Bourbon Smoked Turkey Brine Food

SMOKED TURKEY WITH BBQ GRAVY

Steps:

• For the rub:
• Mix all ingredients in a small bowl and reserve.
• For the brine:
• Mix the water, salt, apple juice, bourbon, peppercorn, and sugar into a 5-gallon bucket lined with a resealable bag. Stir until the salt and sugar is dissolved. Add the turkey into the bag with the brine. In a garbage bag-lined ice chest filled with ice, place the bucket in and surround with ice. Keep in a cool place and let brine 6 hours or overnight. Turn the turkey after 3 hours. Remove turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
• Rub the turkey with olive oil and massage the rub onto the Turkey.
• Soak wood chips for 1 hour prior to cooking the turkey and drain well. Fill the chimney starter with charcoal and light. Burn until they ash over. Place the burned coals to 1 side of the grill. Place wood chips on top of coals. Line a standard size loaf pan with aluminum foil and fill 2/3 with water. Place in the grill opposite the coals.
• Take the turkey and place on the grill over the pan of water. Insert a probe thermometer in the thigh to keep a check on the temperature as it cooks. Place the lid on the grill with the vent open.
• The temperature should remain constant at 225 degrees F. You may need to add more coals and chips every few hours.
• After 1 hour check the turkey, if the skin is golden brown cover with foil. Continue cooking for 4 to 6 more hours or until a probe thermometer reaches 160 degrees F.
• Remove from the oven and let rest 20 minutes before you carve. Serve with BBQ Gravy.
• Mix ingredients together and store in an air tight container for up to 6 months.
• Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan on medium-high heat. Add the drumstick and neck and sear until brown. Remove from pan and reserve.
• Lower heat and saute the onions. Add the stock, scrapping up the fond on the bottom of the pan. Add the drumstick and neck into the saucepan. Cover and let simmer until it comes to a boil; about 1 hour. Sauce will reduce down greatly. Remove turkey parts. Add BBQ Sauce to pan and whisk together. Gravy will thicken. Season with salt and pepper.
• In a medium saucepan, combine all ingredients. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat to simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring frequently, for 1 hour 15 minutes.

BOURBON TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Add sugar & salt to 1.5 cup of bourbon take HALF of the herbs,1 apple, 1 orange and orange rind, peppercorns,1 garlic head, and 1 onion in saucepan bring to a low boil dissolving the sugar & salt. Remove from heat.
• Take a potato masher and gently press down the ingredients in the saucepan so all the flavors can release into the bourbon. Add 1 cup of ice to cool down.
• Line large bucket or pot with brining bag add the OTHER HALF of the herbs, fruit, peppercorns, orange rind, garlic & onion.
• Place turkey in bag, add 1 cup of bourbon to the inside cavity of turkey, 7 cups of cold water, then add bourbon & ice mixture finish with 8 more cups of bourbon.
• Stir & submerge turkey in bourbon brine make sure no air is in brining bag. Take the flavor injector, and inject the turkey in several different areas with the brining solution.
• Refrigerate & rotate every 12 hours.
• Brine for 48 hours, bring to room temperature for 45 minutes. Pat dry and cook. (SEE BOURBON DRUNKEN UPSIDE-DOWN TURKEY RECIPE).

HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
• Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
• Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.
• Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.

ORANGE-BOURBON TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey; discard. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Combine orange juice, water, 1/2 cup bourbon, and molasses in a 2-gallon heavy-duty ziptop plastic bag; add turkey. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours turning bag occasionally. Remove turkey from bag, reserving marinade.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Tie ends of legs with cord. Lift wing tip up and over back and tuck under bird. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt into body cavity. Stuff cavity with oranges. Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray or on a rack set in a shallow pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees. (Cover loosely with foil if it gets too brown.) Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand at least 10 minutes before carving. Discard oranges.
• Pour reserved marinade into saucepan; bring to a boil. Skim foam from mixture with a slotted spoon; discard. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 3 1/2 cups (about 15 minutes). Combine 1/4 cup bourbon and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add to reduced marinade; bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve sauce with turkey. Garnish with orange slices and parsley sprigs if desired.

MAPLE-WHISKEY TURKEY

Steps:

• For the maple-whiskey brine: Combine the whiskey, maple syrup, salt, peppercorns, bay leaves, garlic, rosemary, orange peel, apple peel and 8 cups (2 quarts) water in a large pot. Bring to a boil uncovered, stirring to dissolve the salt, then turn off the heat and cover. Allow to cool completely, then place in the fridge to chill.
• For the turkey: Remove the turkey from its packaging and remove the bags inside that hold the neck and giblets. Rinse the neck and giblets and put them in a plastic bag in the fridge; you'll need them for the Maple-Whiskey Gravy. Rinse the turkey thoroughly with cold water. Place the turkey in a large brining bag or pot. Pour in the maple-whiskey brine, cover with cold water and place in the fridge for 16 to 24 hours so the brine can work its magic.
• When ready for roasting, preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it thoroughly again inside and out. Soak the turkey in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes, then rinse again and pat dry. Tuck the wings underneath the turkey, then tie the legs together with kitchen string. Place the turkey breast-side up on a rack in a large, shallow roasting pan. Cover the pan with heavy-duty foil so that it's well sealed. Roast for about 10 minutes per pound (about 2 1/2 hours for a 15-pound turkey and about 3 hours 20 minutes for a 20-pound turkey).
• Remove the turkey from the oven and increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Remove the foil and set aside. (Put stuffing in the bird if you wish at this point.) Rub the butter all over the skin of the turkey, getting in the crevices. Insert a probe thermometer into the thigh, near the hip joint. Place the turkey, uncovered, back in the oven. Continue roasting, basting or brushing with the juices in the pan every 30 minutes, until the thermometer registers 165 degrees F and the juices are no longer pink. This could take another 2 to 2 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the bird.
• Remove the turkey from the oven and cover lightly with foil until you are ready to carve it. Pour the pan drippings into a fat separator and set aside for the Maple-Whiskey Gravy.
• Put the giblets and neck in a small saucepan of water over medium heat and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to medium low and simmer until the giblets are cooked, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the giblets and neck, set aside and keep the water in the saucepan.
• In the turkey roasting pan (which should not have been cleaned!), add back 1/4 cup turkey fat. Sprinkle in the flour and whisk it into the fat to form a paste. If the paste is too thick or clumpy, add a little more fat. If it's too greasy, sprinkle in more flour. Whisk and cook the roux over medium-low heat until deep golden brown.
• Turn off the heat and add the whiskey, then turn the heat back on and whisk it in. Pour in the chicken broth, whisking the whole time, then add the maple syrup. Allow it to cook and thicken for several minutes, whisking occasionally. If the gravy gets too thick or if it's too salty, thin it with a little of the giblet water. If the gravy is too thin, just keep cooking until it thickens up. Taste, then add salt and plenty of black pepper. Chop the giblets and add them to the gravy. Remove as much of the neck meat as you can and add it to the gravy too. Serve immediately!

SMOKED WHOLE TURKEY

Steps:

• Add 2 gallons water, the fine salt, molasses, sugar, Worcestershire, garlic, bay leaves and 1 tablespoon pepper to a large pot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar, and then remove from the heat. Cool the brine completely.
• Pour the brine into a large bucket and add the turkey, making sure it is completely submerged. Brine for 12 to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
• Pour the bourbon and 4 cups water over the wood chips and soak overnight.
• The next day, remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels.
• Rub the turkey with the oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Load an electric smoker with the soaked wood chips and place the turkey inside. Set the smoker to 225 degrees F and smoke until the internal temperature is 160 to 165 degrees F, 5 to 6 hours.
• Rest the turkey for 20 minutes before carving.

BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix salt, brown sugar, vegetable stock, apple cider vinegar, pickling spice, onion, carrot, peppercorns and bay leaves in a stockpot and bring to a boil until sugar and salt is well dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. In large pot or ice chest, add stockpot mixture to ice and cold water. Submerge turkey. Brine for 4 to 6 hours.
• Remove turkey from brine and dry well. Combine Worcestershire sauce and kitchen bouquet browning sauce together and brush on skin of turkey. Rub salt, pepper and paprika onto turkey skin. Stuff inside of turkey with orange quarters and tie legs together.
• Smoke turkey in smoker set to 250 degrees for about 7 hours. Checking internal temperature to be 170 degrees. Remove and let rest for 45 minutes.

BOURBON INJECTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Place all ingredients other than butter into a saucepan. Whisk, then bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat, then simmer for 10 minutes.
• slice butter into small pats, and add the butter after the 10 minutes are up. Whisk until the butter is melted,.
• Using a 30ml flavor injector, inject the turkey in the breast, thighs,drumstick and upper wing ares. No more than 15ml should be injected at any one place.
• Cook bird according to your normal method.