Smoked Turkey

We love a smoked turkey at thanksgiving or any time of the year. It’s always tasty and we freeze leftovers for quick dinners. It also makes great sandwiches. For smoking a 12-16 pound turkey works best. You can go bigger but it may have trouble cooking evenly. I’ve found 12-16lb to be the sweet spot. You want to make sure that the turkey is thawed when you brine it. For a busy day like a cookout event it can help to map out your time ahead. Take thanksgiving for example. Thursday 5:00pm Eat! 4:45 carve turkey 4:00 turkey should be at 165. Pull and rest uncovered. 11:30 turkey on smoker 11:00 prep turkey and smoker Wednesday morning Take turkey out of brine, dry, spatchcock, and put in fridge. Tuesday morning Make brine and put turkey in brine. Friday or Saturday morning Place turkey in fridge to thaw. 12-16lb turkey Brine: 2 C. Kosher Salt 470g 2 C. Sugar 430g 1 T. Paprika 8g 2 t. Onion -granulated- 6g 2 t. Garlic -granulated- 6g 2 t. Smoked Paprika 6g 2 gallons water (or 1 gal + 8lbs of ice) Rub: 2 T. Salt 2 t. Granulated Garlic 2 t. Granulated Onion 2 t. Smoked Paprika 1 T. Paprika Injection: 1/2 C. Butter 1/2 C. Water Mix up brine. Add 1 gallon of water to a pot and all the spices. Heat until dissolved. Add ice to cool or cool overnight. Put turkey in a bag or brining bucket. Pour cooled brine over turkey and refrigerate for 24 hours. Take turkey out of brine and pat dry. Spatchcock and place on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Refrigerate for a day and a half to 2 days uncovered so that skin will dry out and flavor from brine can distribute evenly thought the meat. Inject turkey and dry. Spray with cooking spray and add rub outside and underside of turkey. Smoke @ 275-300 degrees with Apple Wood. About 4-4 ½ hours for a spatchcocked 14lb turkey about 6 hours for a whole unstuffed 14lb turkey. Cook until thickest part of turkey breast reaches 165 degrees. Remove and let rest uncovered for 30-45 minutes. Slice and enjoy. 00:00 Brine 05:07 Dry Skin 07:02 Inject 14:43 Remove 15:54 Slice #Turkey #smokedturkey #thanksgiving #BBQ