Also testing posting pictures. Been years since I used Photobucket.
The goal was to cook a 21 lb turkey to crispy goodness. I put it in breast side down so the dark meat would cook faster. It brined over night.
The SRG warming up. I put a little bit of hickory chips into the smoker box. In the background you can see the lovely Thanksgiving Day weather in Chicago.
The turkey goes in. With 21 lbs at about 10 min per lb I was figuring about a 3.5 hour cook time. With sitting and carving I was giving it 4 hours.
After an hour.
After a bit less then 2 hours.
I took some temp readings and it was over 180 in the dark meat. The problem, besides it being done 2 hours early, is when I took it out and the breast meat on the bottom was still pale and only at 130. I had to take it out (hot!) and flip it over and put it back in for 30 min.
I think parts were definitely over cooked. Deep inside it was pretty juicy. I thought parts were under cooked but after looking at some posts here I'm not so sure. I had redness at the joints but that seems to be ok. Some of the breast didn't look done but I didn't test the juice color I just set them aside and used them for the soup I was making the next day.
It was a learning experience. I had thought about putting in one of the shelves to raise the turkey up but I was afraid I would be pushing the top of the turkey up too high. I should have done it. Also a smaller turkey might be better. Brining and putting salt on the outside was too much and the skin was salty.
