Warning - Is A Charcoal Turkey Smoker A Better Way To Cook A Turkey? You Decide!

If you are looking for a charcoal turkey smoker, you are not alone.

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Many people agree that a smoked turkey makes the very best holiday main course. If you've always roasted your Thanksgiving or Christmas bird, you may be wondering what the differences are between the roasted and the smoked version.

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When you read this article through to the end, you will not only learn the answer, but also find out how you can get the best deal on a turkey smoker on sale in time for the holidays.

How is smoking a turkey different from roasting one?

Here are the main differences:
Smoking is a much slower process - it will take around 10 hours to smoke a 16 pound bird. Smoking imparts a distinctive "smokey" flavor to the bird that can not be duplicated in a kitchen oven. Smoked turkey has a more pinkish color and a smoother texture than a roasted one, because smoking actually results in a chemical change in the turkey which causes this.

All in all, a smoked turkey has a lot more flavor and is more moist and tender than an oven roasted turkey.

Shopping online is the best way to get a great deal on a turkey smoker.

It is so frustrating to run around to all the stores this time of year looking for sales, only to find that what you are looking for is sold out!

When you shop online, however, you can jump from site to site with just a few clicks of your mouse and without leaving your chair. When you shop this way, you can easily find out which stores carry your item and which stores are having sales.

You can shop for your item, make a decision, purchase it, and then sit back and wait for it to be delivered all within a few minutes - and many sites offer really fast, and even free, delivery options. Shopping online is a great way to find a great deal on a charcoal turkey smoker!

Warning - Is A Charcoal Turkey Smoker A Better Way To Cook A Turkey? You Decide!

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Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) Versus Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) - Which One Cooks Better Barbecue?

The Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) Vertical Water Cooker is a great smoker. It's low cost and quality features make it a favorite among the backyard smoker barbecue crowd. The features include a ceramic coated steel body and nickle plated grills. It has two cooking levels that allow you to have two barbecue dishes cooking at the same time.

smoker bbq

The WSM is unique in that it comes with a ceramic/metal pan for holding water that provides moisture to the food while cooking. It will hold a load of charcoal that lasts a solid twelve hours with the proper venting. I use my WSM for pork butts and briskets all the time because it is convenient and easy to use. It beats my bigger offset smoker for the smaller "Q" smoked meat projects.

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Weber just released a new model (22 inches) that is larger than the current model (18 inches). This makes the WSM very similar in cooking surface to the average Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS).

I have friends who are crazy about their UDS cookers. Most UDS cookers start life as a 55 gallon drum that has been cleaned and burned out inside to eliminate any contaminating substances. Holes, for air flow, and grates, for food, are added to make it functional. A charcoal box is also added to be the heat source. Just like the WSM, cooking on a UDS is directly over the charcoals.

The UDS cooking surface is also larger than the traditional WSM. A UDS, as a rule, does not include a pan or bowl for water.

A UDS is the really "low cost" alternative for real smoked barbecue cooking because most projects start by finding a throw away 55 gallon drum. You just have to account for the time you spend making it (which can be substantial) for a real cost comparison. There are several resources on the net to describe how to make a UDS.

For those that don't have the time (or the inclination) to make their own UDS there are ready made ones on the market. The cost is still relatively low and comparable to the WSM.

The unique thing about the UDS is that the drippings from cooking fall directly on the hot coals. This produces a distinctive taste for the meat that many aficionados attest is the closest thing to early times barbecue cooking.

Now, to the question of which one cooks the better barbecue.... If you like the taste of the meat drippings on the coals then the UDS wins, however, you can achieve the same effect in the WSM by removing the water pan.

If you don't like the taste of the drippings on the coals but like the simplicity and cost of the UDS just add a pan and grate below the top grate on the UDS to catch the drippings before they hit the hot coals.

They are both super, low cost, alternatives for cooking great smoked barbecue. It's just personal preference.

Weber Smokey Mountain (WSM) Versus Ugly Drum Smoker (UDS) - Which One Cooks Better Barbecue?

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Looking For A Charcoal Turkey Smoker? Better Read This First!

Are you looking for charcoal smokers on sale?

smoker barbecue grill

With Thanksgiving right around the corner, lots of people are looking for a charcoal turkey smoker now.

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Most folks look for charcoal smokers for meat during the prime BBQ months - the summer grilling season. However, many smoker owners who have prepared a turkey this way swear that smoking a turkey is the absolutely tastiest way to prepare your holiday main course.

But there is a potential problem you must be aware of if you want to cook your bird this way. Read through this article to find out what you need to know to use a successfully smoke a turkey and also to have a good shopping experience for a smoker.

Smoking a turkey - what could go wrong?

If you use your turkey smoker correctly, you will have a terrific holiday dinner. But to do that, you must keep your smoker at the right temperature to cook your turkey to 165 degrees F. Less than this can have ill effects on the health of all dining!

Here are three things you can do to help your smoker cook your turkey correctly:

Set the smoker temperature high enough, and recognize that wind and cold may have an effect (higher quality smokers are not as affected by weather). If you run the smoker at a temperature range of 220 degrees F - 240 degrees F it will take about 30 - 40 minutes per pound to cook your turkey. Try to stick to smoking a 12 - 16 pound bird. A smaller bird will smoke up fine, but if you go larger than 20lbs. you may be facing an increased risk of food contamination. Using a good, quick read meat thermometer is a must! It must be very reliable and it should register the temperature of the turkey quickly. Test it in two places - away from the bone and preferably in dark meat sections, which cook more slowly than white meat.A properly smoked turkey will be more pink than what you may be accustomed to if you have always roasted your bird, so using a thermometer is crucial. As long as the temperature is 165 F, your turkey is safe to eat regardless of the color.

It is easy to research turkey smokers or smokers for meat online.

You can easily check out lots of smokers online - choosing one that takes any guesswork out of correct temperatures is a cinch!

Instead of running to each of the physical stores that sell various smokers reading product descriptions on boxes, or talking to sales clerks who may not have even ever used a smoker themselves, you can sit comfortably at your computer and compare all of the units and buyers' reviews on each online.

You can save lots of time this way finding a great smoker which will safely smoke a turkey!

Looking For A Charcoal Turkey Smoker? Better Read This First!

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Would The World Be A Better Place If There Were Rules Against Cigarettes and Zippo Lighters?

We all know smoking is a bad habit. Even smokers know that smoking is a bad habit. They are also aware of the harmful effects of cigarettes not just to themselves but to the people around them. However, most smokers are quite impervious to the feelings of others. You can see them lighting up their cigarettes with their Zippo lighters anywhere that would let them with utter disregard to the people around them. Indeed, there should be some sort of smokers' etiquette to be followed. After all, everyone's health and well-being is at stake.

Is Smoke-free Really Free From Smoke?

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For the past few years, anti-smoking campaigns have been progressive - at least, in some but not all public places. Most cities all over the world have since banned smoking in public transportation, indoor facilities like malls, restaurants and museums, and libraries. However, smokers are still lighting up with their Zippo lighters in parks, street cafes, and pubs because these are places frequented by smokers. What most laws failed to consider is the fact that non-smokers also frequent these places, if only to breathe fresh air. That's made impossible by the number of Zippo lighters lighting up in every direction.

Indeed, anti-smoking propaganda has to be strengthened to force smokers to conform to good etiquette and not involve other people in their unsavory habit. Outdoor areas should be declared smoke-free. There should be proper partitions between smoking and non-smoking sections in restaurants to avoid smoke from blowing over to the other side. There should be cafes, pubs, and rooms dedicated to smokers where they and their Zippo lighters can congregate and kill each other, and leave the healthy population out of it.

In Good Company

Of course, being in the company of a smoker can never be avoided, especially if they are a family member, friend, or co-worker. Short of putting them into quarantine, smokers should follow certain decorum when in the presence of a non-smoker.

For example, smoking paraphernalia like cigarettes, Zippo lighters, and cigarette cases should be kept out of sight while the smoker and the non-smoker are engaged in a meal. A smoker should not be allowed to light up within 6 feet of a non-smoker. A smoker should have the decency to leave the room and head to the nearest smoke-friendly zone before lighting up with Zippo lighters. This way, the smoker only jeopardizes himself and not the lives of the people around him.

Non-smokers also have to do their parts. After all, smokers won't be privy to your feelings or will at least continue to ignore it until you do something about it. Remember that your silence is encouragement. Smokers will continue to smoke and be unmindful of your feelings if you don't speak up. Put your foot down once and for all and you'll find that most smokers are decent enough to put away their cigarettes and Zippo lighters for you, at least, until you're no longer in the immediate vicinity. And that should be good enough. After all, bad habits die hard.

Would The World Be A Better Place If There Were Rules Against Cigarettes and Zippo Lighters?

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