Tag Archives: Smoked Turkey

Smoked Beer Can Turkey

Whether you’re celebrating a special occasion, cooking for a group or have a frozen bird that needs to be cooked, you can’t go wrong with a smoked turkey.

These noble birds deserve justice – food smoking justice.  Smoking creates a more tender and flavourful dish than one that is fried or oven roasted.

This recipe calls for a 14lb Turkey.

Ingredients

Brine:

  • 3 cups Kosher Salt
  • 1 cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 Lemons, cut and squeezed
  • 2 Oranges, cut and squeezed
  • 1 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 bottle Apple Juice
  • 5 Bay Leaves, crumbled
  • Palm full of Thyme
  • Palm full of Pepper
  • 4 Tbsp Honey

Dry Rub:

  • ½ cup Brown Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp fresh cracked Pepper
  • 2 Tbsp Garlic Powder
  • 2 Tbsp Ground Thyme
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Sage
  • 1 Tbsp Ground Chili Powder

Directions

  1. Mix Brine ingredients together with cold water until salt and sugar have dissolved.  Submerge whole turkey in brine and refrigerate for 24hrs.

One Hour Before Cooking:

  • Preheat your Bradley Smoker to approx. 107°C (225°F).  We recommend using any Bradley fruit wood bisquettes for best results.
  • Remove turkey from brine and rinse off with cold water.  Pat dry with paper towels and let air dry for a moment.
  • Rub olive oil on outside of turkey.  Then apply dry rub generously in-between the skin and the meat, inside the cavity and outside the turkey skin.
  • Open a can of your favourite beer and pour yourself a tall, cold glass and enjoy!  Now take the empty can and cut off the top portion with heavy duty scissors.  Fill can half-way up with chicken broth. Include a few bay leaves, fresh sage, 1 cut and squeezed lemon and fresh cracked pepper.

Smoking Method:

  • Place can inside smoker and carefully lower the turkey on top of the can so that the can is completely inside the cavity of the turkey. This is one way to keep the turkey moist by putting steam inside the cavity while it cooks.  The turkey needs to be stable.  Make sure it is able to stand on its own.  You can use metal rib racks to help stabilize it.
  • Cooking will take 6-8hrs or until the inside temperature reaches 73°C (165°F).  Be sure to check the thighs.
  • Remove from smoker, let stand and eat!  Enjoy!

Smoked Turkey

Ingredients

For the brine

  • 1 Cup Kosher Salt
  • 1 ¼ Cups Brown Sugar
  • 3 Tbsp Whole Black Peppercorns
  • 4-6 Bay Leaves
  • 2 Cinnamon Sticks
  • Zest and juice of 1 Orange
  • 2 Gallons Cold Water

For the bird

  • 1 Fresh Turkey, thawed if frozen (12-15 pounds)
  • 1 Medium Onion, quartered
  • 1 Apple, quartered
  • 2 Carrots, chopped into approximately 4″ pieces
  • 3 Stalks Celery, chopped in half
  • 1 Head of Garlic, top sliced off and loose peel removed
  • 6 Tbsp unsalted Butter (3/4 stick), softened
  • Bradley Premium Bisquettes –Sage

Directions

  1. The night before cooking, combine the ingredients for the brine in a large pot over medium heat until salt and sugar are dissolved.
  2. Set aside brine and allow to cool.
  3. Remove giblets and neck from the turkey. Reserve and refrigerate for gravy.
  4. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water.
  5. Submerge the turkey into the cooled brine.
  6. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
  7. The next day, remove the turkey from the brine, rinse with cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
  8. Refrigerate, uncovered for at least 2 hours to allow to dry.
  9. Preheat Smoker to 107°C (225°F) with Bradley Premium Sage Bisquettes.
  10. Place the turkey in an aluminium roasting pan.
  11. Rub the cavity of the turkey with 2 Tbsp of butter and stuff with chopped apple and vegetables.
  12. Rub 2 Tbsp of butter on the outside of the bird.
  13. Place in smoker and smoke for approximately 8 hours or until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the thigh reaches 82°C (180°F).
  14. Halfway through the cooking process baste turkey with remaining butter.

 

Recipe by: Lena Clayton