Turkey Cure/Brine Recipe

[sodak]

Mentioned a few days back that we had two turkeys curing using a Rytek variation.

Wanted to mention that the hunter who got his wild bird back said it was the best he had ever tasted.  Turkey disappeared in ten minutes.  And the relatives who ate the 40 cent per pound Walmart bird said the same thing about the taste.  As for me, I don't often brag, but it is a simple, delicious recipe for you all to try sometime.

- To Five Gallons of Water, Add...
- 16 oz. of #1 Cure
- 2 lbs of Kosher Salt
- 2 lbs of Brown Sugar
- 2 Tbs of Imitation Maple Flavoring

Cover cleaned turkey with cure/brine and hold at 38*-40* for four to five days.  (Mine was in for four.)  Remove from cure/brine.  Rinse well.  Pat dry.  Put in 130* smoker with vent open for one hour without smoke rolling.  Hours two through six, vent at 1/4 open 140* with smoke.  I used apricot and apple.  Very mild smoke results, I don't use a Bradley, but I'll bet the results would be similar.  Remove to broiler pan with 1/2 can of beer in bottom of pan, cover and seal with aluminum foil in a 275* oven and bring internal temp to 160*.

Wow!  Didn't eat the skin, because at this temp the skin turns a bit rubbery.  Just took it off when cutting the bird.

Reheats really well - and holds the moisture if done properly. 

[OU812]

Sounds good to me.

You had me going there with the 1/4 open vent and the apricot till you stated you dont use the Bradley.

[sodak]

Built my own smoker a couple years back.  Still workin' on it!  But, it's built into a room in my shop.  Smoke box sits outside, everything vented up through the roof.

[OU812]

Cool. So how does that baby work for ya?

I've been thinking of building a bigger smoker, got the cabnet and pretty sure I know how I'm going to build it but just cant find the time.