# A 4 day smoke!



## Lil Griff (Apr 28, 2007)

Well, sorta.  But a bit of exageration seemed appropriate for my first cook photographed for this forum.

It took me three days to get to this point:









He was a 25 pound bird with a 10 inch beard and 1 inch spurs.  My biggest turkey to date!

Then, the next day, he looked like this:









He brined for 5 hours in a salt/brown sugar mix and then smoked for 3 hours in the WSM with a light salt/paprika rub.

I wasn't too pleased with him--he's older than other turkeys I've shot and was a bit more gamey and tougher.  Next time, a stronger marinade and rub will be used.


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## wittdog (Apr 28, 2007)

Looks good..nice job on the Bird...now that's what I call traditional Q...kill it and cook it.


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## Greg Rempe (Apr 28, 2007)

Cool, Griff!!  Nice kill and cook!  I'm not allowed to have guns on the porch!


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## LarryWolfe (Apr 28, 2007)

Beautiful TOM!!!  Bet he tasted even better!!


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## Griff (Apr 28, 2007)

Good job son. That's a nice looking bird.


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## Puff1 (Apr 28, 2007)

Finally some wild game cookin'!!!
Dude keep it coming!!!


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## cleglue (Apr 28, 2007)

Nice looking bird.  Have you smoked one before?  Do they usually taste gamey?


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## Lil Griff (Apr 28, 2007)

This is my fourth smoked, wild turkey.  The other three were all jakes, though.   

The jakes did not taste gamey at all.  I really think wild turkey (and pheasant) flavor is heavily influenced by their diet.  Two were shot where they had access to cracked corn.  They tasted great.  Another was shot where it was eating the grape hulls from a winery.  It tasted great--like it was premarinated in red wine.  This one was older and came from a wild nut and insect diet.  It tasted gamey.  Still good, still mild (ever eaten wild duck?), but it was tougher and had a gamey flavor.  My wife still ate it, so it wasn't bad.  Just not as good, you know?

I'll get back to with more data soon--we're allowed three a season here!

Lil Griff


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## Unity (Apr 28, 2007)

A lot of people here like to inject rather than brine. I haven't tried it, but it might be worth considering if you get another big, tough bird. Do you suppose gaminess is why we have the tradition of eating cranberry sauce with turkey?   

Nice lookin' bird. I'm impressed!   

--John  8)


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## Cliff H. (Apr 28, 2007)

Sorry it wasn't as great as you had hoped.  I hate that gamey taste.  Frying seems to reduce it some.  That is the only way I eat dove.  

I have always wanted to pheasant hunt.


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## SteerCrazy (Apr 28, 2007)

Larry Wolfe said:
			
		

> *Beautiful TOM*!!!  Bet he tasted even better!!



you talkin about the turkey or lil griff??


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## LarryWolfe (Apr 29, 2007)

SteerCrazy said:
			
		

> Larry Wolfe said:
> 
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> ...



The turkey!   :roll:


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## ScottyDaQ (Apr 29, 2007)

Gobble Gobble! Looks great!


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## Nick Prochilo (Apr 29, 2007)

Excellent job lilgriff!


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## Puff1 (Apr 29, 2007)

Keep the wild game pics coming Mr. 'Lil Griff


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## john a (Apr 30, 2007)

Nice job bagging the bird, those big old dudes can be tough.


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## Captain Morgan (Apr 30, 2007)

wow!  what's for dinner tonight?  Grizzley?


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## SoEzzy (Apr 30, 2007)

Lil Griff said:
			
		

> I'll get back to with more data soon--we're allowed three a season here!
> 
> Lil Griff



So that means you can get 6 counting the ones on your wifes tag too?    ;Know what I mean, nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more, nudge nudge, know what I mean? (Monty Python).


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## Griff (Apr 30, 2007)

Captain Morgan said:
			
		

> wow!  what's for dinner tonight?  Grizzley?



I don't know about the kid but we're having moose.


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## Lil Griff (May 1, 2007)

Would you believe we had turkey sandwiches?


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## Puff1 (May 1, 2007)

Lil Griff said:
			
		

> Would you believe we had turkey sandwiches?


What no pic??  
Griff that boy needs some learnin'!


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## Lil Griff (May 2, 2007)

:roll:


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## SteerCrazy (May 2, 2007)

Lil Griff said:
			
		

> :roll:



he's learnin quick.....that's the typical response to any of Puff's comments! Well done!!


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## Puff1 (May 2, 2007)

SteerCrazy said:
			
		

> Lil Griff said:
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 :roll:


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## Green Hornet (May 15, 2007)

Neat to see the Turkey pics. They are all over here, but I am not a hunter. But have been told a lil corn softens them up  Before you snag em. I was trying to get my Sgt. to give me some to smoke from his hunt this year but he only got the one, so none for me.  
Looks like yours came out fantastic.


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## Lil Griff (May 17, 2007)

Waaaiiiit.....

You live in Florida and have a place to hunt turkeys?

Are they Osceolas?

I might make a trip down there for an Osceola! :twisted:


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## 007bond-jb (May 18, 2007)

Down here we hunt em with automobiles & PU trucks Heres my little brothers truck After he got him one Doin 65mph 

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/ ... age003.jpg

Greg you should try this method


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## Green Hornet (May 18, 2007)

Lil Griff said:
			
		

> Waaaiiiit.....
> 
> You live in Florida and have a place to hunt turkeys?
> 
> ...


Not sure what kind they are but there are quite a few flocks of em here in some of the orange groves that I "patrol"   They are pretty tame and used to me driving right up to them. They just stand by the road and stare at me. I guess as long as I am in the car they aren't scared.


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## Guest (May 19, 2007)

007bond-jb said:
			
		

> Down here we hunt em with automobiles & PU trucks Heres my little brothers truck After he got him one Doin 65mph
> 
> http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/ ... age003.jpg
> 
> Greg you should try this method


whoa!!!!


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## Lil Griff (May 24, 2007)

Green Hornet said:
			
		

> Not sure what kind they are but there are quite a few flocks of em here in some of the orange groves that I "patrol"   They are pretty tame and used to me driving right up to them. They just stand by the road and stare at me. I guess as long as I am in the car they aren't scared.



Yep, that's what they do on the other corner of the country, too.  Boy, though, you should see 'em run when you get out of the car!

It might be a couple of years, but you might hear from me.  I can hunt 2 of the 5 subspecies (in the US) here in Oregon.  The Osceolas are only in Florida....

As to hunting them with a car...isn't that how you're supposed to deer hunt?  Nice bird, though?!?


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