01 1 how To smoke a Turkey Deep-frying turkeys for Thanksgiving has become increasingly popular over the last several years. However, dipping a twelve-pound turkey into several gallons of boiling oil in easily-tipped-over cooker a is an inherently dangerous proposition which puts pets, children, the in-laws, the garage, the patio/deck, and the Thanksgiving feast itself at high risk. We recommend barbecue instead. If you’ve got the equipment and the inclination — and if you live in Kansas City you probably do — smoking your own holiday turkey is a fairly straightforward proposition. It doesn’t take much longer to cook a turkey on your grill/smoker than it does to cook it in your kitchen oven, and the result is a Kansas City-flavored bird that is sure to satisfy. Here are some tips from the Virtual Bullet web site; www. virtualweberbullet.com. Start with a 12-14 pound turkey. We recommend a natural or heritage turkey for real turkey flavor. When smoking a turkey, it’s best to avoid the heavily injected varieties. If your turkey is frozen when purchased, thaw it completely in the refrigerator, then rinse it thoroughly inside and out. It’s a good idea to brine your turkey before smoking it. This helps assure moister meat. Here’s what you need to do: First, find a large non-reactive container, big enough to hold the turkey. Food grade plastic is best. Make sure the container will fit inside your refrigerator. You may need to remove or adjust some shelves. Prepare your brine (see recipes). Place the turkey in the container, completely submerge it in brine, and put the brine container in the refrigerator for at least eight hours and up to 24 hours. The turkey and brine must be kept below 40 degrees during the entire brining process. The evening before you cook your turkey, remove the bird from the brine. Rinse the turkey thoroughly under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels. Place on a rack over a rimmed baking sheet and allow to air-dry overnight in the refrigerator.
Basic Brine • One gallon cold water • ½ cup dark brown sug • One cup Diamond Crys ar, packed tal Kosher Salt Mix in a non-reactive con taine Substitute ¾ cup Morton Ko r until dissolved. Makes one gallon of brine. sher Salt or ½ cup table sal t for Diamond Crystal. 8 4