BBQ BRO’S SMOKED THANKSGIVING TURKEY
Thanksgiving is just around the corner and I would like to give my fellow BBQ BRO’S fans the gift of this awesome smoked turkey recipe. The fam loves smoked turkey so much, I can’t even remember the last time I roasted a turkey in the oven. The two main differences when it comes to a smoked turkey is a smoked turkey has noticeably more intense flavor and tenderness to it, now who doesn’t love that?! But while that sounds awesome, the other difference is that a smoked turkey can take up to 8 hours to smoke. That’s up to double the time from using a conventional baking oven. SMOKING A BIG BIRD IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART, so if you are not quite sure you can dedicate 8 hours to a Thanksgiving turkey, you may want to stick to a regular baking oven. With that being said, if your willing to give a crack at it and you have the time to spare; let's dive right into this smoked-turkey blog!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 15 pound turkey defrosted
- 1 can of olive oil spray or any cooking spray
- 1 jar of BBQ BRO’S RUBS California Style Rub
- 1 jar of BBQ BRO’S RUBS Memphis Style Rub
- 4 cups water to start, more to refill
- Turkey stuffing - Need a stuffing recipe? Click here.
- 24 oz of vegetable broth or chicken bone broth
- Cherry wood chips
DIRECTIONS:
- Remove giblets and neck from turkey; wash and pat the exterior of the turkey dry. Poor ¼ cup BBQ BRO’S RUBS California Style and ¼ cup BBQ BRO’S RUBS Memphis Style rub into a medium sized bowl. Mix the seasonings together so the herbs, spices and salt are all evenly dispersed. Get your cooking spray and spray the inside and the outside of the turkey generously. My go-to for a Thanksgiving turkey is olive oil. Use 50% of the rub mixture to “rub” the inner cavity of the turkey. Use the other 50% of the BBQ BRO’S mixture to flavor the exterior skin of the turkey. I also like to sprinkle whole, fresh rosemary, thyme and oregano bits all around the skin of the turkey. Be sure to let marinate with the turkey fully covered for at least 4 hours- even better if over-night!.
- Stuff your turkey. (Stuff turkey once smoker/grill is preheated! DO NOT STUFF TURKEY UNLESS YOU ARE ABOUT TO SMOKE IT). Need a stuffing recipe? Check out BBQ BRO’S stuffing recipe here.
- Place turkey in disposable roasting pan.
- Pour the vegetable or chicken bone broth into the pan with the turkey.
- Cover turkey with tin foil and get smokin’!
- Preheat whatever type of grill you are using for indirect smoking at 225 degrees F. Add the cherry wood chips to the smoke chamber. At 225 degrees F, you can plan on approximately 30 minutes per pound for your turkey to smoke. Check the turkey packaging for an exact weight and multiply the weight by 30 and divide by 60. This will equal the amount of hours. Use an instant read thermometer to check the temperature of the turkey in the breast and thigh on both the left and right side. Be sure to baste the turkey every hour! Once all temperatures are above 165 degrees F, it is time to remove the smoked turkey to a large platter or cutting board.
- Allow the turkey to rest for about 15 minutes before slicing and serving. If your turkey is done a little early, cover the turkey with foil and wrap with towels to insulate and keep the heat at a safe serving temperature.
- Serve! Happy Thanksgiving!
