Big Green Egg Smoked Turkey Take Two

After my success with smoking a turkey for my family on Thanksgiving, I just had to do it again, it was that good.  So, this week I got myself another small turkey (9 pounds) and fired up the Big green Egg for another round of Apple Juice-Brined Smoked Turkey.

The Brine

I really believe that the “secret” to the turkey is the brine.  Brining the turkey helps it retain moisture during cooking and adds a ton of flavor.  Here is the brine I used:

• 2 quarts apple juice
• 1 pound brown sugar
• 1 cup kosher salt (1/2 cup if the turkey is “enhanced”)
• 3 quarts cold water
• 3 oranges quartered
• 4 ounces fresh ginger, unpeeled and thinly sliced
• 15 whole cloves
• 6 bay leaves
• 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

One thing to notice is that I used 1/2 cup of salt for this turkey as it was “enhanced” meaning it already has a solution of broth (up to about 7%) in the turkey.  My preference is to have a natural turkey without anything added but this was all I could find on short notice.  Using an enhanced turkey requires using less salt.

I brined the turkey for a full 24 hours.  It’s important to keep the turkey/brine solution cold during this process.  Once the 24 hours are up go ahead and drain the turkey and dry it off.  Then place it on a plate and refrigerate it for 12-15 hours.  This helps dry the skin out just a bit and will give you a nice, crispy skinned turkey.

The Turkey

I used a small (9 pound turkey) but this method will work for any sized turkey.  When you are ready to cook the turkey take it out of the fridge and let it sit out on the counter for 30-45 minutes.  This will help the turkey get closer to room temperature and speed up the cooking process.  Go ahead and preheat your grill/Big Green Egg/smoker to 250-300 then add the woodchps (apple or cherry work really well).  Cook the turkey over indirect heat until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees in the breast or 175 in the leg/thigh.  Let the turkey rest under a foil tent for 15-30 minutes before slicing.  That’s it!

The Video

I did a video of the brining and cooking process and posted it to YouTube.  Here it is:

Hopefully, this helps you make a delicious turkey.  Tell us about your favorite way to prepare turkey on the grill or BBQ in the comments.

Happy BBQ’ing!!