android
Well-Known Member
seriously, do yourself a favor and brine that bad boy. it's not just for smoking, it's the foolproof way to a delectable bird.
Thanksgiving smoke thread
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seriously, do yourself a favor and brine that bad boy. it's not just for smoking, it's the foolproof way to a delectable bird.
Here is one that I found original.
What better way to brine a turkey than in cranberry? This turkey brine is perfect for a traditional turkey dinner. The slight acid of this brine really helps carry flavor into the meat.
Prep Time: 13 minutes
Total Time: 13 minutes
Ingredients:
2 quarts cranberry juice
1 quart water
1 cup salt (1 1/2 cups Kosher or coarse salt)
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup orange juice
12 cloves garlic, unpeeled and lightly smashed
4 springs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
6-8 bay leaves
Preparation:
Combine ingredients and place in a large pot. Add turkey to pot, making sure that brine covers turkey. If not, add more water to mixture. Brine for 1 hour per pound.
Thoroughly rinse all the brine from the turkey, inside and out, before cooking. Otherwise there will be a salty flavor to the turkey
I cut up a turkey and did the thighs and breast this way last year, as well as a duck. Used cherry wood and they were unbelievable!!!
I find that just doing a basic brine is MUCH better than none at all. So, dont let the complicated ones stress you out. I've done spiced apple brines on turkey and chicken, and while they are great, if you dont have all the ingredients or time, just do a basic one.
This is the basic process I use on my WSM:
Whole Turkey - Basic Brine - The Virtual Weber Bullet
There is a ton of info on their forums too.
This is the basic process I use on my WSM:
Whole Turkey - Basic Brine - The Virtual Weber Bullet
There is a ton of info on their forums too.
I hear ya, and I usually do brine them....so I will probably end up brining this one too.
If you're going to brine a bird, you need to buy one that is labeled "minimally processed". It'll be a fine print label somewhere on the outer plastic wrapper. That means that no "flavor enhancer" has been added already. If you have a bird that is minimally processed, it may not be very juicy if you don't brine it.
The fine print on the turkeys that do not say "minimally processed" nearly always state that they have been injected with a flavor enhancing solution, usually in the range of 6 to 11 percent of the total weight. The flavor enhancer is a brine solution.
So you either buy a turkey that is already brined (has a flavor enhancing solution added) and just season it and cook it. Or you buy one that is minimally processed and brine it yourself.
The fine print on the turkeys that do not say "minimally processed" nearly always state that they have been injected with a flavor enhancing solution, usually in the range of 6 to 11 percent of the total weight. The flavor enhancer is a brine solution.
So you either buy a turkey that is already brined (has a flavor enhancing solution added) and just season it and cook it. Or you buy one that is minimally processed and brine it yourself.
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toolboxdiver
Well-Known Member
here is my turkey it turned out great making soup now with carcus the smoke flavor makes the best soup, first pic is after 1 hour and second one is just about done. :rockin:
Looks good, toolboxdiver. I always roast the carcass in the oven to brown the bones a bit, then make stock from it. I freeze it, then use it when I make gumbo or soup. You're right, it's great for soup.
Have you ever tried covering the breast skin after it takes on a good golden color to stop further browning? I've done that with good results. The bird still has plenty of smoke flavor. I haven't noticed any diminution.
Have you ever tried covering the breast skin after it takes on a good golden color to stop further browning? I've done that with good results. The bird still has plenty of smoke flavor. I haven't noticed any diminution.
dataz722
Well-Known Member
Unless you pay out the ass for a "fresh" one around here there is no way you are finding one that hasn't been injected. I have never had a problem with brining though as long as you find one that has 8% or less solution. I just reduce the salt a little and never had any issues.
toolboxdriver, did you use the pan drippings below for gravy? I've been contemplating doing this, just don't want to block the smoke. Either that, or its store bought.
Data, Wegmans has "minimally processed" birds for 1.29 a lb, or something close to that. I bought 2 12lber's on sunday.
Now, this will be the first time I've brined anything. Any tips? I picked up 2 gallon freezer bags for these 12 lbers. Big enough? Haven't actually checked that part out. Also, not sure I have room to store these guys in the fridge once they are in the brine. Does that matter? Lastly, the recipe I'm using says 8lbs of ice. am I putting this in once I'm done with my boil, or is this once the solution has cooled, in order to keep the birds cool for 24 hrs.
Data, Wegmans has "minimally processed" birds for 1.29 a lb, or something close to that. I bought 2 12lber's on sunday.
Now, this will be the first time I've brined anything. Any tips? I picked up 2 gallon freezer bags for these 12 lbers. Big enough? Haven't actually checked that part out. Also, not sure I have room to store these guys in the fridge once they are in the brine. Does that matter? Lastly, the recipe I'm using says 8lbs of ice. am I putting this in once I'm done with my boil, or is this once the solution has cooled, in order to keep the birds cool for 24 hrs.
Smashing
Well-Known Member
Too bad there's no Wegmans in Delaware.
Last year I smoked a turkey for about 2-2.5 hours then threw it in the fryer for 15 mins or so to crisp the skin and bring it to temp. It kept the smoke flavor nicely and gave us some awesome skin.
Around here in Dallas, Costco and Sam's Club all sell inexpensive, 99 cents a pound, minimally processed turkes, sometimes fresh, sometimes frozen. Costco also sells some fairly expensive organic birds that are minimally processed. Then the high end grocers like Whole Foods will have the locally sourced organic birds, fresh, minimally processed, with $75 price tags on a 14 pound bird.
I just buy the Butterball brand fresh and minimally processed .99 cent a pound birds from Costco. I got several this week and froze 'em so I can cook turkey all year. It's a little harder to find the minimally processed birds for a decent price except between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
It's good to hear you can brine the pre-injected ones anyway and just use less salt. I have not tried it because all the information I've read and heard about brining says to use a minimally processed bird.
Are you sure you don't have minimally processed birds up there? Down here, even Kroger and Tom Thumb (Safeway) will carry them from time to time.
yeah, but i believe he's closer to wilmington. Can hit up the Cherry Hill store. Not that far of a drive, plus gives you an excuse to hit one of the many good beer bars in philly!
dataz722
Well-Known Member
That bag won't be big enough, not even close. Use a cooler or 5 gallon bucket. Kept in a cool place with enough ice in it, it will stay cold long enough.
Yup, we don't have any of the nicer grocery stores. Best we have is SuperG.
Possibly some of the organic free range ones are but I refuse to pay that much for a Turkey so I haven't looked.
No way in hell I am going all the way to cherry hill just for a turkey. It might not be too far distance wise but that drive takes a while.
And I try to avoid philly at all costs.
I brine birds up to 14 pound in a 12 quart enamaled stock pot. Takes 2 gallons of brine, and the pot is short and wide enough to fit on my bottom refrigerator shelf without having to remove or relocate the shelf above it.
If you use an enamaled pot, make sure there are no chips on the inside exposing the base metal. The brine solution will react with it. SS or plastic are really the best choices for brining.
A five gallon food-safe bucket is really good for brining because it is narrow and therefore reduces the amount of brine you need. You might have to cut it down to fit in your fridge or temporarily move a shelf.
If you use an enamaled pot, make sure there are no chips on the inside exposing the base metal. The brine solution will react with it. SS or plastic are really the best choices for brining.
A five gallon food-safe bucket is really good for brining because it is narrow and therefore reduces the amount of brine you need. You might have to cut it down to fit in your fridge or temporarily move a shelf.
No way in hell I am going all the way to cherry hill just for a turkey. It might not be too far distance wise but that drive takes a while.
And I try to avoid philly at all costs.
wuss
so any downside to using a 6 gal brew pail? Shoudn't screw the plastic up by having that salty of a solution in it, right?
wuss
so any downside to using a 6 gal brew pail? Shoudn't screw the plastic up by having that salty of a solution in it, right?
For me, I like keeping those things seperate. I bought 5 gal pail from home depot for I think $5 to do all my brining in.
dataz722
Well-Known Member
wuss
so any downside to using a 6 gal brew pail? Shoudn't screw the plastic up by having that salty of a solution in it, right?
I wouldn't do it. Just got to lowes and get a bucket for $3. Technically it isn't offically food save but I am not too worried about it.
A 5 gallon pickle bucket is food safe. You should be able to source a free one from a local deli or restaurant that serves pickles. Like a sandwich shop. It'll smell like pickles, but that won't matter for brining. I wouldn't use it as a fermenter.
I used to live in the Buffalo area, and then moved to NH....really missing Wegmans up here!
I am paying about $2.40/lb for a fresh bird. Last year, I paid almost $4/lb for a fresh, organic, locally farm raised bird....it was good....but not really worth it if you ask me.
I am paying about $2.40/lb for a fresh bird. Last year, I paid almost $4/lb for a fresh, organic, locally farm raised bird....it was good....but not really worth it if you ask me.
toolboxdiver
Well-Known Member
I used some of the pan drippings for gravy, and my pan was well below the bird under the grate.
I use a Porcillin coated pot for brining and put it in a cooler surrounded by ice the length of time for the brine is up to you I do it for 24 to 36 hours then rinse well dry off and then coat it with extra virgin olive oil and some bells poultry seasoning inside and out
My wife got two free 21 pound birds from Shoprite this year. While she meant well, I didn't have the heart to tell her she should have gone for the smaller ones. These babies are destined for the smoker because we're not even hosting dinner this year. My problem is that I read that they are going to take at least 12 hours on the smoker and that's a long freakin day of feeding the firebox.
Should I pop the wings/legs off after the 6 hour mark to let more heat get to the breasts, etc?
This seems pretty daunting being my first poultry on the smoker.
Should I pop the wings/legs off after the 6 hour mark to let more heat get to the breasts, etc?
This seems pretty daunting being my first poultry on the smoker.
I smoked some cheese the other day for the first time, so now Im going to smoke some for a cheese platter. It went pretty good, I threw wood chips in a steel box, left it on the pot burner of the grill for about 5-10 minutes and then threw it in the grill with the cheese and put the cover over the grill. My wood kept going out so I had to redo that a lot to keep the smoke going but the end product was delicious. I plan on using hickory for one batch and alder for another.
dataz722
Well-Known Member
I would probably butcher it down into it's 8 pieces and cook them seperated. That will make it cook quicker and help with timing.
Cromwell
Well-Known Member
I'm roasting a turkey on the barbie this year, but not smoking it.
My kids like "traditional" food for Thanksgiving, so they don't want smoked.
But I've roasted chickens on the bbq before and they're better than any other way I cook them, so I did a turkey last weekend and it turned out great.
Perfectly browned all over, leg and thigh meat perfectly done, and breast meat incredibly juicy and not overdone.
The key is to let it warm up for an hour or more, with an icepack sitting on the breast.
Then cook it high (mine was at 400) and unstuffed on a stand-up roaster.
Highly recommended.
My kids like "traditional" food for Thanksgiving, so they don't want smoked.
But I've roasted chickens on the bbq before and they're better than any other way I cook them, so I did a turkey last weekend and it turned out great.
Perfectly browned all over, leg and thigh meat perfectly done, and breast meat incredibly juicy and not overdone.
The key is to let it warm up for an hour or more, with an icepack sitting on the breast.
Then cook it high (mine was at 400) and unstuffed on a stand-up roaster.
Highly recommended.
A few of my tips for smoking/brining the bird:
For brining I use 10 gallon Ziplock bags from Walmart-4 of them cost $5. I can put 3 of them in an ice chest with plenty of ice to keep them cold for the 12-15 hours they are in there.
I use about 3 bottles of Guinness per bird in my brine.
Smoke the bird breast side down.
For a really moister bird put it in a paper bag or oven bag for the last 3 or 4 hours. It will have plenty of smoke flavor by then.
If you really want to eat the skin, bake the turkey in the oven.
We're eating with our neighbors this year so they'll cook one in the oven, I'll smoke one and fry one. I'm also smoking one for the shop welder who built my smoker/grill last year.
For brining I use 10 gallon Ziplock bags from Walmart-4 of them cost $5. I can put 3 of them in an ice chest with plenty of ice to keep them cold for the 12-15 hours they are in there.
I use about 3 bottles of Guinness per bird in my brine.
Smoke the bird breast side down.
For a really moister bird put it in a paper bag or oven bag for the last 3 or 4 hours. It will have plenty of smoke flavor by then.
If you really want to eat the skin, bake the turkey in the oven.
We're eating with our neighbors this year so they'll cook one in the oven, I'll smoke one and fry one. I'm also smoking one for the shop welder who built my smoker/grill last year.
I've never smoked a bird that big. I go for 12 to 15 pound birds for smoking, with 13 or 14 pounds being my favorite. That said, the biggest problem is usually overcooking the breast by the time the legs and thighs are done. Cromwell's advice to let the bird warm to room temp (at least a couple of hours) with a bag of ice on the breast to keep it colder does help a little. Also, wrapping the breast in foil after it takes on the color and level of crispness you want may help slow down the cooking.
That's all I do for smoking turkeys, but as I said, I've never smoked one that large before.
nate456789
Well-Known Member
I have 2 15ib birds that I will be smoking @ 325.
I want to make sure I time this right, am I right in thinking they will be ready in 3 to 4 hrs?
Thanks
I want to make sure I time this right, am I right in thinking they will be ready in 3 to 4 hrs?
Thanks
At 325 it would probably be 3 to 4 hours, yes. But don't go by time. Use a thermometer.
Stick a remote digital thermometer probe into the breast starting from the neck opening so the tip rests in the middle of one side of the breast. Cover the breast with foil after it has achieved the color and texture you want. Then remove the bird when the breast registers 155F. By that time, the thighs should be around 165 degrees. Carryover heat should take it to 165 in the breast, 175 in the thigh.
The old advice from the FDA to cook turkey until it registers 180 in the thigh is a sure fire way to ruin a bird. It'll be dry and tough and overcooked.
Alton Brown used to say to pull the bird when the internal temp in the breast gets to 161 degrees. More recently, he has revised that to 151 degrees. I go with 155 in the breast, and my turkeys are always cooked.
Stick a remote digital thermometer probe into the breast starting from the neck opening so the tip rests in the middle of one side of the breast. Cover the breast with foil after it has achieved the color and texture you want. Then remove the bird when the breast registers 155F. By that time, the thighs should be around 165 degrees. Carryover heat should take it to 165 in the breast, 175 in the thigh.
The old advice from the FDA to cook turkey until it registers 180 in the thigh is a sure fire way to ruin a bird. It'll be dry and tough and overcooked.
Alton Brown used to say to pull the bird when the internal temp in the breast gets to 161 degrees. More recently, he has revised that to 151 degrees. I go with 155 in the breast, and my turkeys are always cooked.
