Barry LaZar
TVWBB Member
I decided to try something new for a family dinner. I found the article on apple brining a whole turkey on the TVWBB site a while back and thought it might be worth trying at some point. Well, this Saturday was that point. I picked up my 12.2 lb bird on Thursday and dropped into the brine on that evening. Friday evening, I pulled the bird out and put it into the fridge to dry. Saturday morning, I rubbed the bird with the Simon & Garfinkel rub mixed into a paste using olive oil.
I lit off my WSM about noon as per the directions in the article. I used small chunks of cherry and large chuck of apple for the smoking wood. The WSM settled in at 320 degrees and it just sat there for the entire 2 1/2 hours needed to cook the turkey to 163 degrees. The finished product was amazing. The color was a beautiful mahogany. The meat was juicing and seriously tasty.
What made this particularly cook interesting is that I followed the directions for the first time, well almost. The article states that no rub is needed, but I did use a rub and stuffed the cavity with thyme, sage, and rosemary. The only advantage that I may have gotten was a more flavorful gravy which included pan drippings. I really recommend this process. It's fairly easy and the results should be great.
I lit off my WSM about noon as per the directions in the article. I used small chunks of cherry and large chuck of apple for the smoking wood. The WSM settled in at 320 degrees and it just sat there for the entire 2 1/2 hours needed to cook the turkey to 163 degrees. The finished product was amazing. The color was a beautiful mahogany. The meat was juicing and seriously tasty.
What made this particularly cook interesting is that I followed the directions for the first time, well almost. The article states that no rub is needed, but I did use a rub and stuffed the cavity with thyme, sage, and rosemary. The only advantage that I may have gotten was a more flavorful gravy which included pan drippings. I really recommend this process. It's fairly easy and the results should be great.
