How to make Smoked Turkey
Poultry Brine
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Louisiana Cajun Seasoning
2 tsp Celery Seed
Poultry Injection
½ Pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Celery Seed
3 TBS melted Butter (non salted)
2 C Apple Cider
The first step is to make sure the turkey is 100% thawed. If it is frozen in any part of the turkey you will have underdone parts.
To make a juicy and tender smoked turkey it is important to brine it overnight. Mix up your brine according to the recipe above. The brine and injection recipe is a variation on the Slaughterhouse Hillbilly tips I got from this site with my own tweaks applied.
Put your thawed turkey, breast side down, in a clean 5 gallon bucket or other container that will allow you to completely immerse the turkey in the brine. I went to Lowes and bought a brand new bucket with a lid. It worked great. Pour the brine over the turkey making sure it is completely covered. If the turkey wants to float then fill a gallon sized baggy with water and put it over the turkey to hold it down. Cover the bucket and put in the refrigerator at least overnight but not more than 24 hours.
Before you start to inject your turkey get your smoker ready to go. Fill the water pan, soak your wood chips and pre-heat your smoker to 275 deg. To keep your smoker clean you can put an old pan or aluminum pan on the rack below where you will be placing your turkey to catch the drippings. It makes clean-up much easier.
After your turkey is brined you need to inject it. Mix up your injection recipe and fill your injector. Inject all areas of the turkey. Shoot it in every part of the breast, legs and thighs. You can’t get too much in there! Try to use all the injection solution. Make sure you get in-between where the thigh and the side of the turkey meet. Now rub the outside of the bird with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you want to season with something else like a poultry rub, now is the time to do it. Make sure you season, but not oil, the inside of the cavity.
Once you have your brined turkey injected and your smoker prepped it is time to smoke! Place your turkey directly on a rack and insert your temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast or where the thigh and body meet. Make sure you do not touch a bone or poke through into the cavity. Choose the spot you think will get done last. DO NOT TRY TO STUFF THE TURKEY! It will not work and will keep the turkey from absorbing the smoke from the cavity.
Once your turkey is in the smoker begin putting chips in the tray. You should only smoke for the first 3 or 4 hours. After that just let it cook. You can baste your turkey after you stop the smoke if you like. I use chicken broth mixed with butter. Cook to temp, not time. The turkey is done when the internal temp is 180 deg. My smoker will not get hot enough to crisp the skin. If you want crisp skin take the turkey out when the internal temp is about 170 deg and cook uncovered in a 350 deg oven. Take it out at 180 deg.This is optional.
After the turkey is done it needs to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to set and will make a much more juicy turkey.
ENJOY!!!!
Poultry Brine
1 ½ Gal Water
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Louisiana Cajun Seasoning
2 tsp Celery Seed
Poultry Injection
½ Pkg Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing mix
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Celery Seed
3 TBS melted Butter (non salted)
2 C Apple Cider
The first step is to make sure the turkey is 100% thawed. If it is frozen in any part of the turkey you will have underdone parts.
To make a juicy and tender smoked turkey it is important to brine it overnight. Mix up your brine according to the recipe above. The brine and injection recipe is a variation on the Slaughterhouse Hillbilly tips I got from this site with my own tweaks applied.
Put your thawed turkey, breast side down, in a clean 5 gallon bucket or other container that will allow you to completely immerse the turkey in the brine. I went to Lowes and bought a brand new bucket with a lid. It worked great. Pour the brine over the turkey making sure it is completely covered. If the turkey wants to float then fill a gallon sized baggy with water and put it over the turkey to hold it down. Cover the bucket and put in the refrigerator at least overnight but not more than 24 hours.
Before you start to inject your turkey get your smoker ready to go. Fill the water pan, soak your wood chips and pre-heat your smoker to 275 deg. To keep your smoker clean you can put an old pan or aluminum pan on the rack below where you will be placing your turkey to catch the drippings. It makes clean-up much easier.
After your turkey is brined you need to inject it. Mix up your injection recipe and fill your injector. Inject all areas of the turkey. Shoot it in every part of the breast, legs and thighs. You can’t get too much in there! Try to use all the injection solution. Make sure you get in-between where the thigh and the side of the turkey meet. Now rub the outside of the bird with olive oil, salt and pepper. If you want to season with something else like a poultry rub, now is the time to do it. Make sure you season, but not oil, the inside of the cavity.
Once you have your brined turkey injected and your smoker prepped it is time to smoke! Place your turkey directly on a rack and insert your temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast or where the thigh and body meet. Make sure you do not touch a bone or poke through into the cavity. Choose the spot you think will get done last. DO NOT TRY TO STUFF THE TURKEY! It will not work and will keep the turkey from absorbing the smoke from the cavity.
Once your turkey is in the smoker begin putting chips in the tray. You should only smoke for the first 3 or 4 hours. After that just let it cook. You can baste your turkey after you stop the smoke if you like. I use chicken broth mixed with butter. Cook to temp, not time. The turkey is done when the internal temp is 180 deg. My smoker will not get hot enough to crisp the skin. If you want crisp skin take the turkey out when the internal temp is about 170 deg and cook uncovered in a 350 deg oven. Take it out at 180 deg.This is optional.
After the turkey is done it needs to sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before carving. This allows the juices to set and will make a much more juicy turkey.
ENJOY!!!!