Apple Cider Turkey Brined Turkey- nsxbill's recipe

[Consiglieri]

Was browsing the recipe site and saw this turkey suggestion (made my mouth water).  My question: is the bird simply slow cooked at the stated temperature, or is smoke applied?  Since there were no bisquette suggestions, or time recommendations, I wasn't sure.  I am looking forward to trying this one out, but want to get it right.

Cheers.

Start with 1 12-14# Whole Fresh Turkey

The Brine
1-1/2 gallons (6 quarts) apple juice or cider
1-1/2 cups Kosher salt (*Note below regarding amount.)
1-1/4 cups brown sugar
10 each whole cloves
3 tsp. black peppercorns
3 tsp. thyme and/or
3 tsp. dried sage
1 ea. peel from one orange (or one tangerine) (colored part only)

Directions:


Combine all ingredients in a non-reactive pot, bring mixture to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes (partly covered). Allow brine to cool completely; at least 40 degrees F.
Remove giblets from body cavity, and rinse turkey under cool running water, inside and out. Pat turkey dry with paper towels, and then immerse turkey in cooled brine. Turkey should be completely submerged in liquid (place a plate on top of the bird if necessary to keep it covered with the liquid).
Cover the pot and refrigerate for 8-10 hours or up to 24 hours.
After the brining remove turkey, rinse, pat dry, and smoke as usual.
NOTES:



Be sure the container used for brining turkey is non-reactive: use enamel, plastic, glass, crockery or stainless steel - never cast iron or aluminum. The container should be just large enough to contain the turkey (so the brine will be sufficient to cover the bird).

* NOTE REGARDING THE AMOUNT OF SALT IN BRINE: A milder brine may be made, which may have a less flavorful result but if salt is a concern (the entire turkey will absorb only 10-15% of the brine) the amount of salt may be reduced. For the desired chemical effect to take place, however, the proportions cannot be less than 2/3 to 1 cup of salt per gallon (4 quarts) of liquid.





I used the dried thyme and sage (listed as optional) and brined the bird for 22 hours. It wasn't salty.

Brine the turkey in a food-grade plastic bucket. I use a plate, as the recipe says, and a heavy ceramic bowl on top to keep the bird submerged.

Make sure that you rinse the turkey very well once it is out of the brine. I dusted with rub after some drying on the counter.

The bird has a wonderful, mildly seasoned taste, and the breast meat is very tender and juicy.

When brining a turkey, try to get a fresh, minimally processed bird one that has NOT been pre-basted, if possible. Also, don't brine a kosher bird, as it has already been brined.

Using the Guru, I smoked for 13 hrs in Bradley Smoker "Ramp on" and cabinet set at 205° Meat set at 165°. The last hour, I turned ramp off, and the pit temp went to 226°. Done in 14 hrs. Wrapped in saran, foil and thick towel in a Coleman cooler post smoking to rest. The next attempt will have ramp off all the way.


OUCH! It was good!
Bill Muirhead
nsxbill

[Habanero Smoker]

Smoke can be applied. I generally only apply 2.5 to 3 hours of smoke; many apply 4 hours. Almost any wood can be used for poultry; except mesquite (also for some reason I cannot tolerate cherry or that special (mystery) blend). If using hickory I generally only apply 2.5 hours. My personal favorites for poultry are maple, pecan, and apple in that order.

Also I do not tightly wrap chicken with either plastic wrap or foil. When done I will just loosely tent foil. I attempt to cook poultry at the highest temperature my BS can reach, which is generally 225°F maximum.

[Consiglieri]

Thanks for the input

[iceman]

Can't go wrong with the info Hab has. Sounds like your in for a good one. Enjoy!!! ;D BTW you can cut back just a bit on the sugar and salt and it still works out.

[Consiglieri]

Well, I wasn't cooking for Thanksgiving, but my mother in law couldn't find a single turkey large enough.  So we have an extra 13 lb bird to cook.  An ideal time to try this recipe.  Hope everyone has a good Holiday.  I'll post pictures if we remembered the camera. 

Cheers.

[Payson]

I've got a 6 pound bone in breast that's soaking in a whiskey/Honey marinade. I'm also going to inject more of the same. I intend to smoke it at max temp (225) until it reaches the proper internal temp, in this case I'm thinking 140 so I can finish it in a 350 oven to crisp the skin. Any idea how long this might take? I'll be using apple for what it's worth and misting it with apple/bourbon mixture occasionally.

[Consiglieri]

Payson:  No clue. 

We'll be rotisserie roasting this bird on the grill at about 325F and figure on about 3.5 to 4 hours roasting at this temp.  Will throw some apple or hickory chips into the smoker box too.  The brine smells and tastes awesome.  Tomorrow I'll rinse the bird well and then create an herb/butter paste to rub in the cavity and under the skin.  Will also add a quartered apple, a quartered lemon and some sprigs of rosemary, thyme and sage in the cavity before trussing.

I love this holiday.

[Consiglieri]

Whoever recommended this recipe, I owe you one.  Recipe rocks, but I think the bird wound up a bit salty, even after rinsing (we brined overnight), and those who don't care for an apple finish might want to dilute the juice (1 gallon cider/.5 gallons water).  The rub and fruit/herbs in the cavity really complimented the brine prep.  My $0.02: I would not brine overnight again.  Maybe 2/3 of the salt for the brine and 8 hours max on the brining period.  Although I watch how much salt is used, we're not salt police.  Even without salt in the rub, you could taste a fair amount of salt in the finished product. 

Otherwise, this bird was mowed through very fast.  A carcass for soup, but not much else.  I will repeat this recipe at the next available opportunity, adjusted as noted above. 

No pix to post; son's first Thanksgiving so  camera was occupied with a lot of relatives posing with the smiling youngster.  He made me proud again: spent most of the time watching forks going up to mouths, wondering why he's stuck on the bottle.   :D  I'm loving these adjustments. ;)

Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend, had plenty of fine food to eat, and found some new ideas to post.

Cheers.