Recipe courtesy of http://www.hotsmokebbq.com
Ingredients:
Buy a 5 to 6 pounds baby-turkey, take out the small package of giblets (if it is there) from the body cavity of the turkey, and cut off any excess fat or skin.
Rinse the turkey under cold running water, blot dry inside and out using paper towels, and tie the legs together using butcher’s wire.
Turkey Brine Ingredients:
We have adapted the original turkey brine recipe to suit our own preferences and taste:
1.25 cups salt
1 quart hot water
1/2 lime in thin slices or squeezed
1 cup molasses or maple syrup
1 onion, medium size, in thin slices
4 cloves garlic, in thin slices
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
5 bay leaves
4 whole cloves
4 quarts cold water
Pour the quart of hot water in a large and deep non-reactive pan or bucket, stir in the salt and molasses until fully dissolved, and add the lime, onion, garlic and other herbs and spices.
Add the 4 quarts of cold water and let cool to room temperature or – even better – refrigerator temperature.
Brining Turkey:
Lower the turkey in the brine and make sure it is fully submerged. If need be, put a water filled plastic bag or container on top to push the turkey down.
Close the lid and put in the fridge to let the brine do its job.
After 12 to 14 hours, remove the turkey from the brine (you don’t want it to become too salty) and blot dry inside and out using paper towels.
Turkey Barbecue Preparation:
Prepare your Weber barbecue (or similar barbecue, or smoker or oven) for indirect grilling. Use about 10 to 12 charcoal briquettes in each side coal pocket.
Pour about half an inch of water in the drip pan. Some fanatics will replace the water with beer or wine. It may sound idiot, but you will notice the difference!
Charcoal Briquettes:
I always use charcoal briquettes because of their even shape and size. I also found they have a more constant quality when compared with regular “lump” charcoal (mostly small lump charcoal, that is…).
Smoke Wood:
Once the charcoal in my barbecue is glowing and grey, I put a few water soaked chunks of smokewood (say about 1″-2″ thick and 3″-5″ long) on top of the charcoal.
Juancho’s BBQ Tip
Smoke is like a condiment, adding a specific taste to your food, like salt and pepper. And just like you don’t want your food to get too salty or too spicy, you don’t want too much smoke either. Too much smoke will leave a bitter and/or creosote taste on your food. In general: do not exaggerate on the smoke. Just a whisp should be enough. Because of the fairly high temperature of the charcoal fire during hot smoking, and to prevent the smoke wood from burning too fast, I soak my smoke wood in a bucket of water for a couple of days prior to use.
Smoking Turkey:
Get smokin’! Stick the turkey on the grill, chest up, right above the drip pan. Brush liberally with melted butter and close the lid of your smoker.
As soon as you see a fair cloud of smoke coming out of the top vent holes, it is time to shut the bottom vent holes to almost closed position.
Roast the turkey for 2.5 to 3 hours until done.
Try to resist peeking under the lid too often. Every time you open your barbecue you will lose heat, and the cooking process will take longer. On the other hand, if you have time anyway, what the heck…
During the roasting process you control the temperature inside the barbecue by gradually opening or closing the bottom vent holes. Mind you: the top vent holes will ALWAYS remain fully open during roasting and smoking.
During roasting, you should see only a whisp of light Hot Smoke coming from your barbecue.
Every hour: brush liberally with melted butter and add 6 to 8 burning charcoal briquettes per side coal pocket.
As soon as you feel that the turkey’s skin may be getting too dark, cover the turkey loosely with aluminium foil and return the lid.
Turkey Dinner Time!
Once you feel that the turkey is done, use a meat thermometer to check if the internal temperature in the thickest parts of the turkey has indeed reached about 180oF (just over 80oC).
If the turkey is indeed done, transfer it to a pre-heated serving dish, cover loosely with aluminium foil, and let it rest for fifteen minutes. This rest will allow heat and juices to distribute evenly, thus making this grilled turkey even better!