Del DeVries : Smoking A Turkey

Thanksgiving 2009 was my first attempt at smoking a turkey. The result was outstanding!

I had to make some modifications to my converted Charbroil Gas (started as Electric) Water Smoker. Over the past 5 years I burned out 2 heating elements and one rheostat power cord before converting to a natural gas burner from Gas Smoker - Afterburner. It can crank out some heat and is very adjustable, but I've had some problems with flame out (hopefully - I can resolve that with some adjustment to either the venturi or the air holes). _2009-11-27

Some details of my methods

Brining:

Slaughterhouse Poultry Brine By Tip Piper of Hillbilly Vittles

1 ½ Gal Water (modified with 6 cans vegetable stock)
½ C Salt - Kosher
½ C Dark Brown Sugar
2 tsp Garlic Powder
2 tsp Onion Powder
2 tsp Cajun Spice (modified with Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Seasoning)
2 tsp Celery Seed
Replacements/Changes/Instructions: I used 6 cans of vegetable stock plus enough water to cover the turkey in an Igloo cooler. Cajun Spice used was Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Seasoning. It was kept cold overnight on the back porch (44 degrees) with a 2 gal ziplock full of ice on top of everything in the cooler. Brined for about 10 hours. Could be longer!

Dressing the bird

stuffed the cavity with 1 white onion, celery, carrots, and 4 cloves of garlic (aromatics - tossed before serving). Rubbed olive oil on the skin and used Tony Chachere's Famous Creole Seasoning liberally on the outside.

Spritz during smoking

Spritz for the bird during smoking (about every 30 minutes), based on Slaughterhouse Spritz Turkey Apple Spritz

5 oz Apple Cider
2 oz Cider Vinegar

Smoking temp

about 300 to 350 degrees for about 4.5 hours. Most of the time was at the high end of the range, but there were a couple of times I let the heat ride between 250 and 300.

Other ideas for the future!

Another Poultry Brine

1 gallon apple juice
2 cups dark brown sugar
2 cups kosher salt
1 apple sliced up ( 6 or 7 pieces)
1 orange sliced (6 or 7 pieces)
10 cloves of garlic (smashed)
3 bay leaves

Turkey Tuneup - pictures of brining and the finished bird!

Alton Brown Good Eats Roast Turkey - looking at the brine recipe and aromatics.

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