I brined my turkey in salt water for 24 hours before going on the smoker. I filled the hopper with hickory pellets, set it on medium and let it go. I put the 12lb bird on the smoker at 7:30 and pulled it at 11:00, the temp was 173. Now I have cooked many turkeys in the past, in the oven, the rotisserie, and fried. This bird was by far the best, everyone agreed this was the most tender, moist, flavorful turkey they have ever had. I dont think I will do a turkey another way ever again. The only downside was that the skin wasnt very edible it was kind of rubbery, which was fine for me because I usually skip the skin any way.