Gary Lorenzen "Ol' Chipotle" Smokes 4 Turkeys on His Klose Offset Smoker

>Adapted from the BBQ FAQ's
Smoking turkeys can be one of the most challenging things to do for home barbecuers, for they are normally only cooked during the holiday season. Most folks on the list probably smoke a whole turkey only two or three times a year.  I hope my 20 years plus of smoking several turkeys at a time will help you enjoy a rewarding fest.

First, what do you look for in a good turkey? There are mainly two kinds for retail sale:

Free-range turkey, which can be a little harder to find, is a turkey that was raised on the ground, in a pen, and actually had the freedom of walking, exercising, etc. like you would think of turkeys raised on an old-fashioned farm. They can tend to be a little tougher because they get to exercise and use their muscles more, but many consider them more flavorful and they are by farther very moist. If slow-smoked properly, their meats can be turned into a tender, delicious morsel.

The most common brand of turkeys found in stores today are your name-brand, mass-produced birds. They are not free-range birds. Butterball and Honeysuckle are a couple of the most popular brands. This is the kind most people smoke for the holidays and can be quite delicious also.

To defrost a turkey properly, it should be done in the refrigerator. Depending on the size of the bird and temperature of your refrigerator, it could take anywhere between three to five days to thaw. After it is thawed, the bird will keep several days in the refrigerator before spoiling.

OK, we are going to discuss the foundations of good, basic, slow-smoking here. Some people brine their turkeys, inject their turkeys, and rub seasonings under the skin. We will cover a few techniques. After you learn the basics of good slow-smoking, you can experiment with variations.  Rub and Brine recipes are attached.
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