WHOLE TURKEY Smoked On The Hunsaker Vortex Drum Smoker

It’s that time of year when turkeys start hitting the grill, the oven, and the smoker. In this video I use the Hunsaker Vortex Drum Smoker to smoke up a 13 pound turkey using cherry wood, all after giving the bird a rub down with a smoky seasoning and injecting it with BBQ Butter. The finished product is perfect for a Thanksgiving, Christmas, or holiday meal.
Smoky Rub Ingredients
1 TBSP Dried Smoky Pepper
1 TBSP Dried Green Chile Pepper
1 TBSP Smoked Paprika
½ TBSP Kosher Salt
½ TBSP Granulated Garlic
BBQ Butter Injection Ingredients
1 stick Butter
¼ cup BBQ Sauce
Glaze Ingredients
¼ cup Maple Syrup
2 TBSP BBQ Sauce
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#cooking #grilling #turkey

[@CookingWithRy]

All my Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Holiday dishes: kzbin.info/aero/PLu6Ht1WkrJHzm6ldgPFWumdoTOjGLvS1p

[@hunsakersmokers1276]

I shared this video to our Facebook Group as several cooks were asking about hanging a whole turkey. Thank you for this great video and so many more.

[@CookingWithRy]

You're very welcome!

[@kendorsey4499]

Liking that rub, a lot. A few years ago I started bbq/smoking. Once I got smoking a turkey right, it is now a thanksgiving tradition. Like to change it up every year. Stealing your recipe for this year. Seriously thank you.👍

[@CookingWithRy]

Enjoy!

[@robertjones6324]

That bird came out perfect!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@Viewtoagrill]

Delicious bird Ry.

[@JuanGutierrez-vm3iz]

Great 👍 recipe thanks Ry god bless you and your family

[@RumandCook]

Great looking bird. My biggest take away... I love gadgets, why don't I have an electric spice grinder! haha Thanks for sharing!

[@CookingWithRy]

LOL. I do love that grinder :)

[@GrillinandChillinwithColeman]

Another great video my friend.

[@JBSmoke1]

Fantastic bird!

[@jeffryscobba867]

Great smoke! My wife watched with me and when it was over she said " well...are you going to do it his way this year? You know you like ALL of his recipes." She's right! I've been doing the Disney turkey leg recipe the last 7 years. Guess it's time to change it up. Thanks for your shows, take care and keep on smok'in.

[@CookingWithRy]

LOL. Love it!

[@SmokinJoesPitBBQ]

Great looking bird RY! The drum smoker is nice! Can't wait for turkey day.🤘#timeforsandwiches

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks, Joe!

[@PitmasterOntheWay]

Great job Ry! I am planning to make a video on how to smoke a turkey, so I will be taking some of your tips 👍. Keep up the good work! I love your videos

[@WeekendWarriorBBQ]

Another gem! I love watching you cook, Ry! Cheers!

[@MontyTFreek-gr6tf]

Love smoked turkey . Next time try a chopped apple and a chopped onion in it. Great aroma and taste. I deff want to try that glaze.

[@BiggsHomeCookin]

Thing of beauty... nicely done! Barrel/Drum cookers/smokers do such a good job

[@tylerpeerson]

I’m going to do this on my Weber Smokey Mountain. I have a hangar now so it should be a similar process. Looks great!!

[@CookingwithStephennJacklyn]

Hey Ry!..... perfecto on this cook that turkey looks absolutely fantastic. Thanks for sharing. Cheers!

[@vatansever..]

It is just 8.10pm here in my country Turkey, your recipe made me hungry so much. Ray. Stay safe there. Take care 🇹🇷

[@TheSmartSneakerhead]

Looooks delicious. I have a pellot smoker. But need to invest in a barrel smoker for sure

[@DeadBrokeBBQ]

Awesome looking Big Bird Ry!! Love that glaze recipe and I certainly have to try that someday on a bird!! Thanks for sharing brother!

[@luke5767]

I have got to stop watching Ry's videos when I'm hungry.

[@drillsgtlangdon]

Very well done Ry.. Cheers brother

[@jaybooth4815]

Super cook Ry! Turkey looks delicious. I’ve said it before, I learn so much watching your videos! Thank you!

[@Buford_T_Justice1]

Sweet Merciful McGillicuddy! That was one BEAUTIFUL gobbler! Another home run Ry!

[@MadHorseBBQ]

Now that was awesome! For sure gonna have to try that on my UDS! Great cook sir! 🍻

[@guvjimbike]

Absolutely Fantastic.. There is very few people I love to watch on KZbin who cook fantastic food and who is fantastic to watch as well... You Ry do Both and I also can’t wait for you to upload.. Thank you.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you so much 😀

[@wfp537]

Wow that came out great. I will have to try this, I just ordered a Hunsaker Vortex Smoker a couple of days ago. I can't wait to get it, I wanted to thank you for the great review, of your Hunsaker it helped make my choice, between that and others.

[@Lxwnar]

Take care Ry! I'll be using this recipe for my family on Thanksgiving!

[@jared5021]

Nice cook. I am putting my new pit through it's paces. If we end up doing Thanksgiving at home this years (most likely), I'm definitely going to do the turkey on the smoker. I prefer to brine turkey over injecting but to each his own.

[@D11Alpha]

Nice Turkey! I've got a great Oklahoma Joe Smoker 😉 that combined with your recipe, is going to produce a wonderful turkey dinner for the holidays this year.

[@landsurfer66]

Amazing! Beautiful colour and a perfect result. Looking forward to trying this.

[@brianveestrom6784]

Beautiful smoked turkey Ry. The first time we did a smoked bird (Christmas day), everyone was amazed by the flavour. We will have to try cherry wood next, so far we have only done hickory (it tastes so good!).

[@CookingWithRy]

Yeah I love hickory for turkey :)

[@Jesse-vg2dn]

Great job! Looks great!

[@SmokyRibsBBQ]

Nice looking bird Ry! That was turkey perfection!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks, Rus!

[@SouthernCoastalCookingTM]

thank you for this video! I will be doing one myself soon

[@claude00]

Awesome, great job

[@chrisb48907]

oh wow!! I am gonna give this a go..cheers Ry!

[@BuckeyeBackyardBBQ]

smoked and a fried turkey is how we do it in my backyard ill eat the fried but we all know the smoked is the way to go! looks amazing! that skin could be my dinner!

[@davidbowles7047]

Never smoked a turkey but like on your smoker you hooked me into trying this. Nice job Ry as usual.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@wernerschless1000]

delicious turkey Ry, reminds me of Christmas.🎅 beautiful colors and after smoking the turkey also looks nice and tender.😋🤩 Hope that the corona virus in the Netherlands is over🙏 Nice video thank you

[@withlittleman]

Looks nice! Just in time for Thanksgiving. Your videos make cooking look simple. I appreciate that.

[@shermanculbertson6244]

It’s always a good day when Ry uploads a video.

[@CookingWithRy]

Thanks!

[@shermanculbertson6244]

Cooking With Ry You’re welcome.

[@madmoosebbq6316]

So excited for Thanksgiving this year!

[@GrizzAxxemann]

Great timing, Ry! Thanksgiving is next week for us Canucks!

[@GiacomoCalabrese]

Perfect

[@marcpjoyner]

I’d love to see you do another turkey or two before thanksgiving. Try some other flavors and methods.

[@CookingWithRy]

I have several other turkey videos in a playlist that's linked in the pinned comment for this video :)

[@marcpjoyner]

Cooking With Ry thanks!

[@LVbibby]

Epic, thanks Ry!

[@stephenj6837]

Awesome job on that turkey Ry! Just found your channel and looking forward to watching all those vids!! I see the Guam magnets on your frig. Were you stationed there?

[@CookingWithRy]

No, those were a gift from my daughter’s friend who lives there 😊

[@PicklesBBQandCooking]

That’s a fantastic looking turkey Ry, I really like the smoky rub as well as the butter injection. Simply beautiful color on the skin and definitely tender from both the breast and the thighs. An excellent cook and presentation. Have a great weekend and keep on grillin!

[@CookingWithRy]

Thank you, my friend :)

[@alvinnaquin877]

Yes Sir my friend well done.

[@melonhead49]

RY for President 👍

[@bobbyrob2008]

Hey Ry, thanks for another great cook! How do you like that Carolina Sauce? Been thinking about getting some. Thanks! 👍👊🇺🇸

[@CookingWithRy]

That Lillies is so good 👍

[@davidmaron9961]

Just picked up the 55 gal Hunsaker this past weekend! Quick question: Can you use wood splits or chunks as the main source of fuel, or are these drums mainly set up to use with Charcoal (briquettes and lump)? I haven't heard of anyone using just wood over charcoal so I was curious to see if you've tried that approach to see what the difference would be in the taste of food. Many thanks and keep those great videos rolling!

[@CookingWithRy]

I’ve never tried just wood. I think the design is for charcoal as fuel with wood for enhanced flavor.

[@Wisconsincatmom]

Makes me want to buy a smoker😋

[@marcpjoyner]

For me the two day dry brine is more critical for meat texture and moisture, than getting crispy skin. That skin is going to crisp up the longer it’s exposed to smoke, but it kind of becomes inedible. This especially happens to me because I do a low and slow “pulled turkey”. It becomes very dark amber in color.

[@stenny1970]

Cooking With Ry Curious as to why you wouldn't want to also inject and leave it in over night as well ?

[@CookingWithRy]

It leaks out and can make the skin damp, which defeats the purpose of air drying so I like to do that just before cooking :)

[@stenny1970]

@@CookingWithRy Makes sense.

[@eric.psu95]

Great video & I want to try this on my pellet smoker. 😎 Did your watering pan have water in it during the entire smoke process?

[@CookingWithRy]

It did but also a lot of drippings 👍

[@johnnyloveit901]

Do you think it is possible to use the Hunsaker smoker for Santa Maria type grilling, as the height of the grill grates can somewhat be quickly adjusted?

[@CookingWithRy]

Interesting idea. So in that application you could leave the vortex plate off the charcoal basket and expose everything to direct heat. It might get 'interesting' reaching down in to raise and lower the grate, but I guess in theory with some good grill gloves that would work :)

[@johnnyloveit901]

@@CookingWithRy Thanks for the quick response. I like watching the your videos, they help me relax, and give me some ideas of things to try. I was thinking about that too. A couple metal hooks could easily made with handles on one end. Maybe a longer version of the tool Hunsaker already makes to left and adjust the meat hooks they sell. A couple coal pokers with hooks on the end would also work. As an experiment why not just leave the the plate in place. Cheers.

[@johnnyloveit901]

I think I that will come across something that will work very well, but it might depend on the grill grates you already have with your Hunsaker. They are mini-paint rollers. I already had a few, and they all worked perfectly with the wire grates in my WSM. Just stick them in between the grates turn them perpendicular to the grates, and you have a very stable platform to work with. I found that the one for 6 inch rollers worked best. I looked at Home Depot, and they have 6 inch mini-paint rollers with 22 inch hands for only $4.27.

[@paulmillen2101]

When I had my Pit Barrel Cooker (it's in the landfill) I loved the way fowl renderings dripped on the coals and came smoking back up to add flavor. Does the Hunsaker vortex device prevent that? Secondly, as you mentioned, getting crisp fowl skin is sometimes problematic in a smoker. Does the water pan reduce the skin crisping? What does it add to the end product? It just seems to me to be a 212° cold spot down there.

[@CookingWithRy]

For me the pan is just enough moisture snce the barrel is a VERY dry environment. But skin crispiness, or non-rubberiness, depends on so much more than heat. That's why I really like to air dry my birds before smoking them. The vortex plate does divert most of the drippings, but not all. It's more likely that any water pan will catch those.

[@paulmillen2101]

@@CookingWithRy Thanks for the prompt reply. I don't want to seem argumentative, it's just that I don't always understand the logic behind some cooks' recommendations. I suppose it is dry in the smoker, but can't be as dry as the inside of an electric range's oven (fire produces water vapor, there's no fire in an electric oven) and I don't recall reading a recommendation to put a water pan in the oven. Then too, that pan of water can never get above 212°F, so it's a cold spot that sucks up heat energy from the burning coals. I don't see what that adds to the turkey, unless it's intended to keep the pit temperature down (it probably would have run hotter without the pan).

[@CookingWithRy]

@@paulmillen2101 It's actually to keep a little more moisture in there to help keep the meat from drying out. There's A LOT of air movement and exhaust, more than an oven, so it can get very dry. It's a balancing act with many variables - humidity, size of what's being cooked, etc...

[@darrentyrrell4217]

That looks delicious.. Just curious why you hung it legs first? I cooked one in my Weber SM and hung it breast first. The breast was great but the legs and thighs were overcooked (190 plus degrees) when the center of the breast was just over 160 degrees. I'm going to hang the next one like you did to see if it makes a difference. Thanks for another great video.

[@CookingWithRy]

I find that the dark meat of the legs/thighs tolerates the proximity to the fuel source better.

[@stenny1970]

Cooking With Ry What do think on a comparison of a Pit Barrel and a Hunsaker ? I am torn between 3 different cookers to purchase the MasterBuilt 1050 and the Pit Barrel and a Hunsaker

[@CookingWithRy]

Personally, if money is an issue, I'd get a drum like the Hunsaker. The size is great and no electronics to fail :)

[@stenny1970]

@@CookingWithRy So do you think the Hunsaker is alot better than a Pit Barrel ?

[@CookingWithRy]

For capacity and temp control options, yes.

[@paulmillen2101]

I couldn't stop thinking about this cook (2 years) so today I bought a Hunsaker. It's seasoning as I write this and is holding a steady temperature on a breezy 29°day. I'll cook the Thanksgiving turkey on it. Question: When the temperature reaches a steady point and then I add colder food, does the temperature drop significantly and do I need to open the top vent a bit more?

[@CookingWithRy]

In my experience it recovers quickly. I’ve never had to do anything other than make minor vent adjustments 😊

[@paulmillen2101]

@@CookingWithRy Thanks for the prompt reply, Ry.

[@joshua7999]

Where did the hanging rod come from? Not on hunsakers site

[@CookingWithRy]

That's one from the Pit Barrel Cooker.

[@bigred10ify]

Please share link for injector and the grinder u used for seasoning

[@brianveestrom6784]

In the video description above click the 'show more'. There is a link to Ry's amazon store where you'll find the injector and grinder.

[@davidmaron9961]

How heavy of a turkey can you hang in that Vortex smoker?

[@CookingWithRy]

My guess would be about 20 pounds.

[@davidmaron9961]

Great! Thank you! Just ordered my Hunsaker Smoker. Can't wait!@@CookingWithRy

[@justplanefred]

Only about 3 hours to smoke a 13lb turkey at about 300? Darn that almost sounds to good to be true! What was that turkey hanger you used?

[@CookingWithRy]

That's from the Pit Barrel Cooker. I've seen a few others from different manufacturers over the years.

[@justplanefred]

Cooking With Ry thanks. I was thinking of if some sort of beer can chicken type of holder but haven’t seen any for turkeys. This one looks pretty cool though

[@CookingWithRy]

@@justplanefred That would be cool to have one big enough for a turkey :)

[@justplanefred]

Cooking With Ry agreed, my Oklahoma Joe’s Highland smoker doesn’t have a lot of head room and I want to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving. Maybe not the main bird but at least an addition to it to have some smokeyness on T day

[@CookingWithRy]

@@justplanefred I did a whole turkey on my Highland and it turned out great :)

[@richshackelford5793]

How are you liking the Hunsaker.

[@CookingWithRy]

Loving it. Holds temp really well :)

[@walidnoureddin4594]

Hi there Nice video I have thinking to smoke a duck can u help me with the cook

[@prevost8686]

Sure can’t ask for a better looking bird.

[@KeithTingle]

Love the Hunsaker, but I am going to need some kind of a discount! $800!

[@777Dorado]

Sorry but herbs and seasonings on skin don't replace the same technic in a compound butter under the skin after a brine and drying of skin...using a peanut oil on skin in a smoker @350 with Hickory....looks good though.

[@CookingWithRy]

Not meant to replace it. Just another way to season. There are many.

[@chad6444]

This used to be one of my favorite channels, and I still watch sometimes, but it’s gotten way too commercial for me. He’s always cooking on high dollar equipment that he’s given for free. A bit of a turnoff. Oh well.

[@carlsteiner8041]

Truth...but Ry uses the Weber kettle alot. I have thoroughly enjoyed using my Weber kettle. Looking forward to trying this recipe. Thank you Ry

[@chad6444]

Carl Steiner Love the Weber kettle and WSM. Almost everyone has them and they are accessible to everyone.

[@CookingWithRy]

I bought the Hunsaker.

[@pdjhh]

You'd make a decent plastic surgeon!

[@mts982]

Wow, you dont make videos nearly as much as you used to, kind of a good thing, but yet not.