SMOKED WHOLE TURKEY *
Ingredients:
Turkey Wet Rub -
4 Tablespoons Simon & Garfunkel Rub
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic (Dried)
Ingredients for the bird -
1 turkey, any size (I normally buy a 12-14 pound bird)
1 medium onion, cut in quarters, skin on
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 large sprigs of fresh sage, about 3"- 4" long
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme, about 3" - 4" long
Peel of one orange or lemon (I prefer using an orange)
1 stick of melted butter (we're going to inject this into the bird)
Ingredients for the gravy (optional, but I would HEARTILY recommend going this extra step) -
2 quarts chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon Chicken Base and water for this)
1 bottle of white wine (your choice of which brand/type)
1 cup apple juice
2 onions, skin on, ends removed, cut into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 rib of celery, leaves and all, cut into 2 inch lengths
2-3 large sprigs fresh sage leaves (do not use powdered herbs, they will cloud the broth)
2-3 large sprigs fresh thyme leaves (do not use powdered herbs, they will cloud the broth)
Fresh sliced mushrooms
2 whole dried bay leaves
Turkey parts (see below)
Cooking Method - INDIRECT
First things first....you can prepare the wet rub, up to a day in advance of cooking (but don't put it on the turkey until you're ready to cook). I normally just make it a couple of hours ahead of time. Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, cover and set aside.
Setting up the Egg to cook - Get your charcoal started, and let the Egg get to 325 degrees (no, this is NOT a typo). Once it's up to temp, add some wood chunks/chips (not a lot), and close the lid.
Making the gravy - You can also do this up to a day in advance, but I normally just do it the day of, and not long before I put the turkey on the Egg. Take your gravy pan (also referred to as your drip pan), and put all the "dry" ingredients in, starting with the aforementioned "turkey parts" (neck, heart and gizzard-these parts will normally be found in the turkey cavity). Take the liver (also found in the cavity, it's the floppy, shiny thing), and throw it away. Trim off any loose skin from the bird (front & back cavity), and place that in the pan. Next, whack off the wing tips at the first joint and toss them in the pool. Finally, add all of the above dry ingredients from the gravy recipe. Set the pan aside and move to prepping the bird.
Prepping the bird - Place the turkey in a pan that's large enough to hold it, Untruss the legs (remove that plastic gizmo that holds them together). Locate and remove the plastic pop-up thermometer (those things are WORTHLESS). Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, and from the front of the turkey, separate the skin from the breasts by gently moving your fingers between skin and meat until there's a "pocket" there on both breasts. Take a tablespoon or so of the prepared wet rub, and place it into each pocket, pushing the seasoning in as far as possible towards the thighs/legs. Try to avoid leaving any clumps. Spread the remaining rub on top of the skin. Sprinkle some kosher salt and minced garlic on to taste. Next, place all the "ingredients for the bird" EXCEPT for the butter into the cavity. Inject the melted butter into the breasts (if you have some left, you can inject same into the thighs). Finally, cover the ends of the legs and the wings with aluminum foil (you'll remove this about an hour into the cook).
It's time to cook - Since I'm cooking on the Egg, and my gravy pan is also my drip pan, I put my plate setter in place FEET UP over the coals. I then put the pan on top of the plate setter, and carefully add all the wet gravy ingredients (again, be careful with pouring the liquid. You don't want to put cold liquid on a hot ceramic surface, nor do you want to spill it onto hot coals). REMEMBER - You'll want to keep a couple of inches of liquid in your pan at all times. Add water as necessary. Now, back to the bird. Place the cooking grid on top of the plate setter, and then place the turkey breasts up on the center of the grid, with the thickets part of the bird facing the rear of the Egg. Close the Egg, and set your timer for 1 hour (at the end of this hour, you'll remove the foil from the legs and wings).
At 325 degrees cooking temp, you can figure on approximately 10-15 minutes per pound to cook the turkey to an internal temp of 160 degrees in the breast. Once you hit 160, take the turkey off, wrap it up in a clean pan covered in foil, and place it pan and all into an empty cooler, covered in towels. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
* The recipe/method for this process is taken with permission from "Meathead" Goldwyn. Who is "Meathead" Goldwyn? I'll use his words to answer that question: "Meathead Goldwyn is the Barbecue Whisperer, Hedonism Evangelist, and Mythbuster behind AmazingRibs.com, the world's most popular barbecue and grilling website. It has ratings and reviews of hundreds of grills and smokers, accessories, as well as recipes and tips on technique." This is a really cool site and I love it! Please visit AmazingRibs.com for excellent info, tips and the "how-to" methods for great outdoor cooking results. While you're at it, become a supporting member (I did)! It'll be the best $23.95/year you've ever spent!
Here's a short video showing from BBQFOOD4U (this isn't me), giving an overview tutorial on the above method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7OVm_cv4yY
Ingredients:
Turkey Wet Rub -
4 Tablespoons Simon & Garfunkel Rub
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 Tablespoon Minced Garlic (Dried)
Ingredients for the bird -
1 turkey, any size (I normally buy a 12-14 pound bird)
1 medium onion, cut in quarters, skin on
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 large sprigs of fresh sage, about 3"- 4" long
2 large sprigs of fresh thyme, about 3" - 4" long
Peel of one orange or lemon (I prefer using an orange)
1 stick of melted butter (we're going to inject this into the bird)
Ingredients for the gravy (optional, but I would HEARTILY recommend going this extra step) -
2 quarts chicken broth (I use Better than Bouillon Chicken Base and water for this)
1 bottle of white wine (your choice of which brand/type)
1 cup apple juice
2 onions, skin on, ends removed, cut into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 rib of celery, leaves and all, cut into 2 inch lengths
2-3 large sprigs fresh sage leaves (do not use powdered herbs, they will cloud the broth)
2-3 large sprigs fresh thyme leaves (do not use powdered herbs, they will cloud the broth)
Fresh sliced mushrooms
2 whole dried bay leaves
Turkey parts (see below)
Cooking Method - INDIRECT
First things first....you can prepare the wet rub, up to a day in advance of cooking (but don't put it on the turkey until you're ready to cook). I normally just make it a couple of hours ahead of time. Simply mix all the ingredients in a bowl, cover and set aside.
Setting up the Egg to cook - Get your charcoal started, and let the Egg get to 325 degrees (no, this is NOT a typo). Once it's up to temp, add some wood chunks/chips (not a lot), and close the lid.
Making the gravy - You can also do this up to a day in advance, but I normally just do it the day of, and not long before I put the turkey on the Egg. Take your gravy pan (also referred to as your drip pan), and put all the "dry" ingredients in, starting with the aforementioned "turkey parts" (neck, heart and gizzard-these parts will normally be found in the turkey cavity). Take the liver (also found in the cavity, it's the floppy, shiny thing), and throw it away. Trim off any loose skin from the bird (front & back cavity), and place that in the pan. Next, whack off the wing tips at the first joint and toss them in the pool. Finally, add all of the above dry ingredients from the gravy recipe. Set the pan aside and move to prepping the bird.
Prepping the bird - Place the turkey in a pan that's large enough to hold it, Untruss the legs (remove that plastic gizmo that holds them together). Locate and remove the plastic pop-up thermometer (those things are WORTHLESS). Pat the skin dry with a paper towel, and from the front of the turkey, separate the skin from the breasts by gently moving your fingers between skin and meat until there's a "pocket" there on both breasts. Take a tablespoon or so of the prepared wet rub, and place it into each pocket, pushing the seasoning in as far as possible towards the thighs/legs. Try to avoid leaving any clumps. Spread the remaining rub on top of the skin. Sprinkle some kosher salt and minced garlic on to taste. Next, place all the "ingredients for the bird" EXCEPT for the butter into the cavity. Inject the melted butter into the breasts (if you have some left, you can inject same into the thighs). Finally, cover the ends of the legs and the wings with aluminum foil (you'll remove this about an hour into the cook).
It's time to cook - Since I'm cooking on the Egg, and my gravy pan is also my drip pan, I put my plate setter in place FEET UP over the coals. I then put the pan on top of the plate setter, and carefully add all the wet gravy ingredients (again, be careful with pouring the liquid. You don't want to put cold liquid on a hot ceramic surface, nor do you want to spill it onto hot coals). REMEMBER - You'll want to keep a couple of inches of liquid in your pan at all times. Add water as necessary. Now, back to the bird. Place the cooking grid on top of the plate setter, and then place the turkey breasts up on the center of the grid, with the thickets part of the bird facing the rear of the Egg. Close the Egg, and set your timer for 1 hour (at the end of this hour, you'll remove the foil from the legs and wings).
At 325 degrees cooking temp, you can figure on approximately 10-15 minutes per pound to cook the turkey to an internal temp of 160 degrees in the breast. Once you hit 160, take the turkey off, wrap it up in a clean pan covered in foil, and place it pan and all into an empty cooler, covered in towels. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes before carving.
* The recipe/method for this process is taken with permission from "Meathead" Goldwyn. Who is "Meathead" Goldwyn? I'll use his words to answer that question: "Meathead Goldwyn is the Barbecue Whisperer, Hedonism Evangelist, and Mythbuster behind AmazingRibs.com, the world's most popular barbecue and grilling website. It has ratings and reviews of hundreds of grills and smokers, accessories, as well as recipes and tips on technique." This is a really cool site and I love it! Please visit AmazingRibs.com for excellent info, tips and the "how-to" methods for great outdoor cooking results. While you're at it, become a supporting member (I did)! It'll be the best $23.95/year you've ever spent!
Here's a short video showing from BBQFOOD4U (this isn't me), giving an overview tutorial on the above method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E7OVm_cv4yY