How to Smoke a Turkey in a Brinkmann Charcoal Smoker

Turkey is a welcome addition to the dinner table.

Smoking a turkey does not require a lot of cooking talent, just time and a smoker. There are two types of smokers, electric and charcoal. When using a charcoal smoker, one thing you will want to keep in mind is that you need to check on the smoker regularly as the charcoals do tend to burn down fairly fast. If the temperature falls below the ideal cooking temperature, the turkey may cook unevenly or take longer to cook. Use the temperature gauge on the smoker to help verify the coals are hot enough.

Things You'll Need

• Brinkmanns charcoal smoker
• Meat thermometer
• 1 turkey breast or whole turkey, defrosted
• 1 yellow onion
• 6 or 7 hardwood chips
• Charcoal
• Water
• 1 garlic clove
• 2 stalks of celery
• Vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. salt

Instructions

Preparing the Turkey

1. Rinse the turkey with cold water and pat dry.

2. Rub vegetable oil over the turkey until covered but not dripping.

3. Sprinkle salt on the outside of the turkey and set it aside in a cool area until smoker is ready.

Preparing the Smoker

1. Place the smoker outside on a level area. Pour charcoal into the bottom tray of the smoker until the tray is three-quarters full. Light the charcoal.

2. Place hardwood chips onto the charcoal once it begins to smolder.

3. Place the water pan in the smoker and fill with water until three-quarters full.

4. Slice the yellow onion into 1/2-inch slices. Chop celery into 1-inch lengths. Crush garlic clove.

5. Place the vegetables in the water pan in the smoker and place a smoker rack just above the pan of water.

Smoking the Turkey

1. Place the turkey on the rack just above the pan of water and close the smoker.

2. Check the charcoal every hour and add charcoal as needed to keep temperature in the ideal cooking range as indicated by the gauge on the smoker.

3. Place a second rack in the smoker on the higher placement and move the turkey to this rack halfway through the cooking time.

4. Insert the meat thermometer into the meatiest part of the turkey, usually the breast closest to the wing. The turkey is ready to eat if the internal temperature measures 170 degrees.

5. Remove smoked turkey from the smoker, carve, and serve.

Tips & Warnings

• Turkey typically takes 30 minutes per pound to smoke. If you have a 10-pound turkey, you will want to start smoking your turkey in the morning to ensure it will be ready for dinner. For those with high blood pressure, replace the salt with sea salt or salt alternative.

• Always check to see if your turkey is done using the meat thermometer. The meat of a smoked turkey is often pink in color even though it is cooked, because of the smoking process. If you smoke the turkey too long because it doesn't appear done based on color, the turkey meat will become dry.