Might be the best turkey I’ve ever made. Sweet, smokey, juicy. Not sure if it’s the brine or the smoke or the heat. Probably all of the above, but it’s delicious.
TURKEY
- 14-16 pound turkey
- 4 chunks hickory wood
- 2 chunks apple wood
- 1 apple, quartered
- 1/2 yellow onion,
- 1 celery stalk
- 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 4 cups chicken stock or white wine
BRINE – (24-48 hours ahead of time)
- 2 quarts unsweetened apple juice
- 1 pound light brown sugar (2 cups packed)
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 3 quarts water
- 3 oranges, quartered
- 4 ounces fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 15 whole cloves
- 6 bay leaves
- 6 large garlic cloves, crushed
Brine Prep:
- In a saucepan over high heat, combine the juice, sugar, and salt and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Cook for 1 minute, remove from the heat, and skim off the foam. Let cool to room temperature.
- Put water, brining spices, turkey and cooled brine in brining bag. Refrigerate for 24-48 hours
Cooking Day:
- Turkey will take about 12 minutes per pound (3 hours for a 15 pound turkey)
- Bring smoker to 300 degrees.
- Add wood chunks, indirect heat plate setter and grate about an hour before you need to start cooking.
- While waiting for smoker to return to temp, wash brine off turkey. Pat dry, stuff with apple, onion, celery and rosemary. Tress and set in roasting pan. Brush turkey with olive oil for crispy skin.
- Pour 2 cups of chicken stock/wine into roasting pan.
- Put turkey in smoker.
- Check the temp of the smoker every 30 min. Add more broth/wine about 2 hours.
- Remove tukey when breast reaches 165 degrees.
- Tent aluminum foil over turkey and rest for 30 min before carving.
Grossman Cooking 