fast and easy turkey

[Jeff Davidson]

I usually make the apple brine turkey recipe in the cooking topics but I was so busy at work, it just got away from me. Woke up this morning with a 15 pound, fresh turkey in the fridge and, based on when we wanted to eat, I had about an hour to get the fire started and the turkey on the smoker. Here's what i did:

- washed and dried turkey inside and out
- put four minced garlic cloves and 2 sticks of butter into microwave until butter was melted. Added 1/4 cup rub to butter. (i used texas bbq original, any poultry rub will do).
- loosened skin from breast by working my fingers gently btw the skin and the breast.
- half the melted butter mixture went under the skin, the other half to the outside of the bird
- placed half an onion in the turkey cavity
- smoked at 310 degrees for 3.5 hours over charcoal and a couple of apple wood chunks, rested for 15 and carved

turkey was super moist and delicious. as good or better than a brine but just 20 minutes for prep.

 

[Rom Prakash]

That's great! I am finding as well that simpler is better. I did the salted turkey as per this site's instructions for Thanksgiving, and man - what less of a hassle than the brined bird. And tasty skin to boot. I won't be doing a brined turkey again!

My friend just rubbed his 22.5lb bird down with salt and a simple rub and threw it in a Big Green Egg. It came out tasting almost the same as my salted bird! I think I'm just going to keep it simple next Thanksgiving.

Glad your turkey came out wonderful!

 

[Tony R]

Glad to hear it worked out....

 

[Jeff Davidson]

Rom, that's interesting feedback on the salted turkey recipe, I've been thinking about trying that but it's still a hassle to butterfly the bird and if i recall, it should be done 24 to 48 hours in advance. Based on my personal experience and your friend with the BGE, I don't see any reason to brine in the future.

Maybe brining affords us more room for error on final temp. I was very careful about watching the temp and pulled the turkey off the wsm when the thigh hit 162. It was just perfect.