Did you want to cook it Chrismas Day or cook it ahead? How long have they been thawing in the fridge?
If it's thawed enough for you to get the giblet package out of the neck cavity and to get the neck out of the body cavity (that's usually how they're packed, but sometimes other way around) then even if there's still a little ice, it's still thawed enough to brine. It should feel frozen on the outside any more, but a little ice on the inside will be ok if the joints are flexible and the surface is soft.
I usually brine mine over night, but you can brine much longer as long as you keep the brine temp at 38 or below. Personally I wouldn't brine longer than 2 days, and generally prefer to brine roughly an hour per pound.
BE CAREFUL not to get the brine temp below 32. If you add a lot of ice, the brine temp can go below 32 because the salt content makes the freeze point lower. You would essentially be refreezing your bird. :)
I run my smoker probably hotter than some here when doing poultry, but I'm having such great results, it's kinda hard to argue with success. I start as high as 400 for the first 45 minutes to an hour and then turn it down to about 350. At those temps I'm getting done at about 18 to 20 minutes per pound. Sometimes much faster. Keep in mind that 2 birds exactly the same size can get done at different times so time estimates are just that... estimates. My Thanksgiving turkey got done almost 2 hours ealier than expected! I thought that was reallt strange until I got on here and found a LOT of people experiencing early finishers.
I take a stick of butter and let it get soft. Mix in a teaspoon of granulated garlic, a teaspoon of minced onion, teaspoon of sage and a little pepper. Mix that into the butter. Then stick your hands under the turkey's skin to separate it from the meat and rub that garlic butter under the skin. Save just a little if you want for outside, but I usualy rub the outside with olive oil, and dust it with sage and a little coarse black pepper.
Aromatics go into the body cavity. An apple, an onion, and orange.... cut roughly into quarters. Some sprigs of fresh thyme from the garden if I can get 'em.
That's it. Keep it simple. Cook to TEMPERATURE, not TIME. I look for 165 in the breast and 175 in the thigh. I love dark meat and want that thigh done so I'll overcook the breast a little to get the thigh done if I have to. I still haven't dried out the breast by making sure the thigh is done.
Oh, and NO WATER in the water pan. :) You can put sand in it and wrap it with foil if you want. I just leave it out for this.
