Fellas, I had 15 plump turkeys in the yard yesterday and managed to pop a nice hen.
The season is long here in Idaho and birds are plentiful.
Wondering how to smoke this bird--should I brine soak it first? I have a smoker and cherry and apple wood chips. I've only ever smoked salmon and lots of it.
Do I have to oven-cook the bird to kill parasites?
Any suggestions appreciated!
Nobody smokes turkey around here??
Nobody smokes turkey around here??
naw the zigzags kept ripping.
Wow, expected more input...google here I come.....
I tried to smoke half the breast from last year's bird and it didn't come out well. I skinned the bird when I cleaned it and figured I'd put a rasberry glaze on the bird to keep moist just like the recipe called for. Didn't work AT ALL. I used apple wood and the flavor was great but it was the toughest meat I've ever eaten. The recipe said you can do this with a skinned bird as well but I wouldn't even begin to kid myself again that a skinned wild turkey has a chance of being anything but shoe leather if you put it through the smoker.
I got this from another website, excellent recipe:
When you smoke it , wrap it in foil until about the last hr of smoking.
1 wild turkey (10-14 lb)
Brine:
5 quarts water
1/2 C. salt
1/4 C. brown sugar
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
Seasoning:
1/4 C. lemon juice
1 C. butter, melted
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
4-6 slices bacon
Basting Sauce:
1/4 C. butter, melted
1/3 C. white wine
Instructions: Mix brine ingredients. In a large, clean bucket (or any clean, non-reactive container you have), immerse turkey in brining mixture for 24 hours. Drain and dry very thoroughly. Set out one additional hour to dry completely. Rub outside and inside of turkey with lemon juice.
At this point, you make want to smoke the turkey for added flavor, as smoked wild turkey is particularly good. (However, this is optional.) If smoking, smoke six hours according to your smoker's directions.
If stuffing the turkey, stuff it at this time using the recipe of your choice.
Mix butter, pepper, and salt, and rub mixture on skin and into cavity of turkey. Lay bacon slices over breast meat. Place the turkey breast side up in roasting pan. Mix melted butter and white wine. Bake in 325 degree oven about 3 to 3 3/4 hours (cook time will be less if turkey is smoked, more if turkey is stuffed), basting occasionally with butter and white wine mixture. Turkey is ready when legs and joints move loosely and internal temperature reads 165 degrees F.
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We have also used a syringe and shot the turkey up with melted butter, breast thighs and drum sticks. Place them in a micro wave bag and cook they per the instructions that came with the bag, so many minutes per pound. then place then in a normal oven under a broiler element to brown the skin.
I had a buddy tell me once how good smoked wild turkey is. So I let him have a gobbler I'd killed to smoke. NEVER AGAIN!
Cut the breast into strips or chunks. Bread
or batter it however you like and fry it. Sometimes I'll just put some season salt on it and fry it.
Yes, brine. And keep the heat low. Some people will put something under the skin of the breast to try and keep it moist, or cover the breast in foil part way through the smoke. No stuffing-maybe just some sage or other spices in the cavity and a small amount of red pepper (or whatever) to put on the bird after it is oiled or rubbed with butter. Makes the best turkey and sausage gumbo. All the best.
broomd, I was just thinking about smoking a turkey (wild), and I have used a brine that comes from Idaho and it works very good and I love the flavor it produces. I have used this brine quite a few times on both wild and tame turkeys and it has never failed me and it tastes a lot better than all of the local "commercial" guy's turkeys. It is a place in Kooskia Idaho and this is their e-mail address (I hope)
www.eldonsausage.com or just Google Eldon's Jerky and Sausage Supply
Ken
I've smoked oodles of turkeys. Leave the skin on, use an upright smoker. Salt and pepper the bird, use a water pan filled to the top.
Load bottom with charcoal and moderate amounts of wood chunks. Leave for about 8 hours. Depending on size of the bird.
Too much wood and it will look blacker than Sammy Davis. But it will still taste good.
I always take it easy on the smoke so it looks more golden brown/traditional.
Travis
I brine them in a 5 gallon bucket. 1 1/2 cups pickling salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Let it sit for 24 hrs. Dry it off, put on your favorite rub, and put it in the smoker on fairly high heat (for a smoker). I just cook mine entirely in the smoker. No need for the oven. Put it on the top rack and I would guess about 6-8 hrs later the little button pops out and she's done. Cooking times will vary so much by your setup that what works for me might not work at all for you but I've had very good luck this way.