bigshank Yes, it is efficient. I don't think I've used it in very cold weather yet though, so the amount of time before you need to add fuel is probably a bit reduced in the winter time. I've cooked beef brisket flats and pork butts in it this year and so far the longest cook I've had is about 8 hours and never had to add any fuel. But after I took the pork butt out I checked and there was still enough unburned coal to go quite a little while longer - once it's up to temp. it doesn't take much to keep it there. By the same token, you don't want to overshoot the temp by too much because it takes quite a while to cool it back down. I did that early on while I was still learning and got it over 100 degrees too hot and had to take the turkey breast out and wrap it, then I was pouring water down the interior surface to cool the body down. It was more than a half-hour before I could unwrap the turkey breast and put it back on to finish.

    CallMeAl That’s the one I got except mine is black it was a gift from my son in law.

      Did a turkey in my Bradley Smoker a couple Thanksgivings ago, turned out nice but the best part was the gravy using the juices from the turkey and sweet aromatics in the cavity ( apples, sage, onion, cinnamon ) .....best turkey gravy I have ever had.

      might do a spatchcocked turkey either on the grill or smoker over the holidays. Prefer the temps to be above freezing to better control the heat which messes with outdoor cooking in winter. Was too lazy to build an insulated box for the smoker 🙁

      8 days later

      Whelp, Cajun turkey came out great! I tell you this is the only way in my opinion to eat turkey. Tender and juicy beyond any I've ever had before with flavor in every bite. Matter of fact I'm keeping an eye out for when the Christmas turkeys go on clearance at the grocery store and buying another or two.......

        Dufferman I smoked a Cajun myself today on the Weber. It turned out great except I didn’t stuff mine with apple and onions. The drippings ruined my gravy though. Pecan smoked gravy was not good at all. It didn’t even enter my mind that the drippings would be smoky. Maybe the apples and onions would have offset the smoke juices.

            bigshank
            I did use apples and onions in the cavity when I did mine in the Weber on Thanksgiving. I have no idea if it would have helped with a gravy though, as I didn't use the drippings.

              bigshank I never use the smoker drippings as I normally put a tray of water under the meat while it smokes. My smoker is a vertical smoker so the water helps maintain temps.

                Swung by the grocery store today and they had fresh turkey for $.50 a pound! Bought one and it will go on the smoker tomorrow! This will be my 4th smoked turkey this holiday season. I may have a problem.

                Dufferman
                That looks perfect. You must have a lot of clearance over the top of the turkey in your smoker to get that even color.

                    JoeHatesSnow I have a pretty big vertical smoker. Plus I used the cooking spray like the guy in the video. It seems to help brown the skin up nicely.