There’s no turkey like smoked turkey
At Lumbermen’s, there is no such thing as grilling season. Outdoor cooking is a year-round event! And let me tell you, you haven’t had turkey until you’ve tried a smoked turkey. Our friends over at Kamado Joe have a great website with lots of delicious recipes on it, and this one for smoked turkey is next on our list to try. Chili peppers, oranges, fresh cranberries and cinnamon … how can you go wrong?
Ingredients
Brine and turkey ingredients
1 turkey
4 quarts of water
2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup real maple syrup
1 1/2 cups coarse kosher salt
6 large bay leaves
16 dried red chili peppers (this does not add a significant amount of heat)
12 medium oranges (the juicier the oranges the better)
12- ounce bag of fresh cranberries
2 tbsp. cinnamon
Gravy ingredients
Flour
Salt and black pepper
Instructions
Preparing the brine
In a large pot, mix the water, sugar, syrup and salt over high heat until the salt and sugar dissolve. Stir occasionally. Cut 6 oranges (leaving the peels on) into quarters, and squeeze into the brine mix. Coarsely chop half of the cranberries and add to brine. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. Turn off heat and cover. Allow brine mix to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate, covered, overnight.
Tip: Do not place the turkey in the room temperature-brine, as it can create an environment for bacteria to grow.
Brine instructions (One to three days; three days for optimal taste)
Place the brine mix in a clean food-grade plastic bucket (a five-gallon bucket works best). Remove the giblets and neck piece from the turkey cavity. Wash the turkey and place it in the brine mix. Add enough water to cover the top of the turkey if necessary. Place a dinner plate on top of the turkey to keep it submerged. Cover the top of the bucket with a large plastic kitchen garbage bag. Place in refrigerator. Remove turkey from mix once a day and rotate it 180degrees. Replace dinner plate and bag and return to refrigerator.
Roasting instructions (250degrees at 15 minutes per pound)
Remove turkey from brine; rinse and pat dry with a paper towel (see "Crispy skin for a brined turkey” above). Place a bag of ice on top of the turkey for 30 minutes prior to roasting to chill the breast meat. Light the grill and wait 15 minutes, then insert the heat deflector with the plate in the bottom position. Place a drip pan directly on the plate and fill halfway with water. Place the cooking grate on top of the heat deflector frame. Coarsely chop the remainder of the cranberries and quarter the remaining oranges. Stuff the turkey cavity with the cranberries and oranges (do not squeeze oranges). Baste the outside of the turkey with melted butter and place it on the cooking grate. Add water as needed to the drip pan to keep drippings from burning.
Tip: Using two to three thin wood slats between the heat deflector plate and the drip pan greatly reduces the tendency for the drippings to burn by allowing air to flow under the pan.
Notes: Allow most of the water in the drip pan to evaporate just prior to taking the turkey off the grill. Remove the turkey when done and allow it to sit 20 minutes prior to carving. The giblets and neck take approximately one hour to cook, so add them to the grill at the appropriate time if being served or if being used to make giblet gravy.
Tip: Roast the turkey breast down for even juicier breast meat. The natural oils and juices from the dark meat will migrate down into the white meat.
"Smoked" gravy instructions
Place the drippings in a large saucepan (Optional: pull meat from neck and chop giblets into very small pieces and add to the drippings). Cook over medium heat, and slowly add 1/4 cup flour. Use a fork or whisk to blend the flour into the drippings. After all the flour has been blended, add water to achieve desired thickness. Use salt and black pepper to taste.
Turkey stock instructions
Set the carcass and leg bones aside. Bring four quarts of water to a boil, and add the carcass and bones to the water. Cover and simmer for one hour. Allow to cool; remove carcass and bones. Place the liquid stock in storage containers and refrigerate. After it’s cold, skim off fat and freeze the stock for later use.
