Smoked turkey - how is it done?

[slag]

I love to smoke food and think I'm pretty good at it. I've smoked all kinds of meats, casseroles, fish, etc, and just got a cold smoker setup to do cheese and smoke some heavily brined pork bellies.

My question is this. I go to a BBQ place in topeka from time to time and they serve the BEST smoked turkey. The serving container he serves it from has a nice "broth" for lack of a better word that keeps the turkey moist and delicious, but he won't share what's in the juice. I want to recreate this at home so my turkey stays super moist and the chunks/sections I serve it from are dripping with this broth/juice combo. What do you think it is? It's darn good, tastes very little salty, but is just a delicious semi clear liquid. The turkey retains a smoked flavor and is quite possibly the best turkey I've ever had, but how does he do it? The owner won't divulge his secret.

 

[MontyAC]

If I tell you I have to kill you.

 

[leftyman]

So let me get this straight... you wanna smoke some meat and you enjoy its salty delicious dripping juice?

 

[xochi]

I would guess its some kind of Brine. The receipe below is for a basic brine but there are other receipes on the site. I've tried the apple and its my favorite.

http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/turkey3.html

 

[slag]

Brines are used before roasting/smoking the turkey. This is afterwards.. I wonder if he just puts the brine in the bottom and collects the drippings in it. I really need to find out.

 

[Jesta]

Brine and then smoke, can use a pan to catch the drippings if needed, but I've never had a brined turkey come out dry

 

[zinfamous]

many swear by brine and there are those who say that brining is useless. Either way, I don't think brining is going to hurt anything.

Best to just brine the bird for a day or so--high high salt (should use pickling salt, I suppose) with whatever spices (doubt the spaces do anything, tbh) and maybe some molasses.

put in smoker and let it do its thing with little to no disturbance. Honestly, I've never smoked a turkey myself, but I've never had a home-smoked turkey that I didn't like. I don't know if it's lb/hr or lb/30 minutes.

 

[zinfamous]

Brines are used before roasting/smoking the turkey. This is afterwards.. I wonder if he just puts the brine in the bottom and collects the drippings in it. I really need to find out.

I wouldn't trust a brine that sits in the smoker. Granted, the turkey should come out fine, but all of those evil little critters are going to be swimming around in the much cooler brine during the process.

Should be fine to just leave a fresh pan under the bird and all of the brine within the meat will drip and collect during the smoking.

 

[slag]

The "solution" that this turkey sits in at the restaurant is more than just drippings. Its a concoction of something heavenly that the meat sits in. Drippings will generally come out in a smoker and reduce down and this is a lot of juice. I don't know what it all is, but it is so delicious.

 

[zinfamous]

The "solution" that this turkey sits in at the restaurant is more than just drippings. Its a concoction of something heavenly that the meat sits in. Drippings will generally come out in a smoker and reduce down and this is a lot of juice. I don't know what it all is, but it is so delicious.

maybe they take the drippings and add some stuff--like vinegar...apple cider or maybe even balsamic? some starch, perhaps, to make a sauce?

sounds like it's probably just a gravy that is prepared when the bird is done, using the drippings.

how about this: take garlic, onion, thyme and sage, reduce drippings with balsamic, add starch? sounds good to me....

 

[slag]

Yeah, I'm not describing it well. Its an opaque liquid, not thick and very runny like water is that the meat sits in. I guess I really need to add pics of the liquid. At any rate, its so good I'm salivating just thinking about it.

 

[Gibsons]

I brine it overnight, put it in the smoker for about two hours (typically a 12-14 lb turkey), then finish covered in the oven. I pretty much follow Alton Brown's roasted turkey for the brine and 'stuffing.'


The oven finish is just for better access to probing with a thermometer. Plus most of the smoke flavor is imparted early anyway. If you've got that set up with your smoker and can maintain temp, it's probably fine.

I'm starting to agree with whoever said it above that the salt is about 99% of what's important in the brine. I don't do the vegetable stock anymore, just water. The ginger and allspice definitely come through though. It's subtle, but there.

I don't do anything in the way of drippings, that's the downside of brining.