We had a birthday this month. I took the opportunity to smoke my first turkey dinner. I posted my efforts in Smoking Meat Forums. The link is:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/151748/first-smoked-turkey-for-a-birthday
Smoking a turkey was a fun project. It is definitely a different way to prepare the bird and took longer. However, it is nice to have a different way to prepare it.
The Verdict
The turkey came out moister than regular roasting and the skin was wonderful. I really liked the texture and taste of the turkey. I tried an experiment using some of the rendered fat to make a roux for the gravy. It had a nice smoky flavour but She Who Must Be Obeyed prefers regular gravy. The problem with that is that there are way less drippings so any gravy would have to be made from stock.
In total, smoking makes a great turkey but not as nice a gravy as regular roasting.
I will likely use this method in the summer to avoid heating the house up.
I suggest you give it a try if you have a smoker!
The Old Fat Guy
