Recommendations for Thanksgiving Turkey

[Kitchen Commander]

I'm going to use my OBS for 1 of our turkey's this coming Thanksgiving.  It will be the first time ever brining and smoking a turkey.  I've found several brine recipes and the process seems simple enough.  I think I'll do a rub under the skin also.

The thing I'm really wondering about though is how much smoke to give the bird.  I know it will take several hours for the bird to fully cook.  I live in northern Nevada and the outside temperature will be cool.  Should I run smoke the entire time cooking it, or puck it up long enough for 2 or 3 hours of smoke.

Recommendations on what flavor wood is appreciated as well.

Thanks all!

[squirtthecat]

2-3 hours will be plenty of smoke.    I usually run 2 hours for poultry.

After the smoke, you can move it to your house oven if you have trouble with the outside temps.

[TomW]

I like 2 hours of smoke (mesquite), then into a turkey size roasting bag and the  house oven at 325 degrees till done by internal temp.  Smokey, moist, juicy, delicious, awesome.  House smells great for days too!

Tom

[squirtthecat]

into a turkey size roasting bag and the  house oven at 325 degrees till done by internal temp.

That's a fantastic idea for keeping the smoke flavor concentrated..

[Redneckinthecity]

I brine, smoke at a low temp with hickory or pecan for 2.5-3 hours and then fry.  My MIL insists on also roasting a bird to have drippings for gravy, but the smo-fried bird is always the first one gone.

[cajunboudreaux]

I brine for 24 hours then apply smoke for about 5 hours. I smoke at 190.. I use hickory with every 4th puck being apple. With the OBS burning so clean it does not over smoke. If you want to get a little crazy and knock peoples socks off... Cold smoke for 2 hours then deep fry 3 minutes per pound.. I would also suggest you cover the bird with Frenchs yellow mustard and apply cajun seasoning to the outside. Below is my homemade Brine and Standard directions.

BOUDREAUXS TURKEY BRINE
Brine( 24 hours)
1 gal. water- You will need more water, just use this as table
1 c. salt
3/4 c. soy sauce
1/2 c. white sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. honey
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
4 Tbsp. black pepper
3 - 4 Tbsp. chopped garlic
1 tsp. Allspice
2 tsp. tony chacheres seasoning
1 sliced orange
1 slice apple

Brine a Turkey

Supplies: To properly brine a turkey you need to start the night before you plan to cook. You will need at least 10 to 12 hours (plan on 1 hour per pound of turkey), a container large enough to hold your turkey and enough brine to cover it. You'll also need salt, water, sugar, seasonings, and enough room to refrigerate it. A large stainless steel stock pot or even a 5 gallon clean plastic bucket would make excellent containers. Whatever container you choose the turkey needs to have enough room to be turned so it should be big. Both Reynolds (Oven Roasting Bag for Turkeys) and Ziploc (XL Storage Bag) make very large food safe sealable bags that are great for brining. Turkey: Now let's get to the turkey. The turkey should be cleaned out, completely thawed, and should not be a self-basting or Kosher turkey. Self-basting and Kosher turkeys have a salty stock added that will make your brined turkey too salty. A fresh turkey works best, but a completely thawed, previously frozen turkey will work just as well. Brine Ingredients:See my Attached Old black dude recipe. Brines can be spicy hot with peppers and cayenne, savory with herbs and garlic, or sweet with molasses, honey and brown sugar.

Sweetening the Brine: Sugar is optional to any brine, but works to counteract the flavor of the salt. While you may choose a brine without sugar, I do recommend that you add sugar (any kind of "sweet" will do) to maintain the flavor of the turkey. Add up to 1 cup of sugar per gallon of brine. Like the salt you need to make sure that the sugar is completely dissolved.

Set-up: Place the turkey in a container and pour in enough brine to completely cover the turkey with an inch or two to spare. You do not want any part of the turkey above the surface of the brine. Now you put the whole thing in the refrigerator. If you are like me, making enough room in the fridge is the hardest part of this project. The turkey should sit in the brine for about 1 hour per pound of turkey. Brining too long is much worse than not brining enough so watch the time.
Keep it Cool!: Don't have room in the refrigerator? Try a cooler. A cooler big enough to hold your turkey makes a good container for your turkey and brine. The cooler will help keep it cool and allow you to brine your turkey without taking up precious refrigerator space. If the weather is cool, but not freezing you can put the whole thing outside until you need the turkey. If the weather is warm fill a a zip top bag with ice. Place this in the cooler with the turkey and brine and it will hold down the temperature during the brining process.

Rinsing: When you are ready to start cooking your turkey, remove it from the brine and rinse it off thoroughly in the sink with cold water until all traces of salt are off the surface inside and out. Safely discard the brine and cook your turkey as normal. You will notice the second you start to carve your turkey that the brining has helped it retain moisture. The first bite will sell you on brining turkeys forever, and after you've tried this you will want to brine all your poultry.

Enoy and Good Luck. you will have fun