Butterball brine

[DivotMaker]

Awesome!  The brine with the brown sugar & ginger (and I used fresh garlic cloves instead of powder) smells absolutely incredible!  After tomorrow, I may have to modify the recipe, thanks to you!

[Nimrod]

Glenn I hope your bird cooked as planned and the crowd was happy.

Just to follow my previous comment, I could not detect even a slight hint of excess salt after brining the 8% solution injected Butterball.  I dont have a long track record smoking turkey but think Kari's comments are right on target.  After this experience, I would not hesitate to brine a factory solution added bird and would in fact 'recommend' it.

Probably gets said so much folks just discount it a little but DANG that smoked bird tastes good!  Just made leftovers sandwich and the meat has a flavor thats part smoke (but not smoky) and part seasoning (but I really used nothing special) and the result is terrific.

[LarryD]

I'm actually cooking 3 turkeys - one roasted, one fried, and one smoked. 

...

I'm anxious to see which turkey gets devoured first.  Typically, the fried turkey is picked to the bone and the roasted turkey has some left overs, but this is the first time a smoked bird has entered the competition. 

So... which turkey won? 

[GSDC]

I'm sorry its taken so long to post, but we had company from Thanksgiving through the weekend, so I didn't have much time to get on the computer.  Hectic.

Well, here's what happened:  I brined the turkey for about 13 hours in Tony's poultry brine but with salt cut to 3/4 cup.  I rinsed the brine and stuffed with a mire poix made of granny smith apple, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, olive oil, black pepper and, poultry seasoning.  I applied a store-bought poultry rub I found (can't remember the name).  I smoked the bird at 250 with 3 oz of pecan wood.  As my smoker tends to cook "long", I anticipated a 7-8 hour cook.  Well, Murphy's law once again kicked in and the bird cooked in record time (for my smoker) and was at 165 in 5 hours, just as Tony had predicted (I'll never doubt you again!).  Ugh.  Because I wasn't sure how long a bird would hold wrapped in foil and towels in a cooler like solid meats (butts, briskets, etc) do, I elected to "hold" the bird in the smoker until 30 minutes before dinner.  As a result, the bird held between 163-165 (one time in reached 167 for a few minutes) for almost 3 hours in the smoker.  Afterwards, I took it out, tented under foil and let rest for about 30 minutes before carving.

Result:  The turkey was delicious; I loved its flavor.  However, I believe the long hold time in the smoker dried the breast meat, as it wasn't nearly as juicy as I'd hoped, especially after brining.  Of the 3 turkeys, I believe the smoked turkey won the competition, but because I dried the breast out by way-overestimating the cook time, the fried turkey was a close second.  Interestingly, this was my first experience using an oil-less turkey fryer, as I've always deep fried them in peanut oil before this Thanksgiving.  I thought it turned out great - very close to the taste of really frying it.  Will likely not ever deep fry again. 

The next time I smoke a turkey, I'll trust in the 5-hour cook time for a brined 14 pound bird.  Also, if I do need to hold for an hour or more, I'll double wrap in foil and stick it in the cooler with towels rather than holding it in the unit.  I'd bet that it retains its moisture much more in the cooler. 

Thank you so much to everyone who offered their advice!  I hope you all had great Thanksgivings.

[LarryD]

I'm sorry its taken so long to post, but we had company from Thanksgiving through the weekend, so I didn't have much time to get on the computer.  Hectic.

No problem... I've been dying to know, but also figured you've been crazy busy so waited until now to ask. 

The next time I smoke a turkey, I'll trust in the 5-hour cook time for a brined 14 pound bird.  Also, if I do need to hold for an hour or more, I'll double wrap in foil and stick it in the cooler with towels rather than holding it in the unit.  I'd bet that it retains its moisture much more in the cooler. 

Mine also got done sooner than expected... right before I was supposed to run on an errand, of course.    I wrapped mine really well in foil and then wrapped in a towel, and put it in my cooler.  It was still quite hot an hour later.  It was just crazy juicy...  it's the first turkey I've ever smoked and probably the best turkey I've ever eaten.

Thank you for sharing your experience with us!

[SconnieQ]

Not familiar with the "oil-less" turkey fryer, but you have peaked my interest. The mass amounts of oil required for turkey frying, in addition to the overall danger factor, have prevented me from every considering this method. Any further info on your oil-less experience? What you use to do it?

[GSDC]

Larry,

I'm a little burnt-out on eating Turkey right now after doing so for the past 4 days, but I'm actually anxious to try it again without all the  pressure of having it done at a particular time, etc. so that I can taste it juicy and all.  I think my big mistake was holding it in the unit rather than doing what you did and wrapping it and resting it in the cooler.  Next time!

Sconnie,

I was skeptical about the oil-less "fryer" until I tried it myself last Thursday.  My wife actually bought it for me last Christmas and this was the first time I used it.  It is a Char-Broil "Big Easy" unit.  It connects to your propane tank and cooks ("fries") via infrared.  I prepared the turkey the same as I've done over the past 15+ years I have deep fried them just so I could give an "apples-to-apples" taste test.  Once the turkey is thawed, I apply some oil to the outside to work as a binder and then cover with a home-made rub.  I let it rest in the fridge for a few hours to let the rub do its magic, then its into the fryer. I've injected birds in the past but haven't for the last several years.  I've never brined a bird before my smoking experience this year. 

To cook the turkey, you simply stand the bird leg-side-down in a wire basket and lower into the cooking chamber.  The turkey cooks at 8-10 minutes/pound, so check it with a meat thermometer at 8 min/pound to see how close it is to 165.  The last 15 minutes, a wire screen is placed overtop the chamber to brown the top of the bird. 

The result was amazing: just about as crispy (but not quite) as my truly deep-fried birds of the past with the same juiciness and flavor.  And the best....no messy oil to clean up afterwards.  The unit is cool in 15 minutes, cleaned easily, and put away with no fuss or muss. I'll likely never deep fry another.   The cost of the unit isn't too hateful either.  I think Lowes Home Improvement store sells them for around $80.  I'll save that in peanut oil in 2 years of use!

[DivotMaker]

Hey Glenn, great to hear the bird worked out!  Don't be afraid to double-wrap in foil, and hold in the cooler (covered in towels), just like a pork butt.  It will hold for several hours just fine! 

I have a Big Easy, and they are great.  I hardly use mine now, though, as I prefer what I get out of the SI.  The BE turkeys are really good, you just don't get the smoke, and you really can't get the whole "mire poix experience" that you get more low and slow.  To me, that is a big part of the flavor profile, so rushing it in the BE just isn't the same.  Great for a quick roasted chicken, though!

[GSDC]

Yeah, Tony, I prefer the SI to the Big Easy any day.  But, when I've got a crowd expecting some fried turkey, the Big Easy will be my go-to unit rather than the traditional peanut oil fryer I've used for years. 

Question: do you think that perhaps brining the turkey shortened the cook time somehow?  My wife and I were both amazed that the bird cooked so quickly this time.  I don't usually brine my chickens and butts, so maybe that's why they take so long to cook.

[DivotMaker]

Gotcha, Glenn! 

Brining does reduce cook time, by as much as 30%.  Not sure of the physics behind this, but it does.  Try brining butts and a brisket some time; you'll be glad you did!

[Papa Rick]

WOW did not know this Tony about the brining shortening the cook time.  I am glad I saw this as I always figured my #2 was running hotter than the dial was showing.  But I do brine everything now and it does seem to cook faster than the normal time.

Thanks Tony.