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Turkey brine recipe- Part 1 2 3 &4 merged

Whether you have a smoker or not, the key to a scrumptious turkey is brining. Brining a turkey is similar to marinating it, but someone thought it would be better to call it brining for some unknown reason. Brines can be simple, or complex, but brining a turkey takes a bland and dry piece of meat and packs it full of moisture and flavor. You can cook a turkey without a smoker, but it's been said to NEVER cook a turkey without a brine.

Brining a turkey in simple terms is combining all the ingredients you would use to season the meat into a pot and bring it to a boil. For a brine, use the ingredients listed below. After bringing it all to a boil I put the liquid into a 5 gallon bucket, place the turkey into the bucket, and fill it with ice water. If the weather is cold you can also put the brine outside, in the fridge, or place the bucket in a cooler and pack it with ice. Either way keep the bird cold so it doesn’t go bad. I like to brine my turkey for about 36 hours, but you want a minimum of an hour to an hour and a half per pound of meat... To Be Continued
 
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Here is the recipe: 3 quarts Apple juice (or cider), 1 ½ pounds brown sugar, 1 1/2 cup kosher salt, 4 quartered oranges, 6 oz of fresh thinly sliced ginger (grated works too), 15 whole cloves, 6 bay leaves, & one garlic clove crushed.

To cook the turkey, some use a charcoal smoker, and use oak lump charcoal as a fuel source. If you do not have a smoker you can do this on the BBQ. If using a BBQ you can purchase some wood chips, soaking them in water, and wrapping them in foil. Poke holes in the foil to allow steam and smoke to escape and place these under the BBQ grate. This produces smoke to add additional flavor to your turkey. The type of wood used is a personal preference. If you are using the BBQ place the turkey in a foil pan and place it on one side of the BBQ. Do NOT cook under direct heat if possible, using the burners furthest from the turkey as the heat source.... To Be Continued
 
When cooking on a smoker, cook at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Cook it at about 275 degrees fahrenheit and this takes about 3-5 hours (Cook time will vary based on weather, temp of meat, size of bird, and humidity).

Recommend buying a decent digital meat thermometer that you can probe the turkey and check the internal temperature. Shoot for 165 degrees fahrenheit internal temperature.

After cooking, cover your bird in foil and let it rest for about 30 minutes allowing the juices to redistribute themselves before you carve into it. The next step is simple, enjoy the feast
 
I got this from my pellet smoker group, I use a smoke tube for extra smoke for the first couple hours.
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I use an electronic remote temp probe...constant information, and lets me know when it's within 5° of desired temp.

And we're just doing ours in the oven...since I have to work tomorrow night, I’m gonna try and get a nap in...I need the easy button.
 
I'm cooking a spatchcock turkey on the grill tomorrow for the first time. Hopefully everything goes well.

I'm shooting for 165 degrees internal temperature in the breast using a wireless probe. Question, is this too high and will it lead to a dry turkey?
 
David N. said:
I'm cooking a spatchcock turkey on the grill tomorrow for the first time. Hopefully everything goes well.

I'm shooting for 165 degrees internal temperature in the breast using a wireless probe. Question, is this too high and will it lead to a dry turkey?
Click to expand...

Hope not. Better not dry like this one...

 
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Also Spatchcocking my bird on the green egg. Starting about 3am. This will be a first doing the Brine method.
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