New smoker came in last week…779EB31F-F3F4-4562-ACEC-BCEF88DC98A6 (resized).jpeg82D0E662-84D8-4A68-A49E-9E3FBAC5E92E (resized).jpeg

first run… tried out some Ribs… fairly happy with the results, but would definitely do a couple things differently next time. Learning along the way is part of the fun.

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Got a late start this morning due to some unforeseen delays… might be a morning brisket for breakfast or possibly a midnight snack, but gonna be good either way!!

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It’s a smaller brisket (10lbs before trimming), so it’s already working it’s way into the stall. Won’t be too long now before I’m wrapping and still might get to have some before turning in for the night.

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Legs and thighs. Legs were from Costco already seasoned with a garlic rub. Thighs I hit with some Honey Bacon BBQ rub. Both were excellent, but definitely doing the thighs again.

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Spatchcock turkey today for the first time. Followed Meatchurch method on YouTube for the most part for the smoke. Used a brown sugar, garlic, pepper canning salt and Worcestershire sauce brine for 2 days prior. Forgot to take pics of the finished bird, but it was beautiful. And absolutely the best Turkey I’ve ever made. Pic of final plate doesn’t do the taste of the turkey justice.

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Cutting the backbone out was fairly easy, but a good solid knife and some kitchen shears was essential. Never spatchcocked before and found it easier than I had anticipated.

I’ve only previously cooked turkeys in an oven with bag method. I was thinking oven bag method would be a juicier turkey (i was going for flavor this time), but I was wrong. But I think a big part of this was also due to brining which I had never done before.

My smoker has a water bath which helped the moisture I’m sure (search thread for pics of my smoker). This was the juiciest turkey I’ve ever made. Used a temp probe in the thickest part of the breast with my Fireboard system and took out at 160, and covered in foil til internal temp hit 165. The popper was still intact and did not pop. I’m guessing they err on the high side (=dryness) for obvious reasons.

Smoker shelf temp was targeted at 275, but hit 290 for a 20-30 mins or so due to lack of monitoring on my part. Overall time was about 2 1/2 hrs. Spatchcock ftw on cooking time for sure.

Took me 6 days to thaw out my frozen Turkey in the fridge. Would try for fresh next time, but selections were limited at my local supermarket.

Can’t say enough good things about Fireboard. Base system comes with ambient temp probe and 2 food probes. Might be a bit pricier than some budget options, but it’s worth it.

https://www.fireboard.com/shop/fireboard-2/

Check out the BBQ forums and you’ll see most are using cotton gloves inside of an XL nitrile food-safe glove. I’ve done this and will never turn back. For less than $30, I’ve got enough gloves to last me a few years. I generally only need to glove up one hand to handle the food.

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