Smoked Holiday Turkey  

You can use this recipe and just change the 275 smoke temp to 350 in the oven. You will just not get the smoke flavor. 

Prep Time

15-20 Min

Estimated Cook Time (Please cook to temperatures not times, Times are a general estimate)

Breast Meat 165 Degrees F

Dark Meat 185 degrees F 

(About 20-30 min per lbs at 275 degrees)

Ingredients

• Turkey (Thawed and Brined... See Brine recipe on this site)
• Rub you want to use (we use our the Trenches rub)
• 2 stalks Celery
• 1 Medium Sweet Onion
• 1 Orange 
• 1 Lemon
• Spray duck fat
• Compound butter (See below)
  • 1 stick unsalted butter and 1 tablespoon rub want to use
• 2 extra sticks of unsalted butter
• Extra fresh herbs if you would like
• Cheese Cloth
• Charcoal
• Wood chips (Apple, Hickory and Pecan what we use)
• Thermometer (DO NOT USE THE THING THAT POPS IN THE SKIN

Prep

1. Take bird out of brine, rinse off and place in pan.
2.  Pat Dry with paper towels

While letting the bird Air Dry prep the rest of your stuff..

Compound Butter 

1. Leave a full stick of butter on the counter to get to room temperature
2. once soft mix in 1 tablespoon of rub into the butter thoroughly in a bowl
3. Either leave it in the bowl or you can shape the butter using plastic wrap 
4. You will slice this and slide under the skin of the turkey and put some in the cavity 

Inside the Bird's Cavity

1. Cut the Onion (take of skin), Orange and Lemon into 4ths 
2. Cut each stalk of Celery into 3rds 
3. Add the rub you are using to these items to help impart flavor inside the bird
4. Stuff these inside the cavity of the bird. Make sure to mix in some sliced of the compound butter. I usually save a piece of fruit to add at the end to keep it all in. 

Rub Down the Bird

1. First lightly separate the skin about the breasts and push pieces of the compound butter in-between the skin and the meat. 
2. Spray the outside of the Turkey with the Duck Fat.
3. Add as much or little seasoning as you would like on the outside of the bird.
4. Lock it in my lightly spraying the duck fat over it again. (Make sure you are doing this on the pan you are using to cook in especially if you are going to put potatoes under optional)      

Your Bird is ready to hit the smoker once it hits 275 (you can cook hotter or cooler if you want just know cooler will take longer)

Smoking the Turkey

1. Depending on the smoker you are using add in your smoking wood prior to or after you at the Turkey to the smoker. 
2. Let the Turkey Smoke for an hour or 2 Depending on what else you have to do
3. Melt the other 2 sticke of butter and mix in 1 tablespoon of the rub as well
4. Soak all that up in the cheese cloth
5. At the 1 to 2 hour mark wrap the top of your Turkey with the Cheese Cloth
6. Once the Breast Meat has hit 155 and the dark meat is at 175 you can pull off the cheese Cloth off the the turkey to add more color if you want your turkey Darker... If not Pull the cheese cloth off at 165 breast meat and 185 dark meat when you pull the Turkey off the smoker...  and let it rest for 15-45 minutes. 
7. Carve to your liking and enjoy

 

Optional: 

When you place the Cheesecloth on the Turkey add quartered potatoes under the bird. They will soak up all the amazing juices and be super tasty!