It never seems to amaze me the variety of issues I face when I smoke. For Thanksgiving, the breasts cooked too fast and thighs were a tad raw, now the opposite is happening.

I used the brine that Bryan S suggested, by combining Chris apple brine recipe and Keri's Apple Juice brined recipe. Well, after an hour and 45 minutes into the cook (a 13 lb bird), the thigh registers at 181 and the the breast is at 132. I checked the thermometer for accuracy and it's definitely not a thermometer issue. What gives?

I decided to flip the bird over, so now the breast is on the bottom and thighs are on top. I foiled the top half (now the bottom half, the thighs) of the turkey, hopeing to speed up the temp. in the breasts. Any other recommendations? Thanks.

Erik

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Erik G,

In only worry about the white meat, since, if you overcook it, you're screwed. Also consider the fact that it's a real pain to get an accurate reading in the thigh. Dark meat that doesn't hit a target temp can always be separated and cooked further. I've found that if I cook at 325-350°, and take the breast to 161°, the dark meat is about ten degrees higher. A 15-20 minute rest gives about a 5°+ bump to both, and I'm good to go. I guess what I'm saying is that if my turkeys hit 181 in the thigh, I typically wouldn't know it, and I've never had what I consider overcooked dark meat.