Citrus Honey Brined Smoked Turkey Food

CITRUS HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix hot water and kosher salt in a 54-quart cooler, stirring until the salt dissolves. Mix in vegetable broth, honey, and orange juice. Pour in the ice cubes, place the turkey into the brine with breast side up, and close the cooler lid. Place the cooler in a cold place and let the turkey marinate overnight or up to 12 hours. Brine temperature must stay colder than 40 degrees F (4 degrees C).
• Remove turkey from brine, discard brine, and dry the turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Mix vegetable oil with poultry seasoning in a bowl, and rub the turkey with the mixture. Place apple, celery, onion, and orange pieces into the cavity of the turkey.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for indirect heat and lightly oil the grate. Build a 'smoke bomb' by placing about 1 cup of hickory or cherry wood chips into the middle of a 12x12-inch doubled piece of aluminum foil. Gather up the edges of the foil to make a pouch and leave the pouch open at the top. Set the smoke bomb directly onto the coals if grilling with charcoal, or onto the flame bar of a gas grill.
• Set the turkey onto the grill in position for indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast, not touching a bone, and close the grill. Set the probe thermometer for 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
• Grill turkey for 1 hour and check the bird; if skin is already golden brown, cover the breast, legs, and wings with aluminum foil. Replace the smoke bomb with a new one; close cover and continue to grill until probe thermometer registers 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), 2 to 3 more hours. Remove the fruit and vegetable pieces from the cavity, cover turkey with aluminum foil, and let rest for 1 hour before carving.

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.

HONEY, BUTTER, AND ORANGE INJECTED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, add the shallot and the garlic to the melted butter. Simmer on very low for about twenty minutes stirring occasionally. Add the sage, thyme, salt, pepper, orange zest, and white wine. Let simmer for fifteen more minutes to cook off the alcohol, stirring occasionally. Add the orange juice. Strain this into a bowl. Wipe out the sauce pan and return mixture to the pan. Add the honey. (When I added the honey, I just added a little, and kept stirring and tasting until the honey taste just barely started to come through.
• I stored this in the refridgerator overnight. The next morning I reheated it just until it was liquified, then injected it into the turkey. Smoke or bake as you normally would.

HONEY BRINED HERB ROASTED TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey, reserve for gravy. Rinse turkey with cold running water and drain well. Blot dry with paper towels.
• Prepare brine by mixing water, honey and salt in a large bowl. Stir until honey dissolves. Add half the thyme and sage along with the garlic and black pepper. Set aside. Add chicken stock.
• Line an extra-large stock pot with a food-safe plastic bag. Place the rinsed turkey in the bag and pour brine over the turkey. Gather the bag tightly around the turkey, causing the turkey to be surrounded by the brine. Seal the bag and refrigerate the pot, bag and brined turkey for at least 12 hours.
• Pre-heat oven to 350°F Remove turkey from brine and pat dry inside and out. Discard brine. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a large shallow (about 2 1/2" deep) roasting pan.
• Squeeze lemon juice into the main turkey cavity. Put the squeezed lemon halves into the cavity along with the rest of the thyme and sage. Coat turkey lightly with oil and sprinkle inside and out with salt, pepper.
• Insert an oven safe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh, being careful the pointed end of the thermometer does not touch the bone. Roast turkey, basting with poultry stock every half hour or so.
• Loosely cover with aluminum foil to prevent over browning, remove foil during last hour and a half of cooking time. Continue to roast until thermometer registers 180°F in the thigh, or 170°F in the breast.
• Remove turkey from the oven and allow it to cool for 15-20 minutes before carving.

HONEY CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Place orange juice, water, honey, brown sugar, lemon, oranges, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and bay leaf in a large pot; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually stir in ice to start chilling the brine.
• Pour brine into a large bucket; add more ice to finish cooling.