R
Rover >~<>
Guest
Hello all, Here is my tutorial for smoking a whole turkey on a UDS. Im sure that it's not perfect so feel free to alter it as you like. I hope this helps a lot of people here on the forum. It turned out delicious and moist with a great smokey flavor :thumb: I look forward to eating turkey and swiss sandwiches all week. Enjoy>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
BRINE:
2 gallons of water
1 & 1/4 cup salt
1 & 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 orange cut into wedges and make a slit across the sides
add garlic and bay leaves to desired amount
Put in a food grade container
(look underneath container to see the number associated with the plastic used and look online to see if it is safe)
disolve in warm water, let cool in fridge, add 2 trays of ice to get to safe temperature
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TURKEY: (12-14 lb. natural bird -meaning no solution injections)
Thaw as appropriate or use fresh turkey.
Take out of package, remove fat or excess skin around cavities, remove leg restraint and take out giblets. (save scraps and giblets)
Rinse thoroughly in and out and pat dry, place in brine for 24 hours adding ice every once in a while to keep temp below 40 degrees.
Now you can use giblets to make stock..<see stock paragraph below>
Remove from brine and rinse and pat dry again. Place on baking sheet and set in fridge to dry for 12 hours.
Coat turkey with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with pepper salt rosemary and garlic. Seperate skin gently from above breast and season also.
Stuff cavity with quartered onion, wedges of apple, orange, lemon, make slits in the wedges and put some fresh sage and thyme on top. (hit the sage and thyme with the back of your knife to break open and release aromas).
Tie legs together.
Smoke at 325 degrees over charcoal basket half full of layers of charcoal and apple wood untill breast is 165 degrees. Make sure you have a drip pan of some sort to catch drippings used for gravy. Cover turkey with foil when it gets dark.
Remove and dump juices from cavity into drip pan, rest covered in foil for thirty minutes.
Slice parallel to the neck bone and use knife to seperate legs/wings at joints.
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Stock & Gravy:
Place giblets and excess scraps except for liver in pot with 6 cups water, sage, thyme, rosemary, quartered onion, sliced carrot.
Bring to boil, then simmer 2 hours covered, drain liquid and store in fridge.
For the gravy add 4 tbs of skimmed fat from top of drip pan and a stick of butter to big pan over med-high heat, whisk continuously, once melted and darkened add 1/2 cup flour and keep whisking, add 4 cups of your stock and add drippings (skim off fat and discard first).
Salt and pepper and add 1 Tbs of worcestershire. whisk for 5 min. Store in fridge. Add stock to thin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I appreciate any comments and once again hope some people get a lot of help from this.
BRINE:
2 gallons of water
1 & 1/4 cup salt
1 & 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 orange cut into wedges and make a slit across the sides
add garlic and bay leaves to desired amount
Put in a food grade container
(look underneath container to see the number associated with the plastic used and look online to see if it is safe)
disolve in warm water, let cool in fridge, add 2 trays of ice to get to safe temperature
----------------------------------------------------------------------
TURKEY: (12-14 lb. natural bird -meaning no solution injections)
Thaw as appropriate or use fresh turkey.
Take out of package, remove fat or excess skin around cavities, remove leg restraint and take out giblets. (save scraps and giblets)
Rinse thoroughly in and out and pat dry, place in brine for 24 hours adding ice every once in a while to keep temp below 40 degrees.
Now you can use giblets to make stock..<see stock paragraph below>
Remove from brine and rinse and pat dry again. Place on baking sheet and set in fridge to dry for 12 hours.
Coat turkey with olive oil, sprinkle lightly with pepper salt rosemary and garlic. Seperate skin gently from above breast and season also.
Stuff cavity with quartered onion, wedges of apple, orange, lemon, make slits in the wedges and put some fresh sage and thyme on top. (hit the sage and thyme with the back of your knife to break open and release aromas).
Tie legs together.
Smoke at 325 degrees over charcoal basket half full of layers of charcoal and apple wood untill breast is 165 degrees. Make sure you have a drip pan of some sort to catch drippings used for gravy. Cover turkey with foil when it gets dark.
Remove and dump juices from cavity into drip pan, rest covered in foil for thirty minutes.
Slice parallel to the neck bone and use knife to seperate legs/wings at joints.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Stock & Gravy:
Place giblets and excess scraps except for liver in pot with 6 cups water, sage, thyme, rosemary, quartered onion, sliced carrot.
Bring to boil, then simmer 2 hours covered, drain liquid and store in fridge.
For the gravy add 4 tbs of skimmed fat from top of drip pan and a stick of butter to big pan over med-high heat, whisk continuously, once melted and darkened add 1/2 cup flour and keep whisking, add 4 cups of your stock and add drippings (skim off fat and discard first).
Salt and pepper and add 1 Tbs of worcestershire. whisk for 5 min. Store in fridge. Add stock to thin.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
I appreciate any comments and once again hope some people get a lot of help from this.
