           KICKASS TURKEY ON A WEBER KETTLE

For turkeys, I use the Weber Kettle 21" with the rotisserie
attachment. I start with two chimneys full of Mesquite
charcoal briquettes and have a deep baking pan in the center,
distributing one chimney of briquettes to each side.  I then
cover the briquettes with wet smoking chips.  I like Apple
and Alder.  This takes quite a few chips, so make sure you use a
big enough pot for soaking them.  The turkey is put on the
rotisserie and I use a sprinkling of poultry seasoning over the
bird.  The bird is tightly trussed with butcher's twine, making
sure the wings are secured against the body.

The rotisserie is turned on and the lid placed on the Weber. I do
not open it for the first hour.  Heavy smoke is obvious. After
one hour, I replenish the smoking chips again.  After another hour,
the chips get replenished again.  I then mop down the bird with a
mop made of White junk wine, (gallo special), Freshly ground dried
rosemary and a dash of poultry seasoning.  I now go onto a 1/2 hour
timing, basting (mopping) the bird with the above mop every 1/2 hour.
By now, I have the fat and secondary juices being caught in the drip
pan.  Sometimes the bird has one of those pop-up cooking indicators,
but I always use a thermometer as well.

This year, the total cooking time was 4 hours exactly, and the
pop-up was up, and the thermometer registered 175 at the thickest
part of the breast.   This temp climbed on up to the 180 mark upon
setting for less than 10 minutes.

The birds are smoked throughout, with a mild taste of smoke being
detectable clear against the breast bone and are very juicy.  No
hint of saltiness or bitterness.  Most of the meat is white, with
a slight smoke ring and is slightly pink in the smoke ring.  The pink
color does not indicate that the bird was not thoroughly cooked, but
is something I have always seen with smoked fouls, and I assume it is
a product of the smoking process.

Carey Starzinger
Member, Rib Eye Express BBQ Tag Team
Now living the good life,
high in the Sonoran Desert of Southern Arizona,
Home of the Giant Saguaro Cactus, and 10,000 Roadrunners.
