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This year we are considering smoking a couple of turkey breasts for Thanksgiving. Since I have never done it I would apperciate any advice I can get.
What I am looking for is the kind of wood (I use a charcoal smoker), temperature, lenght of smoking and a rub to use (if you use a rub).
Another option is to fry the breasts and I would like to know the temperature and how long per pound of breast.
smoke them over indirect heat.....i like to use pecan hulls or muscadine vines, but hickory or mesquite will work, just be sure to soak them in water a couple hours i always put a pan of liquid underneath the meat....water, wine, apple juice what ever....rubs or injections are a matter of chioce, sometimes less is more if ya know what i mean but as for me i alway just brine mine...............most important DONT OVERCOOK!!.....cant tell you acertain time because all smokers are different.....find a guide for cooking/smoking times on the net somewhere and go from there
We use oak and hickory
I use apple wood and apple juice or even water with oranges and apple slices in the water pan. My electic brinkman takes about 3 hours. I start out with no wood and get it bronzed, then add the wet wood. The wife and family says the bird looks like it come from a magazine picture( the first one I put the wood in real heavy at the start and it came out black) and very few leftovers cause they eat it up!
Options are endless relative to brines, rubs, and choice of wood for smoke. Main thing with any poultry, especially large turkey breast, or whole, is to make sure that your temp is hot enough to get the thickest meat sections up to 140 degrees within a minimum 4 hour window. Any slower rise in temperature gives exposure to potential bacterial risk. 200 to 250 degree smoke temps are fine for pork, beef, etc., but use at least 325+ for poultry. Wait until after the first hour of cooking at least to probe, to prevent exterior raw factors, from being inserted to interior portions. Needs to get to 165 degrees, but I usually pull off the smoker at about 160, tent, and let rest, and usually will residually come up to the 165 mark. Happy Thanksgiving.