Turkey Preparation Thanksgiving 2004
What I did to smoke a turkey for Thanksgiving, 2004
- I brined the turkey overnight using a brine derived from a couple I read about and based on my experience last year roasting a turkey I had brined. That turkey was brined using a recipe from the Nov-Dec 2003 Cook's Illustrated. That recipe called for brining and then rubbing the turkey inside and out with a spice rub. It became the kickoff for this year's preparation.
- After the brining this year I prepared the turkey for smoking by rubbing it inside and out, as well as under the skin, with a garlic and oil spice rub. The spice rub was based on the Cook's Illustrated spice rub from 2003 and something I read somewhere else using a few cloves of garlic and some olive oil. I took the cloves of garlic and the spice rub recipe, place them in the small bowl of the hand blender, then added enough olive oil to make a paste. I rubbed this paste inside and outside and also under the skin, even loosening some of the skin on the thighs and legs to push the rub under the skin there, as well as the breast and back. (A couple of useful insights: "You can expect to use 10 lb. or more of charcoal for a 10-14 lb. turkey, so have some extra just in case...Each time you remove the lid for those of you who are lookie loos, it adds between 10 and 15 minutes to the cook time, so don't take the lid off to see your prize until you absolutely have to.")
- Brine recipe I developed from several sources; used with great success this year (2004): Add all ingredients to a pot and bring to the boil; cool by letting stand or adding ice, then put turkey in plastic bag large enough to hold it along with the brine (brining bag is acceptable; I always use clean plastic trash bags, placed in a containers large enough to hold turkey and small enough to fit in refrigerator; if temperature outside is 40 or less, the brining holder with turkey can be place outside overnight if wandering varmints are not an issue.)
- 1 gallon water
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon pickling spice
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon whole allspice, crushed
- 15 peppercorns, cracked
- 5 garlic cloves, crushed (3 whole heads recommended)
- 1/2 cup coarsely chopped unpeeled fresh ginger (1 /1/2 c suggested)
- 4 bay leaves - depends on size
- 1 cup soy sauce ( 1 1/2 cup suggested)
- 1 teaspoon tarragon
- 1-2 hot dried peppers
- Try adding these next time:
- 4 juniper berries, crushed
- suggests 1 whole head of garlic
- I set a fire in the smoker with charcoal briquettes and hardwood charcoal to heat it initially to as high as 300°. I also included some chunks of cherry wood well soaked with water to provide sweet smoke. This is probably unnecessary early on, as the fire will need to be refueled many times during the course of cooking.
- After brining the turkey overnight I wrapped it in wet cheesecloth and tied it somewhat tightly fore and aft using dental tape instead of string. (I'm still looking for a source for unwaxed dental tape - it seems to no longer be made.) Then I placed the turkey in a V-shaped rack which on which I first placed crumpled foil to keep the steel bars of the rack from leaving lines in the turkey breast. The rack that I had available was not very deep but worked fine. I concluded that the real purpose of the rack is to keep the turkey stable and any arrangement which does that will work fine. The intention was to place the turkey breast-side down but it is unclear whether that was what I actually did. Once it was wrapped and ready to cook I was unsure how to tell which side was up, so next time I will pay closer attention early on. The end result was fine, anyway, perhaps because the method of brining and slow cooking in a humid environment ensures moist meat anyway. I then found a metal oven tray deep enough to catch the turkey juices but not so deep as to have the top of the turkey in contact with the lid of the smoker. I placed the turkey on its tray on the cool side of the s smoker, away from the heat and any flames that might flare up. The 12-13 lb. turkey went in the smoker around 9:40 a.m. and stayed until 5:30 p.m. or so, for reasons explained below.
- I put a pan able to hold about 1/2 gal. of liquid in the smoker on the hot side of the grill and kept it filled with various aromatic liquids including beer, Diet Dr. Pepper, Coca Cola, and water. The purpose of the liquids is to keep a humid atmosphere inside the smoker.
- I checked the smoker every so often, perhaps every 30-45 min. I think this proved important to the final product as little things were kept from getting out of hand. At one point the liquid had been almost completely boiled off and a crunchy looking residue was forming. This taught me to be sure to always keep plenty of liquid at hand and in the pot. I also basted the turkey just about every time I opened the cooker after the first couple of hours of cooking. Next time I will make this a regular part of the process.
- During the cooking a major weather change took place. A front came through with rain squalls and heavy winds and a dramatic temperature drop. The winds were severe enough to take down many trees in the DC area and cause major holiday havoc. Here, the wind and temperature drop both impacted the cooking time by cooling the cooker. To lessen the impact of the wind I used aluminum foil double or triple folded to block the main draft on the back of the cooker as well as two smaller side vents. As the bird still did not seem to be rendering any juices after four or five hours and to combat the temperature drops I added logs of cherry wood to the fire, as well as additional charcoal. I had been adding a small shovelful or two of charcoal about once an hour to maintain the temperature but was having trouble even keeping a temperature of 200°. (Recommendations I have now read suggest opening the cooker as little as possible, that each opening increase cooking time by 15 min. Also, when adding charcoal always add more than you think is needed - you'll need it.) The logs, first one, then two, finally three helped to push it up to around 250° but it required consistent attention to maintain. At one point it seemed to be too hot and so I removed a burning log and doused it in a bucket of water - which, another pointer, should be kept handy and in a metal bucket, so that, if a burning log rest against the side of the bucket, it does not melt it, as might happen with a plastic bucket.
- Finally, the burning logs generated a good deal of flame as well as lots of smoke, and the side of the turkey toward the flames colored considerably darker than the opposite side. I worried that it was over-cooking or even burning, as the color of the turkey and its cheesecloth became very dark brown, edging toward black.
- I turned the turkey over, belly-side up (I think), and let it cook for a while longer in this position, basting it again; perhaps after six hours. After another hour or so I cut away the cheesecloth and, basting again, began to try to measure the temperature with a meat thermometer. The meat of the thigh on the fire side showed 180°, clearly well cooked. The breast on the cooler side seemed to show only about 150°, while a bit later, the fire side breast showed 160-170°, the right range. I concluded that the turkey had finished cooking and could come out to rest, to do the slight added cooking that it would do while resting, and that in a half-hour or so it would be ready to carve. (Recommendations: Estimate 20 to 30 minutes per pound if using a smoker. Always use a food thermometer. The whole turkey is done when the food thermometer, placed in the inner thigh, reaches 180° F. The breast is done when the internal temperature reaches 170° F.)