2013 Home for the Holidays Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com Page 11
wood-based charcoal products that work well with
poultry.
The key to making the turkey perfect, though, is to not
get carried away with adding wood or “smoke” to the
fire during the cooking process. The primary idea is to
add a light smokiness to the meat and allow the turkey
to cook thoroughly from the heat of the fire.
Graue said the main task after getting the turkey on the
smoker is to monitor the temperature of the smoker.
He said ideally the temperature inside should be about
275 degrees. He also said it is important not to spend
too much time lifting the lid, as that allows the heat to
escape. He uses a remote thermometer so he can moni-
tor the cooking temperature from outside the smoker.
For a 16-pound turkey, the cooking time should run
about three hours. Graue said that after two hours he
adds a foil tent over the turkey to preserve a nice color
while the inside finishes cooking. Pull the turkey off
the smoker when the internal temperature reaches
about 170 degrees. Allow the meat to “rest,” and the
temperature will continue to rise another 5 degrees or
so.
Graue said that at their family meal, there is usually a
second turkey in the oven, and that one produces the
most drippings or broth for side dishes, but he added
that one can get some drippings from the smoked tur-
key that can be added to side dishes such as gravy to
add a hint of that smoky flavor.
He added that the smoked poultry goes well with tra-
ditional holiday dishes, so don’t be afraid to serve it up
beside the sweet potatoes and green bean casserole.
Story By Nila Smith
