Another successful Thanksgiving has passed and it was a great day for smoking Turkeys and Ribs. This is the first year that I actually brined a Turkey before smoking it and the results were great. The Cookshack website has a great Brining article with recipes that really makes it easy for someone to make a brine.
The Cookshack Website states that "brining in a saltwater mixture before you smoke typically will add flavor, tenderness and typically reduces cooking times. Our poultry and pork have much less fat than they used to, which means they tend to dry out more quickly when cooked and to be less flavorful than in the past. Brining is chemistry in action".
I made a brine by mixing water, sugar, honey, soy sauce, and pepper together and heating it on the stove until the sugar dissolved in the brine. I then put the turkey in an oven bag, poured the brine(after it had cooled to room temperature) over the turkey that was in the oven bag. I then placed the turkey/brine in a small cooler with ice to keep it in the safe temperature range. I know others that will put the turkey in a container or new 5 gallon bucket with the brine, then refrigerate it.
After the turkey had been in the brine for 48 hours I dried it off and put in on the smoker. I also decided to put on 2 slabs of ribs and a turkey breast. Pecan and Cherry wood were used for smoking and I got the Lang Smoker up to 300 degrees. When smoking whole Turkeys, Breasts, or whole chickens I like to get my temperature up to 300 degrees so that I am still in that "smoking range" but I am able to cook the birds quick enough so they don't have a chance to really dry out during the smoking process.
The turkey weighed 16 pounds and as you can see from the picture it took on a great golden brown color from the smoke. The turkey breast to the left of the whole turkey is less brown because it doesn't require the length of time the whole turkey does to reach the ideal temperature.
I have to say the brined turkey was great. The sweet/salty combination of the brine was not overpowering but did flavor the turkey enough to really give it a good flavor. It also seemed to allow the turkey to keep moist as well. I look forward to using other brine recipes to enhance the flavor and moistness of turkeys, chickens, and other birds that I smoke in the future.
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