Smoking the perfect Holiday turkey is a skillful and time-consuming task. If you follow these precise steps, I will guarantee you will achieve the perfect “Smoked Turkey” for your family this Christmas.
A turkey can be purchased at any local grocery store for reasonable prices. Keep in mind when buying a turkey, it must be cooked for 20 to 30 minutes per pound. That’s around 4 to 6 hours on average.
Step 1: Thawing
Place the big bird in the refrigerator two days before cooking.
4-5kg: 20 hours at room temperature; 65 hours in fridge
5-6kg: 24 hours at room temperature; 70 hours in fridge
6-7kg: 30 hours at room temperature; 75 hours in the fridge
8-9kg: 40 hours at room temperature; 80 hours in the fridge
9-11kg: 48 hours at room temperature; 96 hours in the fridge
Step 2: Brining:
What is brining? Brining is a similar process to marination in which meat is soaked in a salt solution (the brine) before cooking.
Brine the turkey for 12 to 24 hours before cooking.
2 cups salt
2 cups brown sugar
4 cartons of vegetable stock
4 bottles of “Bitter Orange”
1/4 cup of honey
2 cups of apple cider
2 crushed garlic cloves
After thoroughly cleaning and bathing the turkey; ice it in a small cooler with the ingredients listed above.
Step 3: Seasoning:
kosher salt
cracked pepper
1 garlic clove
garlic powder
minced onions
onion powder
“Grill Mates” Sweet & Smoke Rub
I. “The Day”, take out and wash the turkey before seasoning.
(Note: Do not discard the brine marinade.)
II. Inject the brine marinade using a larding needle throughout the turkey.
III. Very lightly rub peanut oil on the poultry, so the seasoning can stick to the meat and not the grill.
IV. Pull the skin of the meat, then season the inside of the whole turkey with the
seasoning. listed above. Then season the outside of the turkey the same way.
Note: (DO NOT be too bashful when seasoning, it’s a big bird.)
Step 4: Smoking:
Open the grill, and place “Kingsford” Charcoal, and wood chips, preferably, (apple wood) inside the grill. Soak the charoal and wood with lighter fluid then light the grill.
Once the fire was going nicely, set the water pan in place along with the smoker’s cylindrical body, to keep the poultry moist when cooking.
Place the lid on the smoker and wait for the internal temperature to reach 250° F to 300° F. Some smokers have built in temperature indicators, if not use an oven thermometer to determine temperature.
Once you have the right heat, quickly place the turkey on the top grill rack and cover.
Add wood chips about every hour through the side door of the smoker to maintain temperature.
Note: Avoid opening the cover or door as much as possible. Smoking takes place at low temperatures and
opening the lid or door causes quick heat loss.
Step 5: “The Glaze”
Ingredients:
1/2 cup of honey
3 teaspoons of cinnamon
3 teaspoons of brown sugar
1/4 cup of O.J.
Cook the ingredients above until boiling point, then immediately remove from stove.
The turkey is done when the food thermometer is placed in the inner thigh, and reaches 180° F (be sure the thermometer is NOT touching the bone).
When the “Holiday Bird” is complete, “GLAZE” it all around for delicious flavor.
Step 6: Finale
Bon Appetit!
Kelly A. Hunter is a South Florida special event producer. I love to plan multicultural events that bring people together from all over the world for food, entertainment, and relaxation. To find out about my upcoming events, go to [http://www.iTasteSouthFlorida.com]. http://www.kingoffoods.com
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