Doing a full turkey

Hi,

Planning on doing a full turkey in a few weeks for a group of friends on the WSM. I was looking for some recipes and stumbled upon this one.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/turkey6.html

Has anyone tried this or something similar? Any recommendations, suggestions?

Thank you so much!

I used to do the Apple Brine to avoid salt because my son had bad kidneys. Now that he has a good kidney (thanks to him mom / my bride) I've gone to traditional brines, and they're hands down better (imho)

I did just this brine (below) and it's the hands down winner. Everybody loved it. My turkey was 3% enhanced. I couldn't find a un-enhanced turkey.

http://tvwbb.com/showthread.php?55957-Savory-Turkey-Brine-with-Soy-Sauce

I have never been a huge fan of soy on poultry. Do you taste a lot of the soy ? Also the link I mentioned did ask for some salt

Yes, there was a hint of soy, not excessive. There's nothing wrong with the apple brine, I did it for a lot of years. I'm sure if you do that brine, you'll be quite happy. When I responded, my thought was you were looking for something unique. The link I posted, fits that bill, very unique brine, IMHO

Whatever brine you choose, It's my opinion, a brined bird is better than an un-brined bird

Guil,

The apple brine turkey is good indeed. I've been smoking turkeys various ways for the last few years and we've come out with this being the overall taste winner.

Originally posted by LarryR back on the old TVWBB site

Per a couple of requests here's the recipe:
Jack Daniels Maple Syrup Turkey
Container large enough to brine your turkey in (a 5 gallon food grade container works well for large birds)
2 cups maple syrup
1 cup bourbon
1 tablespoon pickling spice
Remainder of container filled with salt water mixture with ½ cup table salt per gallon of water (you can also add apples oranges etc.)
Ice can be added to brine to insure safe temperatures
Brine in refrigerator for 24 - 36 hours, rinse bird and allow to air dry in the refrigerator overnight
Season cavity, place carrots, celery, pierced lemon and anything else you desire in cavity.
Butter and season skin
Smoke or grill to 155 Breast/175 Thigh, cherry or other fruit wood recommended
Be sure to use a drip pan below your bird to capture all the "goodness" for your gravy.
Note: I ice down the breast for approximately 45 minutes prior to cooking. This helps the breast and thigh come to temp. at the same time. Ziplock bags of ice work well.

Here's the original thread Dave is referring to:

My Jack Daniel's & Maple Syrup Brined Turkey w/Pics

The apple brined turkey is far and away the most popular brine recipe I've ever posted. I think you'll like it...everyone else does.!

Thanks guys Ill try the Apple one for this time and see how it turns out