Due to health reasons, I am working on making recipes that are low salt/no salt. OK, is a brine without salt really a brine? Or is it now a marinade? Oh well.
I reduced salt content by 95%. normally I would have used 3/4 cup of salt for 2.5 gallons, which I thought was already on the light side. 9.2 grams of total salt in this recipe vs 205 grams in normal brine.
My wife was kind enough to juice the fruits.
Franken Turkey
I smoked the turkey using my brand new 12"-18" oval AMNTS. I smoked for 7.5 hours using Lumber Jack pellets 1/2 Cherry/ 1/2 Hickory. I just fits inside the mailbox.
Final product. I was unable to take a picture of the carving. I brought the turkey inside and went back out to shutdown the smoker. By the time I got back in the house the wife had carved it up and the there wasn't much left on the carcass.
Taste:
Great smoke flavor, citrus was wonderful, No real hint of hot spices (franks, Jalapeño), garlic was very subdued. I over cooked it little. I slowed down to almost a stop at 158 degrees, and then it shot up. I did not catch it until it hit 173. Be the time I removed the probes the turkey hit 177.
Recipe
No salt / low salt brine Citrus Turkey
10 large oranges, 8 lemons, 8 limes (1/2 brine, 1/2 sliced)
Brine for 5 gallon bucket with large turkey. Approx. 2.5+ gallons of water
No Salt Brine solution
Juiced 6 Oranges/ 5 limes / 5 lemons. (approx. 4-5 cups)
2.5 Cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup apple vinegar
2 tablespoons smoked minced garlic
2 tablespoons smoked powder garlic
2 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon jalapeño sauce.
3 tablespoons Franks
DIRECTIONS:
Thaw frozen turkey for 8 hours @ room temp. then either place in fridge to finish thawing or in bucket filled with water 1 day if cold enough outside.
Loosen skin around bird so that brine can easily reach meat.
Mix all brine ingredients tougher and heat and to a simmer. Strain 1.5 cups for injection later on. Cool both injection and brine mix in fridge.
Once brine has cooled down add to 5 gallon bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey. mix in approximately 2.5 gallons of water. Store in a refrigerator (or ice chest), and soak turkey for 2 days before smoking.
Thin slice 4 limes, 4 lemons, and 4 large oranges
Remove and drain brine from bird, and place sliced citrus between meat and skin, and stuff cavity with fruit.
Cold smoke over night in cooler winter temps or 1 hour in warmer weather, then turn up heat and smoke at 275 degrees until meat probe above 165 degrees.
For other flavors add apple juice to brine, whole cloves, ground sage, rosemary, and thyme. add apple slices to citrus.
I reduced salt content by 95%. normally I would have used 3/4 cup of salt for 2.5 gallons, which I thought was already on the light side. 9.2 grams of total salt in this recipe vs 205 grams in normal brine.
My wife was kind enough to juice the fruits.
Franken Turkey
I smoked the turkey using my brand new 12"-18" oval AMNTS. I smoked for 7.5 hours using Lumber Jack pellets 1/2 Cherry/ 1/2 Hickory. I just fits inside the mailbox.
Final product. I was unable to take a picture of the carving. I brought the turkey inside and went back out to shutdown the smoker. By the time I got back in the house the wife had carved it up and the there wasn't much left on the carcass.
Taste:
Great smoke flavor, citrus was wonderful, No real hint of hot spices (franks, Jalapeño), garlic was very subdued. I over cooked it little. I slowed down to almost a stop at 158 degrees, and then it shot up. I did not catch it until it hit 173. Be the time I removed the probes the turkey hit 177.
Recipe
No salt / low salt brine Citrus Turkey
10 large oranges, 8 lemons, 8 limes (1/2 brine, 1/2 sliced)
Brine for 5 gallon bucket with large turkey. Approx. 2.5+ gallons of water
No Salt Brine solution
Juiced 6 Oranges/ 5 limes / 5 lemons. (approx. 4-5 cups)
2.5 Cup brown sugar
3/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
3/4 cup Soy sauce
1/2 cup apple vinegar
2 tablespoons smoked minced garlic
2 tablespoons smoked powder garlic
2 tablespoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoon jalapeño sauce.
3 tablespoons Franks
DIRECTIONS:
Thaw frozen turkey for 8 hours @ room temp. then either place in fridge to finish thawing or in bucket filled with water 1 day if cold enough outside.
Loosen skin around bird so that brine can easily reach meat.
Mix all brine ingredients tougher and heat and to a simmer. Strain 1.5 cups for injection later on. Cool both injection and brine mix in fridge.
Once brine has cooled down add to 5 gallon bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey. mix in approximately 2.5 gallons of water. Store in a refrigerator (or ice chest), and soak turkey for 2 days before smoking.
Thin slice 4 limes, 4 lemons, and 4 large oranges
Remove and drain brine from bird, and place sliced citrus between meat and skin, and stuff cavity with fruit.
Cold smoke over night in cooler winter temps or 1 hour in warmer weather, then turn up heat and smoke at 275 degrees until meat probe above 165 degrees.
For other flavors add apple juice to brine, whole cloves, ground sage, rosemary, and thyme. add apple slices to citrus.
