Easy home smoked turkey?

Question

Ok, so here is my tale of woe.  For hunting camp, I always PRE-prepare food before I get there.  Simple enough.  I make fresh chili without the beans, then add the beans precooked beans while there.  I also take along slices of roast beef and cheese and bread and other condiments for sandwiches.  And a few other things like smoked salmon that is ready to eat or only needs to be warmed-up.

Soooo....I have a friend that shot a turkey.  Fine.  Now he is telling me that he wants to bring it to hunting camp to cook.  Hmm.  Yeah, we have the facilities for that, but do we really need to do that?  Well, I don't want to didiscouragehe guy.  I know how proud he feels to have shot himself a wild turkey, and I am guessing that he has this fantasy that he will cook it like a gogourmethef and then for the entire week at deer camp, the only thing we will be talking about is that fine tasting turkey that Jim Bob shot and cooked to perfection.

But I am wondering.  Is there some methodology of perhaps making a "smoked turkey" without a lot of fuss?  Is there a smoked turkey seasoning that we can add to a crcrock-potso that we don't have to tie-up the oven/stove while that bird cooks?

We always have TOO MUCH FOOD at hunting camp.  So we really don't have to do a reenactment of some Norman Rockwell painting with a big turkey bird being served to a group of hungry men.  But, smoked turkey as a finger food to go with Ritz crackers and maybe some salmon spread would be welcomed as a snack around the camp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OMkROxwtLQ0

Bear Crap · Accepted Answer

Since your one of our respected regulars I drank 3 beers while in deep thought on this. My conclusion is tell him that if he wants to smoke a turkey then do it BEFORE camp. A hunting camp is just that. I had clients to keep happy but I was the designated @ss-hole. I made sure that damn camp ran right. And going hunting means sacrifice; leave the smoking for home.
Oh I can explain how to smoke any meat with nothing but poles, fire, canvas tarp and or seasonings. But some times the hunting camp isn’t the place for a bunch of bullcrap that interferes with the main reason you are there; to have a good time, get animal.
If he wants to smoke it at camp then its HIS responsibility and he cant expect for the others who had their sh!t together to spend their time messing around with a fire, BBQ grill or oven to smoke a bird.

I never had a chef at camp. We had a cook. I say go for it if he wants to do all the work, bring all the equipment and it doesn’t interfere with the program. My cook served a hot meal and that was that.

nickdc1960 · Answer

I agree 100% with Beat Crap.  Tell your hunting buddy that if he wants to bring his turkey to deer camp, it should be "ready to eat", just like all of the other foods that you described.

The focus at hunting camp needs to be hunting.  Turkeys take a long time to cook the right way.  And, when you are done, merely having turkey without all of the other side dishes like potatos, carrots, stuffing...it just isn't that good.

Higgy Baby · Answer

Every time I try to smoke a turkey.........honestly man- I never get past the beer.

Okay- to answer the question- No, there is no seasoning you should put on a turkey going into the crock other than salt and pepper. 
Any liquid seasoning or "smoked" seasoning will mess up your food.

Anonymous · Answer

My IQ just dropped 25 points

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Easy home smoked turkey?

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