Evaluating This Year's Turkey

The turkey I smoked was good, but, to me, not as good as last years. I did two things different than last year.

First, in 2007, I brined the turkey, which is soaking the bird in salt for several hours. This created the most moist turkey I've ever tasted. This year I injected the creole butter, instead of brining. The bottle instructs that the injected creole butter takes the place of the brining process. The meat was a lot less moist this year. Brining must make the difference.

Second, in 2007, I smoked the turkey for 5 hours and finished him in the oven on low heat. This year, I put the bird on for 10 hours, as directed by the package 45 minutes per pound. When I went to take Mr. Tom off the smoker at 5:15 AM, he came completely apart. The bones were incredibly soft. When I carved the turkey, I didn't have to cut the wings or the drumsticks away. They just fell off. I think I cooked the bird too much.

Conclusion, this year's turkey had great hickory smoked flavor, but was a little dry. I'll take note for next year.