Post-Thanksgiving Smoked Turkey

[DivotMaker]

Finally getting the bird going!  I started off with a 14 lb Honeysuckle White "Natural."  Supposedly has no antibiotics, hormones or steroids...which is a good thing.  It did contain a "3% solution," so I chose to brine it, just with less salt in the brine.  I felt sorry for the little guy; he lost a wingtip somewhere between the farm and my kitchen, so he looks a little lopsided!

6 pm yesterday, it went for a swim in my basic poultry brine:

1 gallon cold water
1 cup Kosher salt
1 TBS granulated garlic
1 TBS onion powder
1 TBS rosemary
1 cup orange juice

I doubled the recipe, but kept just over 1 cup of kosher salt.  Since I hadn't brined anything this big before, I had to get creative.  I used a 3-gallon Ziploc bag, placed in a plastic tub for safety.  The tub was definitely a good idea, as my bag sprung a leak in the side seam about an hour in!  I ended up transferring the bird and brine straight to the tub, which was a bit of a mess.

13 hours in, I removed the turkey and rinsed it well.  It then sat on a rack in the fridge, uncovered, for the next 4 hours.  I filled the cavity with chopped onion, celery and carrots, rubbed with olive oil and McCormick's Roasting Rub. 

She's in the smoker now, with 3 oz. of cherry.  I'm running the Auber up to 275º for this one.  I normally smoke poultry at 250, but wanted to try a little higher temp.

Updates to follow!

 

[DivotMaker]

The verdict is in!  Quite possibly the best turkey I've ever smoked (according to the family).  Pulled it out when the breast hit 165, and covered in foil until the sides were done.  Although the skin pulled back, it didn't affect the juiciness of the bird.  Great flavor, and very moist!  I've found my "go to" trick to turkey!  Total time to cook - 3:45.  The Auber never got above 259 (although set to 275)...I'll have to figure that one out later!

Good turkey, and the Packs are beating New England at the half!  Life is good! 8)

 

[Paul Case Luca]

Nice. Looks great.

I am going to try this with my smoked turkey today.

PS ... Briner vs Briner Jr.  ...  The Briner is massive but for those once a year occurrences it's worth the big boy.

 

[DivotMaker]

The full-size Briner is definitely on my list.  Wish I'd have had one for this - the broken bag was almost a disaster!

 

[bigbassnutt]

Tried my first smoked turkey today. Followed most of what DivotMaker did for his. I brined overnight, let set in the fridge for a few hours then rubbed with olive oil and used McCormicks sweet and smoky rub. Stuffed it with the onions, celery and carrots. Used 2.5 ounces of cherry and set the auber to 275. Took just under 4 hours to get the breast to 165, leg area was around 185. Turned out really good, skin was just ok, took most of it off but the white and dark meat was very moist. Couple of notes on the auber, it was really cold and when I turned it on it wouldn't come off the H on the left side of the screen. Hurried in and read on here that you have to warm the probe a little before it will start in really cold weather. Just wanted to re emphasize that here in case someone else has the same problem. Just hit it with a hair dryer for a couple minutes and it came right up. Mine got up to 269 and that was near the end of the smoke, don't think it ever got all the way to 275. One of the best turkeys I have ever eaten, the texture and moisture of the meat was incredible. Flavor profile I will play with, I didn't have a good poultry rub on hand but used what I had a bunch of. Next time will experiment with maybe adding a pepper or apple slices in with the celery and onions, not sure the carrots brought a lot of flavor.

 

[DivotMaker]

Nice job, Mike!  Outstanding bird! ;D

 

[swthorpe]

Your turkey looks great, Mike! 

 

[tnlyne]

Great looking bird there!  Nice job Mike.

 

[DivotMaker]

Mike hit on a good point about the "mire poix;" I particularly like the carrot/onion/celery combo, but aromatics are a matter of preference.  You can add things like apple, lemon slices, peppers, or pretty much any kind of fruits or veggies to the mix!  Experimentation is great, and I look forward to hearing some reviews on different things in the cavity!

 

[SuperDave]

Nice. Looks great.

I am going to try this with my smoked turkey today.

PS ... Briner vs Briner Jr.  ...  The Briner is massive but for those once a year occurrences it's worth the big boy.

Where do I find those?  Is it better than an ice chest? 

 

[NDKoze]

Here is the website:
http://shop.thebriner.com/

Cabelas carries these too if you have one nearby.

I almost got a Briner Jr, but ended up just getting a couple of containers in different sizes like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Camwear-Polycarbonate-Square-Storage-container/dp/B0001MRUKA/ref=sr_1_3?s=kitchen&ie=UTF8&qid=1420660737&sr=1-3

I would say it is better than an ice chest in that it is designed and small enough to fit in the fridge and it wouldn't stink up your ice chest unless you have one dedicated to brining.

 

[coachB]

Cabela's has them on sale now at 19.99 & 29.99.  $5 flat rate shipping on $99 order or free ship to store.

 

[SuperDave]

Cabela's has them on sale now at 19.99 & 29.99.  $5 flat rate shipping on $99 order or free ship to store.

I bought the smoker on my Cabelas credit card.  That ought to have generated enough points to pay for one of those.  LOL!

 

[coachB]

I bought both sizes and some Traeger pellets for the discounted shipping. Just reading recipes and Auber instructions until the #3's come in is starting to make me crazy compulsive.  The bacon recipes are driving me up a wall in anticipation.

 

[DivotMaker]

Man, you guys are getting set up well with both size Briners!  I have the Jr., and absolutely love it.  I'm going to get the big one soon - gonna have to check out my local Cabela's!  Thanks for the tip on that!

 

[grogorat]

Good lookin' bird, Mike.

Question: Would it be foolhardy to crisp up the skin in the oven after the smoker, or will that dry out the meat?

 

[Donmac]

Good lookin' bird, Mike.

Question: Would it be foolhardy to crisp up the skin in the oven after the smoker, or will that dry out the meat?

Actually a lot of guys do just that, just preheat the oven to 500-550 and throw in the bird for maybe 5-10 minutes.

 

[grogorat]

Good lookin' bird, Mike.

Question: Would it be foolhardy to crisp up the skin in the oven after the smoker, or will that dry out the meat?

Actually a lot of guys do just that, just preheat the oven to 500-550 and throw in the bird for maybe 5-10 minutes.

Cool, thanks man

 

[TheLocNar]

Think I'll give this a go for thanksgiving this year.

One tip for the skin. If it's still not crisp, just remove it and crisp in the oven and slice it up as a side. Like turkey skin bacon.

 

[DivotMaker]

Great idea on the skin, Jeff!