normiss 622 #1 November 14, 2013 Thanks to Christmas marketing, it seems Thanksgiving is almost being forgotten this year! We're having an early one so we can take a vacation... I'm smoking a turkey and stuck on brining decision..... Brine? Injection? Spices rubbed under skin? Oil or no on skin? Aromatics in drip pan? Aromatics in cavity? ahhhhhhhh!!!! My brain!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oldwomanc6 38 #2 November 14, 2013 If you brine it, then all the rest is icing on the cake. If you use aromatics during cooking, just use the same ones you put into the brine, and you can't go wrong! lisa WSCR 594 FB 1023 CBDB 9 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #3 November 14, 2013 Will you brine my turkey? She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,055 #4 November 14, 2013 Raises hand... Oooohhh pick me!!! PICK ME!!!!Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #5 November 14, 2013 low and slow baby Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #6 November 14, 2013 Well, Bigun...how would you brine my turkey?She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Phillbo 11 #7 November 14, 2013 Spices rubbed under skin is how I do it when I cook mine on the grill. I also remove the back bone so it can lay flat on the grill with the rib side down. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 622 #8 November 14, 2013 We are spatchcocking the one being cooked in the oven! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GogglesnTeeth 6 #9 November 14, 2013 I will start my "Bah... Humbug"ing now! Bring on the feast of too much food and I'll pass on the rest of the holiday silliness!Goggles and Teeth "You fall like a greased safe!!!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BIGUN 1,055 #10 November 14, 2013 skymama Well, Bigun...how would you brine my turkey? Spices rubbed on the skin with a warm olive oil and cumin injection. Dear Lord... Mark's kicking my ass. Nobody has time to listen; because they're desperately chasing the need of being heard. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #11 November 14, 2013 Brine, a bit of apple, orange, rosemary and cinnamon stick in the cavity while you cook it. Ohhh yeah! I add allspice, candied ginger, cracked whole peppercorns and bay leaves to my brining solution. I suppose I should pop over to the grocery store and call dibbs on a fresh turkey, to be retrieved the night before thanksgiving.I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
promise5 17 #12 November 15, 2013 Ok so I'm cooking challenge. If I bought a smoker and attempted to smoke a turkey would I have to have the smoker outside ? I know it's a smoker but do they really produce that much smoke that it would set off the alarms in the apartment. I was thinking about buying a deep frier and trying to deep fry one this year but I would have to do that in the parking lot I think. I really don't want to just bake it.No matter how slowly you say oranges it never sounds like gullible. Believe me I tried. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,387 #13 November 15, 2013 promise5 Ok so I'm cooking challenge. If I bought a smoker and attempted to smoke a turkey would I have to have the smoker outside ? I know it's a smoker but do they really produce that much smoke that it would set off the alarms in the apartment. I was thinking about buying a deep frier and trying to deep fry one this year but I would have to do that in the parking lot I think. I really don't want to just bake it. We thought you Inuit just prepared it as Igunaq."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
promise5 17 #14 November 15, 2013 ???????No matter how slowly you say oranges it never sounds like gullible. Believe me I tried. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #15 November 15, 2013 Quote Dear Lord... Mark's kicking my ass. I'm sure he appreciates your cleverness and the fact that you live a few states away. She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
FlyingRhenquest 1 #16 November 15, 2013 promise5Ok so I'm cooking challenge. If I bought a smoker and attempted to smoke a turkey would I have to have the smoker outside ? I know it's a smoker but do they really produce that much smoke that it would set off the alarms in the apartment. I was thinking about buying a deep frier and trying to deep fry one this year but I would have to do that in the parking lot I think. I really don't want to just bake it. I never tried smoking one and that deep frying stuff is frightening. Muahahahahahahaahaa! Sorry. I can't watch that clip without doing that. Baking it's not that bad. Get it fresh -- just go down to the meat department of your supermarket a few days in advance and tell them you want to pick up a fresh one the night before thanksgiving. Brine it overnight (find a turkey brine recipe online,) and cook it with a probe thermometer in the thickest part of the breast, set to 161 degrees farenheit. Then you just walk away. Return when the thermometer starts beeping, take the turkey out and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving. I've been doing this every year since '99 and every year it's delivered an awesome turkey pretty much effortlessly. I even have my own turkey brining bucket -- it's an insulated gatoraide cooler that I use just for brining turkeys. Usually I do 2 or 3 more turkeys in the next two or three months after Thanksgiving because the Thanksgiving one was so easy and good.I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SansSuit 1 #17 November 15, 2013 normissI'm smoking a turkey and stuck on brining decision..... However did you get it lit?Peace, -Dawson. http://www.SansSuit.com The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #18 November 15, 2013 Definitely brine it. We brine, then smoke. I'll send you the recipe tomorrow (or later this morning.) Choose your wood carefully for any poultry. I use a mix of cherry and apple wood. Hickory makes your whole turkey taste like cheap turkey-ham. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kallend 1,625 #19 November 15, 2013 normissThanks to Christmas marketing, it seems Thanksgiving is almost being forgotten this year! A few more years and the stores will be marketing for Christmas in January. Maybe we need a calendar shift like when the Gregorian calendar was introduced. Then the marketers would get back in phase with the holidays.... The only sure way to survive a canopy collision is not to have one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rifleman 61 #20 November 15, 2013 I once walked into a shop for the boxing day sales to find that a large portion of their shelf space was devoted to - Easter Eggs!Atheism is a Non-Prophet Organisation Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skymama 35 #21 November 15, 2013 You must not have Valentine's Day over there? Our shelves are full of stuff for that before Easter stuff goes out.She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man, because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GogglesnTeeth 6 #22 November 15, 2013 Last year I spent Thanksgiving with myself, the cat, and the dog..... Lunch was sarcastic! Dinner was good!Goggles and Teeth "You fall like a greased safe!!!" Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
turtlespeed 212 #23 November 15, 2013 SansSuit***I'm smoking a turkey and stuck on brining decision..... However did you get it lit? Blow torch.I'm not usually into the whole 3-way thing, but you got me a little excited with that. - Skymama BTR #1 / OTB^5 Official #2 / Hellfish #408 / VSCR #108/Tortuga/Orfun Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #24 November 15, 2013 Okay, here's my recipe for brined and smoked turkey. Enjoy. Turkey Brining Recipe Making the Brine ½ bunch of celery (butt end works great) 1 medium yellow onion, cut in half 3 medium carrots, unpeeled 2/3 cup salt ½ cup brown sugar 1 tbl. Black pepper corns 1 tbl. Whole allspice berries 1 tbl. Candied ginger Low boil for ½ hour in a large stock pot, 1- 1 ½ gallons of water. Let cool. Strain out all the spices and vegetables before using. Brining the turkey Brine the turkey in the solution for 12 hours, adding enough water and ice cubes to cover the turkey completely. A 5 gallon bucket with lid works very well for this. Place in a cool area, such as garage or outside. There should be ice cubes left at the end of the brining, ensuring the solution and turkey stayed safely cold. Cooking the turkey Preheat oven to 450. Rub vegetable oil on the breast and legs. Place in oven for 30 minutes to brown the skin. Then, cover the breast and legs with foil and put back into a 325 degree oven. Cook until the breast meat reaches 165-170. A 23# bird should take ~ 2.5 - 3 hours Smoking the turkey Use medium heat for a 250 degree smoker. One box of cherry or apple chips should give sufficient flavor. (Sometimes I go with a 2nd box of chips, just for fun. ) Cook until breast meat is 165-170 degrees. A 23# bird should take ~4 hours. Or you can smoke the turkey for 1-2 hours for flavor, then finish in a 325 degree oven. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #25 November 15, 2013 kallend A few more years and the stores will be marketing for Christmas in January. Next October I want an inflatable Frosty the Snowman with a witch's hat and a black cat, riding a broom. The way the stores are running the holidays together, that should be the perfect decoration. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites