My husband is planning to smoke a large turkey to serve at our annual open-house. But he's never used a smoker. Your best bet is to follow the instructions that come with your smoker. But beyond that, yes, we do have some tips. To begin, purchase high-quality charcoal and wood chips to ensure the fire is maintained throughout the long cooking time.
Dry chips produce a fast smoke, so start with the chips dry.
Then add wet chips for slow, sustained cooking toward the end of the smoking process. A full pan of water must be in the smoker at all times for proper humidity. For safety, it's most important to use two thermometers. One should be a meat thermometer to determine the doneness of the meat. The other should be used to test the temperature of the smoker itself.