Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey

[206]

Anybody besides me?

Looking for a proven brine that is not too salty or complicated.

[ShaneTyTrey]

2 quarts apple juice
1 cup sugar
1 cup salt
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon thyme

soak for 24 hours

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

I put my smoking turkey in the fridge to thaw last night.

Every year i smoke a turkey and it is the first thing gone. What i do is simple. I remove the neck and jibblets from the cavity and I take a 5 gallon bucket and line it with 2 garbage bags (unscented) don't ask. I do this wednesday night.
I mix up 1 quart apple juice with 1 cup non-iodized salt, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 cup white sugar until all is dissolved. Then put mix in bucket, put 1 more quart of apple juice in the mix. Drop in the turkey, and twist the garbage bag so the liquid covers the turkey.

Thursday morning i take the turkey out of the brine and rinse it. I stuff the cavity with apples, it will steam in the cavity and keep the bird moist.

I have never had any complaints.

[deadwoodbuck]

ShayneTyTrey...sounds great but is it to sweet?  wondering about that also WDFW...but then your birds are smoked...am going to try it without the smoke since I am smokehouse challenged.  but I will stuff it with apples.  thanks

[WCTaxidermy]

I take a 5 gallon bucket and line it with 2 garbage bags (unscented) don't ask.

Don't need to ask, been there done that.

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

No it isn't really sweet at all.

[dscubame]

Did that last year on the Traeger, won't do it again as smoked turkey taste a little like ham.  Don't like ham.

Oven baked turkey and two racks of baby backs on the Traeger this year.

[206]

Here's one I am thinking about trying.  It's similar to the other 2 posted, but has 3quarts additional water and a few other things.  I think the dilution with water may make it more on the "not overbrined" safe side I was looking for.

INGREDIENTS:

2 quarts apple juice
1 pound brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3 oranges, quartered
4 ounces fresh ginger, thinly sliced
15 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 cloves garlic, crushed
14 pounds turkey
vegetable oil, for brushing turkey



DIRECTIONS:


In a large saucepan over high heat, bring apple juice, brown sugar, and salt to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Cook for 1 minute, remove from heat, and skim off the foam. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.

In a 5 gallon plastic bucket or other container large enough to easily hold the turkey, combine 3 quarts of water, the oranges, ginger, cloves, bay leaves, and garlic. Add the apple juice mixture and stir.

Remove and discard the fat from the turkey cavity. Reserve the neck and giblets for another use. Rinse the turkey inside and out, drain, and submerge the turkey in the brine. If necessary, top with a heavy weight to be sure it is completely immersed. Refrigerate for 24 hours.

Follow the grill's instructions for using wood chips (soak chips in water for at least 30 minutes prior). Set up the grill for indirect cooking over medium heat.

Remove the turkey from the brine and pat with paper towels until very dry. Tie the legs together with cotton string. Lightly brush the turkey with vegetable oil, and place on a roasting rack set inside a heavy-gauge foil pan. Cook indirectly over medium heat. When the wings are golden brown, about 40 minutes, wrap them in aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. Brush the rest of the turkey with vegetable oil. When the turkey breasts are golden brown, about one hour, cover the turkey with aluminum foil to prevent the skin from getting too brown. The turkey is done when its juices run clear, the internal temperature is bout 180 degrees F, and the internal temperature of the breast is about 165 degrees F. Figure 12 to 14 minutes per pound.

Transfer the turkey to a cutting board or platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest 20 minutes before carving. The pan drippings may be used to make gravy.

http://www.cdkitchen.com/recipes/recs/258/AppleBrinedAndHickorySmoke72871.shtml

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

i tried adding all the other crap and it was a waste of time and money. i didnt notice any difference in flavor with all the oranges and garlic and stuff. So i made it easy and simple.

I also pull the bird out of the smoker when it has reached temp and wrap it in foil, then towels and them put it in a cooler for an hour before i cut it. I tried to cut it straight out of the smoker the first time and it just crumbled. I let it rest an hour and never had that problem since.

Also make sure you put it into the smoker when the smoker is hot. And do not put it into the brine when the brine is warm. For safety reasons you need to keep everything very cold.

[Blacklab]

No smoked Turkey here goinin to sis inlaw. I smoke 2 or 3 a year just for eats. WDFW says it best, brine cold smoker hot 

[206]

WDFW Hater:  Forgot about the cooler resting trick.  That's a Huge cushion.  I'm sure you are right about the extras in the brine also.  Found that out smoking salmon.  After years, I went back to old school with salt-sugar- water is all needed if the amounts and time are right.    Already prepared the brine and it looks like spoudy with the oranges.  Thanks for the input!

Temps?  I smoked a lot of stuff in the past and 225 degrees is not good for everything. 

I'm thinking keeping it above 250 for 6 hours for the 12 pound bird.  Will have a probe in it, but will it get there?  The smoke shack will probably ignite at 300.

Smoke?  Again...., smoked a lot of stuff in the past and smoke don't penetrate into meat once the meat temp is 140 degrees.  Read some on the net and the word was don't over smoke turkey and no details.  I do salmon and 2 hours is all I give it.  I'm thinking 4 hours light apple smoke and the remaining 2 none.

Any input is welcome.  Thansk!

[WDFW Hates ME!!!]

Well i have a propane smoker that i can get up to oven temps, so my situation is different.

I smoke at 185 for 3 hours of so, and i only use alder chips, they are my favorite, really is a lighter smoke flavor... Then i turn it up to 300 to finish it off. I don't use the pop up toy they put in birds either. I smoke it untill i get the internal breast to 165. Then i let it rest it gets up even higher, but 165 is what i shoot for.

I also baste it with butter...

I never like the dark meat as much as i do now. Man that is all i eat now out of my smoked turkey.

[206]

I may just finish in the oven.

Thanks

[Helix]

Fried turkey recipe:
place turkey in a 5 gallon pot
 cover with oil
Set house on fire
Wait 5 minutes per pound
Remove pot from burned down house (use oven mits)

Smoked turkey:
Skip steps 1 and 2

[Huntbear]

I tried to smoke a turkey once.... had a helluva time keeping the tail lit...