If we're home we usually do two or three turkeys around Thanksgiving; one for soups, one on Thanksgiving, and another to have cooked meat in the freezer we can use for whatever strikes our fancy. I typically brine all my turkeys but this year I'm going to play with one of them.
An all natural 18.3 pounder is in the
WSM right now on a turkey cannon loaded with a little cheap chardonnay. The turkey wasn't brined, no fat (butter or oil) on or under the skin, just some Cajun spice on the dry skin. It will most likely be our soup turkey, though I'm pretty sure I'll be eating turkey sandwiches at work this week from it. I'm running the
WSM between 325 and 350F with hickory and cherry.
The one I'll do for Thanksgiving I'll use my orange juice poultry brine, a bit of a modification of Alton Brown's recipe that includes a little pink salt #1. It will hit the brine Tuesday night after I get home from work. I'll use the turkey cannon on it too and the same wood. Our Thanksgiving turkey is usually gone by the end of the holiday weekend.
The last turkey will get brined with apple cider, maple syrup, spices and a little cure #1. I usually pick the last turkey up the day after Thanksgiving when they go on sale for half off or more. That one will definitely be freezer meat.
I save the necks, skin, and carcasses of all three in the freezer to make turkey stock for soups that also ends up going back in the freezer once prepared. Man oh man we love turkey!
Happy Thanksgiving all! Enjoy the holidays!
