HOW TO SMOKE A WHOLE TURKEY
This delicious turkey recipe is great because you can either make it in the oven or smoke it on the smoker. brining a bird might take some time but let me tell you its worth it. your bird will not dry out which is what a wet brine aims to prevents. Then comes injecting the bird instead of rubbing with butter and herbs. this method tenderize it slowly spreading the flavours through the bird.
Turkey Brine
Ingredients:
bay leaves
garlic cloves
onions
apple cider
dried oregano
salt and pepper
vegetable broth
Instructions:
Cook vegetable broth, and the rest of the ingredients in a saucepan on medium heat 10 min. stirring occasionally. Pour into plastic container large enough to hold brining liquid and turkey. Cool completely.
Remove the neck and the giblets from the turkey, discard or save to use later. rinse the turkey under cold running water.
Submerge the turkey in the brine, refrigerate the turkey in the brine for 12 to 18 hours.
Before roasting, rinse the turkey well with cold water and pat dry.
Turkey Injection Sauce
Ingredients:
Paprika
butter
onion powder
garlic powder
salt and pepper
Instructions
In a medium size pot over medium heat, simmer for five minutes. strain mixture and cool.
using an injection needle inject sauce into the tukey throught the breast and thighs.
Inject turkey with one hole threw the chest, injecting 3 different sides of the breast without take the needle out.
Inject turkey with one hole threw the chest, injecting 3 different sides of the breast without take the needle out.
Smoking the turkey
Instructions
Preheat smoker to 225 to 250 degrees F (110 to 120 degrees C).
Place the turkey in a roasting pan fitted with a rack and place the turkey in the smoker and cook for 45 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a bowl mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, Worchester sauce, Cajun spice and kosher salt. Mop the turkey after cooking for 40-45 minutes. Repeat the mopping every 40-45 minutes until the internal temperature of the thigh registers 165 degrees F and the breast registers 155 degrees F, about 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the bird.
Remove the turkey to a large cutting board and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.
