Did up a turkey this morning!

[WILCO]

No special reason other than I just wanted some yummy turkey meat and trimmings! [smilie=w:

[Lloyd Smale]

I did one brined overnight in canning salt and brown sugar and then smoked last month and it was hands down the best turkey i ever ate. I would never again cook a turkey even in the oven without brineing it overnight.

[gwpercle]

Lloyd ,

Give us some directions on brining....I want to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving and if brining makes it the best you ever ate then I want to give it a try.
I've heard of it but never tried doing one and don't know where to start.

Just about every year I do a cajun deep fried turkey but I want to do a smoked one for a change. Might even do one of each and then have a taste test. For the fried turkey I inject the bird with a seasoned butter marinade so it gets into all the parts. With brining I assume you do not inject anything into it right ?

Thanks...gary

[Moonie]

The basic brine I use for pork, chicken or turkey is as follows:

1 gallon water
1/3 cup kosher salt
1/3 sugar

You can make additions if you wish, you can add molasses (or substitute brown sugar which is 1-2tbs molasses to the cup of sugar, 1 for light, 2 for dark). I have added spices including rosmary, thyme, oregano and basil. I've also added soy sauce.

Obviously you may need to adjust the recipe if you have a large turkey.

Be careful brining small pieces of poultry for too long as the meat can get mushy.

I'm planning to smoke a turkey for thanksgiving, but instead of smoking till done I'll smoke it until it gets to about 140F, then cook the rest of the way in the oven as smoked turkey doesn't have nice crispy skin, it can be rather less than appealing.

I have heard that smoking to 1/2 done then deep frying makes for an amazing turkey however the wife is in the insurance industry and would rather me not heat that much oil and drop a large bird into it, silly woman lol.

[Lloyd Smale]

what i use is a 5 gallon pail about half full of water and add a cup of kosher salt, a cup of brown sugar and two tablespoons of crushed garlic. Let it sit overnight in a cool place. Rinse and pat dry before you put it in the smoker or oven. Smoke a turkey at at least 200 degrees. You dont want to slow smoke a turkey do to the bacteria they may contain. Id bet finishing one off in a deep fryer would really be good. I did mine totaly in the smoker. It may not have had real crisp skin but the skin was about the most beautiful brown colar you could ask for and was about the nicest looking turkey ive ever put on a table and the skin was still very tasty and not what id call mushy either. Brining works well even if you dont have a smoker and do your turkey totaly in the oven.

[gwpercle]

Lloyd,

That sounds easy enough....easier than injecting a turkey with a big injector needle syringe thing , which is kind of messy and a pain to do. This way
the brine and bucket do all the work . Gonna give it a try.

Thanks ....gary

[Lloyd Smale]

make sure you do it in a cool place. You dont want the temp to be over about 40 degrees or bacterial can grow. Best thing is an old refridgerator but this time of year God takes care of that up here.

[Moonie]

Yes, I did forget to mention, be sure that when you are brining you keep the meat at a refrigerated temperature, under 40F for sure.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

Most of the turkeys we get around here are prebrined. I have always cooked them on a charcoal grill with great results (fried is good, but just doesn't have the flavor). I should try smoking one of them.

[skeettx]

Deep Fried Turkey
Peanut Oil
YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.hunt101.com/data/500/medium/DSCN01502.JPG

[SlippShodd]

Shoot, thanks for reminding me. I gotta go get the turkey breast out of the freezer and into the fridge.

mike

[HiVelocity]

Most of the turkeys we get around here are prebrined. I have always cooked them on a charcoal grill with great results (fried is good, but just doesn't have the flavor). I should try smoking one of them.

Ohhhh, its getting that time again. My good friend, Johnny Chavis, GOD rest his soul, used to barbeque a full turkey for me on his homemade pit every Thanksgiving while he slow pit cooked his ribs and pork BBQ. I remember the first time he did it, more as a joke than anything. We split the turkey and laid it open cavity down on the grill. Johnny shoveled hot (oak wood) coals from a burn barrel under the covered pit for 2-3 hours. The meat tasted so good I didn't want to share. Thanksgiving holds a special place in my heart when I smell pit cooked food on the grill.

Happy Thanksgiving all!HV

[Boondocker]

My wife is brining one now in kosher salt water and half gallon of cider something new to us. If it tastes good im am going to smoke a chicken with it.




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[Jim Flinchbaugh]

years ago I smoked my first turkey and while it was great, the smoky gravy was UNBELIEVABLE!