Quitting Smoking...

I hope you all had a good Thanksgiving this year. Mine was good, but didn't go exactly the way I wanted it to. As Chris was wondering, I didn't end up smoking the turkey this year for a couple of reasons. Here's why:

Excuse #1: I'm lazy. I tinkered with the delicate balance of "too soon" and "too late" on turkey purchases and found out that 4 days out from Thanksgiving would yield me a 17.5 pound turkey with no holes in the packaging or a perfect 10 pounder that was exposed to the environment in several spots. (If you saw this nasty bird loitering at the Misawa Commissary, leave a shout out in the comments section) At 30 minutes per pound, I would have to smoke my gobbler for 8 hours and 45 minutes. I just wasn't feeling it.

Excuse #2: See Excuse #1. I'm a considerate host. I had a buddy from work swing by Chez Slim and if I screwed up my first smoked turkey, I'd rather not ruin everyone's meal. My family is used to my screw ups, but why make others suffer my idiocy?

I did smoke a practice turkey breast that turned out really good. I used the cheap wine and apple juice brine that Opr12 suggested.
A 3 lb turkey breast-easy; 17.5 lb turkey-huge pain in the ass.

So I cooked my turkey in a Reynolds Oven Bag again this year. Its always a guaranteed juicy turkey and you don't have to waste your time basting it. Tip: sprinkle the bird with paprika to get a well browned turkey.

So Chris, you asked and I gave you your very own post for a reply. This counts as your Christmas present.