Just because competitions are over for the year doesn’t mean that I’m giving my smokers a rest. One of my favorite things to cook this time of year is Whole Smoked Turkey.
If you’ve never smoked a turkey, I promise that you’ll love it. I also get a ton of emails about how it’s done, and I have a method on the website that will walk you through it. It can be found here:
http://www.howtobbqright.com/smokeaturkey.html
And since we're talking turkey, I've got a few little tips that you might want to try ou the next time you decide to smoke a turkey.
Brining:
Brining is the best way to produce a moist, flavorful turkey. I like to brine them for 24 hours prior to smoking, but one problem that comes up is having enough space to store the turkey while it brines. My solution is an insulated 5 gallon water jug. They can be found at hardware stores or even Wal-Mart and are fairly inexpensive. I also use the XL Ziploc Bags (the kind you find in the storage section of your grocery store) to keep everything clean.
Just place the Bag inside the Water Jug and in goes the turkey. Pour the brine over it and close it up tight. There’s plenty of room for ice to keep everything nice and cool. Clean-up is a breeze and you don’t have to worry with making a mess in the refrigerator.
The Brine:
I have a good brine recipe that I like to use on my
website, but you can also kick the flavor up by using different things. Instead of molasses or honey substitute Apple or Peach Jelly (Pecan or Maple Syrup produces a nice boost too).
You can try using fresh herb s such as Thyme, Rosemary, Sage, and Bay Leaves along with Whole Black Pepper Corns, Allspice, and Cloves to create some great flavor. Another thing that I do from time to time is to swap out some of the water with apple or orange juice. Play around with any combination of these ingredients and make it your own.
Injection
An injection will place flavor deep down in the meat. I concentrate on the thighs and legs, and also hit the breast in several spots. One of the standard injections I like for Smoked Turkey is Tony’s Creole Butter, but you can make your own injection just as easy.
One that I like is:
14 oz. Chicken Stock
4 oz. Melted Butter
not Margarine
1 Tablespoon
Worcestershire
1 Tablespoon Frank’s Hot Sauce
1 Tablespoon of Finely Ground BBQ Rub (of course, The BBQ Rub. works best )
This injection is simple but it packs flavor. I warm the injection slightly to keep the butter thin; once it is injected into a cold bird, it will thicken up and help hold the flavors inside the meat.
Spraying the outside:
I want everything to come off my smoker looking pretty because people eat with their eyes. So to get a beautiful looking skin on my Turkey I use a cooking spray like Pam before applying the dry seasoning.
Not only will it help the dry seasonings stick, but it will also create that mahogany look that great smoked meat should have. Also you can pin the neck skin with a couple of tooth picks to prevent it from shrinking and exposing to much of the breast.
It’s the little details that make it, ya know…
Cook time:
It normally takes about 6 hours for a turkey to smoke at 225. I usually check the turkey at the 4 hour mark just to see where it is. If I notice that the outside is starting to get darker than I like, I spray on a little more cooking spray or spritz it with apple juice.
Also, tenting with aluminum foil will prevent it from getting too dark as well. I know when the turkey is done when I grab the leg and twist. If it feels like it will come off with a little more pressure, then the turkey is done.
The temperature should be at least 165 in the thickest part of the thigh. The breast will be a little higher in the 170 range. All juices should run clear once you remove the thermometer.
I actually have my first batch of holiday turkeys on the smoker right now… looking goo-oood.
Hopefully some of these tips can give you a few ideas and get you to slow-smoke your own turkey this year.
Once you get it down you may even decide to make a little money selling t hem to friends and family. It’s a great way to build a little war chest for next year’s bbq season.
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