Turkey Day!
Turkey Day!
22 lbs turkey (that’s crazy). I spatchcocked it then took out the breastbone so it’s fully split in half. I brined each half in a gallon of water with a cup of salt and 3/4 cup brown sugar.
My herb butter was very roughly inspired by this site. My cooking plan was inspired by this site.
27 Nov 1930 - turkey is in the brine. I struggled to get this to cool down because it didn’t fit in the fridge, so I had it in the garage in a bucket surrounded by ice. Hours later everything cooled below 39℉. It makes me nervous, but we’ll cook it until it’s fully done.
28 Nov 1100 - turkey is out of the brine after 15.5 hrs, looks good, it’s nice and cold. I put herbed butter under the skin, sprinkled more herbs and salt on top of the skin.
1130 - turkey is on the smoker at 225℉.
1300 - turkey is around 100℉.
1350 - turkey is around 130℉.
Dinner time - I’m writing this part much later and don’t remember when I pulled the turkey out. It was above 165℉ for a good period of time… But it was also a little later than I intended to serve dinner. Maybe 1900.
Last time Sarah didn’t love the smoked turkey… It was too smoky for her. I had an uphill battle with her on this one, and I’m pleased to report that she liked it a lot! I think it’s still not her favorite turkey cooking technique. For me this was one of the best turkeys I’ve ever eaten. It is certainly the best I’ve made. It wasn’t simple, though… Perhaps if the outdoors was cool enough to keep the turkey safe it would have been easier, but as it is cooking turkey is a pain. This one was a gem though - it was a hit at our Thanksgiving party.