Smoked Turkey in a Brinkman Water Smoker

Here we go again but without pictures this time. Will have to wait till Thanksgiving for photos. As you may already know, I love to smoke meats in the Brinkman Water Smoker. I have been smoking Turkey for Thanksgiving for the last 4 years and I can safely tell you that this is the best way to cook a Turkey. The key is to find the right size Turkey that will fit in the Smoker and the time you take to Brine the Turkey for 12-24 hours before cooking. I have used Diestel Free Range Turkey which has not been frozen. A 12lb Turkey fits nicely in the smoker but you could go up to 14-15 lbs. You can also safely use this recipe for brining chicken, just reduce the amount of water and salt and other ingredients appropriately.

Ingredients:
One 12-14  lbs Turkey (don't use Kosher or self basting turkey since they already contain salt.)

2 Gallons Non Chlorinated Water
1 Bottle Reisling
2 Tablespoons Juniper Berries
4 Tablespoons Black Peppers
2 Tablespoons Colored Peppers
1 Celery Stalk Coarsely Chopped
1 Yellow Onion Coarsely Chopped
4 Medium Carrots Coarsely Chopped
4 Bay Leaves
1 1/2  Cups Salt
1/2 Cup Sugar
1 Bunch Sage

Directions:

The hardest part for me to brine the turkey every year is how to store the Turkey. Fortunately, last year I found a large pot similar to a clam bake pot that I can fit inside the fridge. If you don't have a large pot, you could try to put the turkey in a large cooler or a 5 gallon paint bucket but make sure you can fit that in your fridge.

Pour the water and the Reisling in the pot. Mix salt in the water until completely dissolved add sugar and mix it well. Wash and clean the Turkey and get rid of the giblets. Dump all of the chopped vegetables in the pot along with the other ingredients. Drop the Turkey carefully into the brine and put it in the fridge for about 12-24 hours.

Remove Turkey from the brine at least 30 minutes prior to putting it in the smoker to bring it close to room temperature. When your smoker is hot and ready to go, simply place the Turkey on the top shelf of the smoker and cook for 4 hours. Check the temperature with a meat thermometer for a reading around 160 to 165 degrees. Remove the Turkey and rest it for 10 minutes prior to cutting it. Enjoy the most delicious, moist Turkey you would have ever had. The day after Thanksgiving, you can wear gloves and remove the meat from Turkey by hand and shred it with your hands or chop it with a knife. Mix some mayonnaise and chopped red onions, cilantro and seeded green chili's. Season with salt and pepper and put the mix on a Crostini or Crackers and enjoy with a nice glass of Pinot Gris.

Happy Smoking