# Thanksgiving Turkey - How do you do it?



## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

For me, the turkey goes in a brine solution tonight. One pound brown sugar, one pound salt - mixed and dissolved. Then in goes the bird - covered with water and ice and soaked over night. And then ol' Tom gets fried! No other way to do it.

Here is a pic of one of the first one's my son and I fried. Hmmmmm. Fried Turkey!
[attachment=0:rkjdpaji]Fried Turkey.JPG[/attachment:rkjdpaji]


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

Someone watches to much Alton Brown.

I have never had fried, I prefer my smoked, or just a traditional slow cook in the oven all day. I always sneek the medalions off the back for myself. Mmmmmmm


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

truemule said:


> Someone watches to much Alton Brown.


My son is obsessed with his show. I hate the dude myself. But to his credit, his approach to frying a turkey is pretty dang good. The ladder-hoist to get it in and out is perfect and safe and just great!


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## truemule (Sep 12, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> truemule said:
> 
> 
> > Someone watches to much Alton Brown.
> ...


Yes he is quite inventive. I like watching some of his stuff, but lately his show has suffered. Must be him getting old.  Anyway back to turkey talk.


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

I'm smoking mine this year for the first time. Really wanted to brine it but the cost of a non injected turkey was almost 3 times that of an injected.  So i decided to rub herb infused butter under the skin then into the WSM for 4 hours @ 350. I can't wait. Happy thanksgiving everyone!


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

That's cool Gary, love the ladder hoist.

I use the same cup of salt cup of brown sugar recipe, but inject and then smoke the bird with cherry wood. It's a family tradition.


Ah....I don't know who Alton Brown is.


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## MeanGene (Nov 18, 2008)

I know it's past the day but I have been deep frying my birds for about 8 or 9 years now and will never cook one in an oven again. Never tried smoking one, but wouldn't that clog the screen. J/K. I don't have a smoker yet but it's on my list for next year. Never tried the Brine Soak before but sounds interesting. We have always just injected them with everything from butter, cranberry sauce, cajun, creol, garlic & herb, etc. My family and I think they are the best, fried. How does the Brine soak taste?


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

MeanGene said:


> How does the Brine soak taste?


Brining isn't really necessary for a fried bird, as frying overcomes the inherint conundrum with cooking turkeys--the fact that the breast is done long before the dark drums/things are. But any 'enhanced' bird you buy like a butterball is already brined. Brining just increases the moisture content and enlarges the 'done' window (which is really narrow for the breast meat).

A pure brine is basically salt and water, but you can also add spices to add some flavor to your bird. I'll dig up some of my brine recipes and post them. But if I'm frying, I only inject for flavor. I brine when I smoke or grill a bird.


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

Smokin’ Okie’s Holiday Turkey Brine:

•	1 gal. water
•	1 c. coarse kosher salt
•	¾ c. soy sauce
•	½ c. white sugar
•	½ c. brown sugar
•	½ c. honey
•	½ c. apple cider vinegar
•	4 Tbsp. black pepper
•	3 - 4 Tbsp. chopped garlic
•	1 tsp. Allspice

•	Tip: Try beer in place of some of the water, or substitute apple juice. Try a variety of spices


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

J Appledog’s Award winning turkey brine:

•	2 cups brown sugar
•	1 cup maple syrup
•	¾ cup Kosher salt
•	3 whole heads garlic, cloves separated, but not peeled, and bruised
•	6 large bay leaves
•	1½ cups coarsely chopped unpeeled fresh ginger
•	2 teaspoons dried chili flakes
•	1½ cups soy sauce
•	3 quarts water
•	Handful of fresh thyme sprigs


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## Nor-tah (Dec 16, 2007)

Gumbo, throw up your grillin recipe too!! I saw one Bobby flay did and it looked awesome. Seems like it would be really hard to get a bird cooked through on a grill. Never tried it though.


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Both those recipes look great Gumbo. Thanks for sharing them. I'll have to give them a try on the next one.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Gumbo said:


> .................................................
> A pure brine is basically salt and water, but you can also add spices to add some flavor to your bird. I'll dig up some of my brine recipes and post them. But if I'm frying, I only inject for flavor. I brine when I smoke or grill a bird.


Nice recipes!

So do you simmer these brines, let cool, and then inject them?

Who is Alton Brown?


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

wyogoob said:


> So do you simmer these brines, let cool, and then inject them?


With a brine, the preferred method is complete immersion for 24 hours or overnight. Then rinse in fresh water (to remove excess salt) and air dry before cooking. You might simmer some just to get the sugars/salts to completely dissolve. Then add cold water, becaue you want the bird to go into cold liquid only.



wyogoob said:


> Who is Alton Brown?


Goob, you're killing me! :lol: By the looks of your photos, you're probably out hunting while I'm at home watching Alton Brown on Food Network!!


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

Nor-tah said:


> Gumbo, throw up your grillin recipe too!!


If you want to grill your turkey, this is a great recipe. And it details the brining and cooking pricess. Jamie used to frequent a BBQ forum I follow, and posted this recipe, which is below (though a bit commercialized now that it's on the Weber site). The only thing I do different is he states to add unlint charcoal to maintain the cooker's temp, and I only add unlit if using lump. If using briquettes, I always pre-light befor adding.

http://www.weber.com/Recipes/Recipe.aspx?rid=52


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## STEVO (Sep 13, 2007)

We always melt up some butter, and added a ton of apple cider to it. We then inject the entire bird under the skin & into the breasts. We then smoke it above apple chips for about 8 hours. Best turkey I have ever had. Tried it a few years ago just messing around & I wont cook a turkey any other way now.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

STEVO said:


> We always melt up some butter, and added a ton of apple cider to it. We then inject the entire bird under the skin & into the breasts. We then smoke it above apple chips for about 8 hours. Best turkey I have ever had. Tried it a few years ago just messing around & I wont cook a turkey any other way now.


Yer da man!


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

Alton Brown is a guy on Food Network. He is the host of the Iron Chef show, and also has his own show called "Good Eats." I'm not one for cooking shows really. But his Good Eats show is actually not bad-- in moderation. He'll present some cooking techniques, recipes, etc... but also explain the chemistry or science behind why it works, why the flavors will blend or not, things like that. He did a show on frying a turkey - and part of the show was coming up with a way to do it and not deal with the potential for fire or spilled oil burns. So he showed the ladder hoist as a way to lower and raise the turkey into the oil. Pretty good way to do it actually.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Gumbo said:


> wyogoob said:
> 
> 
> > So do you simmer these brines, let cool, and then inject them?
> ...


Food Network? I see some of those things surfing channels. I watch very little TV.

OK now yer talking. If I have a "flavored" brine I simmer it to bring out all the flavors, then inject it after it cools.

I mix salt into my brines the old-fasioned way, mixing the salt in the water until an egg just floats, turns on it's side. That's the way my father and grandfather taught me to do it, for pork, beef, and fowl, over 40 yars ago.

Another brining hint: add Butter Buds dissolved in the brine for a nice butter flavor. Butter Buds are water soluble and disperse in the muscles better than any oil-based butter or margarine.

These are good recipes, I need to experiment more.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

GaryFish said:


> Alton Brown is a guy on Food Network. He is the host of the Iron Chef show, and also has his own show called "Good Eats." I'm not one for cooking shows really. But his Good Eats show is actually not bad-- in moderation. He'll present some cooking techniques, recipes, etc... but also explain the chemistry or science behind why it works, why the flavors will blend or not, things like that. He did a show on frying a turkey - and part of the show was coming up with a way to do it and not deal with the potential for fire or spilled oil burns. So he showed the ladder hoist as a way to lower and raise the turkey into the oil. Pretty good way to do it actually.


Thanks Gary. I will try to watch him.

Is he the short dark-haired stocky guy?


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

[attachment=0:t71lkvej]ab.jpg[/attachment:t71lkvej]

This is Alton Brown.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Yer kiddin' me. Isn't that Edward Scissorhands?

I never seen that guy before in my life....and Hooterville has cable.


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

I like to fry, and I like to smoke, but this is my preferred way: on the Weber rotisserie with just a touch of smoke, injected with Scottie's Creole Butter (I think I posted that recipe in another thread).

[attachment=0:1gtp1fux]turkey.JPG[/attachment:1gtp1fux]


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Man, that even smells good!!!!


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## pkred (Jul 9, 2009)

Hey Gumbo did you mod your weber with the roto or is that a special attachment/smoker? :?:


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## Gumbo (Sep 22, 2007)

It's an add-on that comes with the ring, motor, and spit.










http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00004VWM1...e=asn&creative=380341&creativeASIN=B00004VWM1


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## GaryFish (Sep 7, 2007)

You are THE Man Gumbo. That is awesome!


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