Smoked Turkey Recipe
A Holiday Treat!
A great smoked turkey recipe is hard to come by, but once you
learn a few tricks you will be the envy of the holiday season.
To learn the secrets of a great smoked turkey, I am going to introduce you to
an expert on smoking meats, Jeff Phillips. His turkey
recipe will help you become an expert too.
The Basic Process
A smoked turkey recipe is best done after soaking the bird in a saltwater
solution called a brine which I will go over in detail on another
page...click the link below.
Basically the brine
, through a process called osmosis, pulls the
salt into the meat in an effort to equalize things a bit... you do
not have to understand why for now...just know that it works and
that it works well. the really cool thing is the fact that you can
add other flavor enhancers such as spices, marinades, seasonings,
fruit juices you name it and it will get pulled into the meat along
with the salt.
After the bird is removed from the brine it is washed down to remove
all traces of salt on the outside and then patted dry with a paper
towel. The meat will have a bit of a sheen and is now ready for the
application of butter which is rubbed all over the turkey especially
under the skin. Be careful to not damage or tear the skin more than
neccesary since the skin will protect the meat from drying out while
cooking and getting to much smoke.
I like to mix my favorite spicy seasonings with the butter to
give it a little louisiana flavor but that is totally optional.
Place an onion cut in half, a few cut up stalks of celery, 2-3 cut
up carrots and an apple inside the turkey and he is ready for smoking.
Note: for your smoked turkey recipe, always purchase one that is no more than
12-14 pounds. Much larger than this and the meat stays in the danger
zone for too long and that is just asking for trouble.
The Smoked Turkey
Place the turkey on the smoker breast side down with the heat regulated
to around 225° or so. Make sure you have plenty of smoke flowing around
the turkey...I like to use mesquite when smoking turkey but other woods
such as hickory work just as well.
Every hour or so I like to rebaste with some butter and turn the turkey
a little to make sure it is cooking evenly on all sides. Watch the wings
and breast and if they start to get too brown you can cover them with
some foil.
This smoked turkey recipe is done when the thickest part of the breast reads
170° and the thickest part of the thigh reads between 180°-185°. I will
usually remove the turkey about 5° to 10° sooner than this since I know
that the turkey continues to cook after it is removed from the smoker
and will raise another 7°-10° in temperature.
Wrapping Up
Allow the smoked turkey to "rest" for at least 15 minutes before carving to
allow the juices to redistribute throughout the meat.
A smoked turkey recipe should be on the list of things to do this coming
Thanksgiving and it would not hurt to practice a couple of times
before then(you definitely don't wanna practice on the friends and
relatives).
Juicy smoke flavored turkey should be on the menu this thanksgiving
and with a little practice you will have raving fans that will want
you to do one for them...heck they may even pay you to do it!
By the way... smoking turkey takes about 30 minutes per pound. using
this calculation you can estimate what time you need to start in order
for it to be done with the rest of the food.
Thanks again to Jeff Phillips of Smoking-Meat.com.
His website is filled with information on smoking all types of meats,
and different techniques. I know if you liked his smoked turkey recipe,
you'll love all his others too, so check him out!
Click here for more...
Thanksgiving recipes
or visit
our Home Page!
|
