20lb Turkey and 8lb breast

[TomMc]

I’ll be smoking a 20 lb full bird and an 8 lb whole breast for Thanksgiving. Need them to be ready around 3pm. Thinking that I’ll start off at 225 til they reach 110 degrees and then crank up to 325 to get to 160-165. Any input into the timing of putting them on the smoker ?

 

[RayClem]

Unless you spatchcock the large turkey, the breast is going to cook a lot quicker than the full carcass. A large turkey is likely to take at least twice as long as the breast. I suspect the breast will be done quite early, but you can wrap it in foil, wrap it in a blanket or towel and place it in a "cooler" to keep it hot until feast time.

The typical timing is 20 minutes per pound in an oven at 325F. So for the 20 pounder, that would take close to 7 hours. By starting off at a lower temperature, it will take even longer so you need to start your cook no later than 6 am to allow time for the bird to rest after it comes out of the smoker.

You did not mention whether you would wrap the bird after it reached 110F internal, but that might be a good idea to keep it from drying out. You can add fats and various liquids to add moisture. If the bird has not reached the color you want at 110F, leave it unwrapped longer.

 

[CMTiger]

I just cooked a 14.5 pound one in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Temp between 275-300 the entire time. I’m doing a 20 pounder tomorrow too and I’m not really sure how long it’s going to take

 

[TomMc]

CMTiger….if you could, please keep me informed of the time and temp that you smoked it. Thanks !

 

[RayClem]

I just cooked a 14.5 pound one in 4 hours and 15 minutes. Temp between 275-300 the entire time. I’m doing a 20 pounder tomorrow too and I’m not really sure how long it’s going to take

That works out to 17.6 minutes per pound. That is slightly under the typical 20 minutes per pound, but not unreasonably so.

The 20 pounder should take somewhere between 6- 7 hours at that same temperature.

The temperature here today in Chicagoland is 10F, which is rather chilly for using the Traeger. I know some hardy souls in Canada continue to use their grill throughout the winter months. The warmest day this week is supposed to be Wednesday with temperatures inching above freezing, so that is the day I plan to do the turkey. I believe ours is 13 pounds as it is just my wife and I. We will have lots of leftovers to turn into various turkey dishes.

 

[CMTiger]

That works out to 17.6 minutes per pound. That is slightly under the typical 20 minutes per pound, but not unreasonably so.

The 20 pounder should take somewhere between 6- 7 hours at that same temperature.

The temperature here today in Chicagoland is 10F, which is rather chilly for using the Traeger. I know some hardy souls in Canada continue to use their grill throughout the winter months. The warmest day this week is supposed to be Wednesday with temperatures inching above freezing, so that is the day I plan to do the turkey. I believe ours is 13 pounds as it is just my wife and I. We will have lots of leftovers to turn into various turkey dishes.

I put mine on at 6:00 am hoping to pull at noon. 2 hours to go and my breasts read 149 and 145. I am going to get done early. Yeti should hold it until 12:30 though

 

[CMTiger]

CMTiger….if you could, please keep me informed of the time and temp that you smoked it. Thanks !

I ran it 275ish all the way through and timed it. First “lap” is how long it took to come to temp. Second “lap” is the time between that and when I finally put it on. Third “lap” is the cook time. I opened it maybe 4 times through and spritzed with butter. I was expecting it to take a whole lot longer but meat will cook how it’s going to cook and is done when it’s done.

Btw temp was I think 33 here when I fired up my Pro575. Reaching and holding a temp was no problem. Bear Mountain hickory pellets.

 

[TomMc]

Thanks CMT !! That’s great info ! Think I’m gonna put the big bird in at 6am at 225 a couple of hours and then crank it to 300-325 until it reaches 160 (4.5-5hrs?….giving myself some extra time in case it doesn’t reach 160) Figured that I’d throw the breast on around 10:30. Thanks for all the help !!!

 

[RayClem]

My 13 pounder is sitting in a cooler on the back porch with a bag of ice. I have been thawing it for several days. Although it is a Butterball, I decided to add salt and herbs and cover it will water to brine. I will remove it Wednesday morning, rinse it and dry it. When cooking in the oven, I often butter the skin, but since it will be smoked this year, I will skip the butter until later in the cook, I plan to put it on the smoker around 10:00 am and smoke it at 225F for a couple of hours. Then I will probably either cover it or wrap it depending upon how it looks. When the internal temperature gets around155 F, I will remove the cover and boost the temperature to 350F to crisp the skin.

It won't be served until Thursday afternoon, so we will either eat it cold or reheat the amount my wife and I will eat. This is my first turkey on the Traeger, so I hope it turns out well.

 

[Spanky]

I ran it 275ish all the way through and timed it. First “lap” is how long it took to come to temp. Second “lap” is the time between that and when I finally put it on. Third “lap” is the cook time. I opened it maybe 4 times through and spritzed with butter. I was expecting it to take a whole lot longer but meat will cook how it’s going to cook and is done when it’s done.

Btw temp was I think 33 here when I fired up my Pro575. Reaching and holding a temp was no problem. Bear Mountain hickory pellets.

CMTiger

Thanks for the info and pictures. The finished bird looked great with respect to skin.

Question how was the smoke ring depth and smoke flavor?

Last year we did a 20 pound whole Turkey with Oak and Hickory blend Smokehouse brand pellets. Cooked at 225 F Entire time. Smoke penetration and smoke flavor were excellent. Skin was not crispy. This year we are doing a 19 pound whole Turkey but will try 225 F for 2 hours then move to 325 F until 165 F breast temperatures to see if we can get the skin crisp without loosing too much smoke flavor.

Spanky

 

[B-Grilla-Watts]

Feel like I’m in a pickle here. 60 degrees outside here in California. I budgeted for a 7 hour cook to be safe on a 20 lb turkey.

Cooked at 225 for 2 hours then bumped to 335. I am almost 3.5 hours into this cook and the breast is at 155. Going way to fast. Going to have to keep this sucker fresh for another 4 hours until meal time.