Smoked Butter-basted Turkey

Yum

Ingredients:
Turkey
Butter 2 lbs
​Chicken Broth 1 Litre
​Oakridge Gamechanger All Purpose Brine
​Favorite Poultry rub -  Butt Kick'n Chicken BBQ Seasoning
​Cheesecloths

A smoked turkey is delicios and a wonderful way of celebrating thanksgiving. Normally I am not fond of turkey, it doesnt have a lot of flavors and you have to serve it with some great gravy or stuffing to make it come alive flavorwise. However, when you smoke it - magic happens. Suddenly, the bird transforms and the rich, juicy white meat has a smoky texture that really elevates the flavor. So how do you reach that smoky flavor without drying out the meat? I have found that you can achieve greatness in two ways. Either spatchcock and cook fast - or wrap the bird in cheesecloth and butter baste throughout the cook (which we will do in this recipe). 

For the best smoked turkey, start with one that’s fresh and minimally processed. Freezing causes cells in the flesh to rupture. When thawed, some of the juices drain out and are lost.
​Start preparing the turkey first. Remove the giblets and the neck from the body cavity and the neck cavity of the bird. Rinse the turkey in cold, running water, making sure to clean the body cavity as well as the outside surfaces. You also want to make sure that remove any excess fat from the edges of the skin but still leave as much of the skin on the bird as possible. It protects the meat from drying as it smokes.  You can also separate the skin from the breast. Doing this allows the brine to reach the breast meat. Next start preparing the brine. I use Oakridge Gamechanger, and you just mix the brine with water.

​MAke sure that the brine is completely dissolved in the water. Place the turkey into the brine. I place it into the brine "head first". If it goes in "feet first", air may become trapped in the body cavity. The brine has to contact every part of the turkey, inside and out. Depending on the size of the turkey, brining can take from 8-24 hours. A ten pound turkey needs about 8 hours in the brine. A fourteen pound bird will need about 12 hours. I just left the bird in the brine overnight. You can overbrine a turkey but if you go a couple of hours over time , it is not an issue. When you have finished brining the turkey, make sure that you wash the bird thoroughly. You want to make sure that all the brine is gone from the cavities.  Next step is optional. For the perfect texture and flavor, let the turkey rest uncovered in the refrigerator for another twelve to twenty four hours. This gives the salt and brine flavorings time to distribute evenly throughout the turkey.

Next we season the turkey. I use Butt Kick'n Chicken BBQ Seasoning, but any of your favorite poultry seasoning will do,
The trick to seasoning a brined turkey is to get the flavors under the skin. Carefully lift the skin and coat the meat with some of the wet rub. Try to completely cover the exposed flesh. Pull the skin back into place after you've seasoned the bird.
Season the outer surface of the turkey with the remaining wet rub. Get into all the nooks and crannies…under the wings and legs. Next, flavor up the inside of the turkey with dry spices. It is now ready for the next step - the cheese cloth wrap.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and when melted add chicken broth. Next, wrap the turkey in cheesecloth. Make sure that you have two layers of cloth covering the whole turkey. It will help keeping the butter on the bird but also prevents burning. Before you add the turkey to the smoker, make sure you baste it all over. Prepare the smoker at 275 degrees Fahrenheit. I use cherry and apple when smoking turkey. The apple gives great flavor and cherry adds a nice color to the bird.Use two or three fist sized chunks, spaced throughout the session…you don't want it to be overpowered with smoke flavor.

Baste the turkey every 30 minutes or so, make sure that you really drench it in butter. The length of the smoke is dependent on the size of the turkey, and normally, it will need to smoke from 30 to 40 minutes per pound. I would, however, rather trust the interior tempretaure measured through the breast - not the length of the cook. 

When the turkey reaches around 140 degrees Fahrenheit, I recommend taking it out, rmove the cheesecloth and sprinkle a second layer of rub. During the smoke so far the butter basting and the cheesecloth will have removed the majority of the rub and I personally thinks the turkey looks too "naked" without another sprinkle of rub. Continue cooking until interior temperature in the breast reaches 160 degrees, remove the turkey from the smoker and let it rest for 10-15 minutes. After the rest, slice and serve!!