Brine that Bird!

The following is a Briune recipie I found online and have used it for turkey thighs on the smoker and in the oven.  This one of the few time I will say something comes out in the oven better than Grill.  Not that grill was bad, but the cinnamon scent is overpowered by the wood/charcoal aromas.

SMOKED TURKEY BRINE
1/4 Cup brown sugar
3 Tablespoons white sugar
1/4 Cup Kosher salt
3 Quarts water
1/4 Teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 Tablespoon oregano leaves
3 bay leaves
8 TURKEY LEGS or 4 TURKEY HINDQUARTERS (LEG & THIGH), If using hindquarters, remove thigh bone
 
In a saucepot, mix together the sugars, salt, water, spices and herbs. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugars and salt are dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.
Pour the cooled brine over the turkey parts, completely covering the turkey.
Place in the refrigerator and allow to marinate for at least 12 hours but no more than 14 hours.
Remove turkey from the brine and quickly rinse off the herbs and spices under cold water.

Special Note: This is an extra step not listed, but we find works really well.  After rinsing the parts.  Place in a tray, uncovered in the fridge for 6 hours or so.  This allows the skin to dry out slightly and "crisp up" when baking in the oven. This does not effect the meat but does help crisp up the skin.

Smoke the turkey at 300 degrees F for 1.5 hours with light applewood smoke (or according to the manufacturer's directions), or until the turkey parts are cooked through to an internal temperature of 180 degrees F (I go for 160 myself and let it set for 15-20 minutes after that). If a smoker is not available, use pecan or mesquite wood with a wood burning grill and replenish the wood as needed to maintain a 300 degree F heat.
 
http://www.eatturkey.com/sitesearch/search.cgi

Thanks! I'm always looking for smoke recipes.

You can make the same mix and place a whole turkey in a 5 gallon bucket and brine for 48 hours, then smoke for some really moist bird.  I do several every year for friends and family. 

Here's a couple more tips to add to yours;
Using a large spoon, gently pull the skin away from the meat before brining so the brine can contact more of the muscle.  Before loading into the smoker, put tabs of butter under the skin.  Cover the meat with cheese cloth and baste with melted butter.  The butter will help crisp up the skin and brown it if you smoke at lower temps than the 300 degrees Kevin mentioned.  The cheese cloth keeps some of the creosote from the smoke, which is kind of bitter, off the meat while letting the flavor of the smoke get in.  Also leaves a cool cross-hatch pattern on the skin. 

Remember; cooking brine meat like turkey, it will cook faster than a raw fresh bird.  This is because the brine process breaks down the muscle connective tissue.  With turkeys as a loss leader at the grocery stores, it's pretty cheap this time of year to experiment with smoking a bird.  If you can't eat a whole turkey, have the butcher slice it in half and cook half a bird.  A raw frozen turkey will last up to 6 months if your freezer is zero degrees or colder.  Smoked turkey will last a couple years frozen if it's vacuum sealed.  It's a great snack that way or great for soup stock too with it's extra kick of smoke in there.  Save the smoke drippings too  for gravy but use just a little of it since it's concentrated .  A teaspoon in your gravy to start, add more to your particular taste.  Save some of that drippings and toss in the fry pan next morning with your home fries for a good treat too. 

I agree; 160 is a good temperature since the bird is cured with brine before cooking.  Do not be surprised if the meat is pink.  The salt I use is Morton's Quick Cure and Morton's Sugar Cure.  Both have the nitrites and nitrates that give meat it's red tinge.  There are natural nitrates in smoke which gives some meats it's 'smoke ring'; a layer of pink just next to the outside of the meat being smoked. 

I pretty much brine any store bought poultry or pork. Mass production just kill any real flavor. Almost any brine will help.

Skipro3 .,  Are you trying to kill people?? 


 Without a fryer this yr.,  and going to my sisters house for Thanksgiving.... I'll be missing out on brined smoked turkey.
 I will be using a small paint bucket with whole chickens at home.

Thanks for the recipe
Smoke turkey is the only way to go IMHO

I got it made, I offset the charcoal in my Weber 22" throw the bird on the roistere and let it run in circles till she is done.  I have also tried beer canning, and spatchcocking (cut the backbone out and lay the bird flat, it is very quick 1.5-2 hours for a 15 pound bird). but smoked roistere still seems to come out best IMHO.

I've been using this for the last 10 years. Works great.

http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/Top-Thanksgiving-turkey-Brine-and-roast-2855943.php

I've been using this for the last 10 years. Works great.

http://www.sfgate.com/recipes/article/Top-Thanksgiving-turkey-Brine-and-roast-2855943.php

Looks like a good one, who would of thought a Vegan restaurant would have a good brine!