified. It then notifies me when internal temp is met. The other two bottom vents are closed completely. The top vent is adjusted to 75%. When in use the entire weber is covered in a fire resistant “smoking jacket” which helps conserve lump charcoal and keep the wind / rain / cold out of the smoker. Makes for a very efficient setup.
I have done everything from 2 hour smokes (bacon) to 23 hour smokes (2 large 15 pound briskets) and my setup guarantees that I will always have it at 225 (or whatever temp I want)
I also log the pit temp and meat temps with a temperature logger and can say that 99.999% of the time I am within 1 degree of desired pit temperature.
Works well.
Well with a post like this, combined with TheStew’s on smoked pork butt, I am getting ever so closer to investing in a smoker. Yum!
This looks great. I like the ancho with the turkey. We do a LOT of smoking - we use a Big Green Egg smoker. I’ll have to try this sometime.
Cameron, Charles, Fearless: I’m suffering from smoker envy. This post marked the demise of my smoker, as rust has finally taken its toll. Will be in the market for a new one soon.
Carrie: let this be the push that you need to make that investment. You might later regret the addiction, but all of the cool kids are doing it.
Carrie,
If you would like to try the smoking for a small investment in the beginning check out the Char-Griller if you have a Lowes store handy. With the incoming and outgoing air controls, you can offset cook 4 butts at a time and still have room to add wood and charcoal. The charcoal and wood smolders for a long time.
Charles
Great tips Charles and Cameron! I can already see you two and Greg standing around a smoker…all day…with a beer in hand, naturally.
It’s such a thing of beauty.
I just happened upon your blog and Wow!! I LOVE this post. I would like to try smoking a big bird like that! Looks absolutely wonderful and I bet that skin tastes mighty fine.
KyotoFoodieのPeko
Weber finally came out with new Weber Smoky Mountain bullet models this year - they have several larger models that are perfect for bigger jobs. A really great design and extremely long lasting. I do like the old school aspect of your current and terminally rusting (loved to death?
smoker though.
I just know that Peef would be envious if he took a walk over here and read about all of that smoking
The bird looks amazing. And that vision of y’all standing around with beers. Well, who can argue with that? Really.
[...] than beef. It’s lighter and definitely healthier so this looks great. (@ Living Tastefully) Smoked Turkey – Oh if I had a smoker! This would be amazing. Such a different take on the standard. (@ [...]
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