Bradley Smoker Apple & Spice Brined Turkey

INGREDIENTS

  • Turkey, fully defrosted (around 6 ½ kg) or
    3 x Size 24 (2.4kg) Chickens (for the volume of Brine)
  • 4 Cups Water
  • 4 Cups Apple Juice
  • 1 ½ Cups Kosher Salt or 1 Cup Table Salt
  • ½ Cup Brown Sugar
  • 1 Tbsp ground Cinnamon
  • 1 Tbsp black Peppercorns
  • 1 Tbsp candied Ginger or 1/8 tsp ground Ginger
  • 10 Cloves
  • 2 sprigs each Rosemary, Sage, and Thyme
  • 6 Cups Ice Cubes
  • 4 Cups Apple Juice
  • 1 large Apple, quartered
  • 1 Onion, quartered

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. In a large stock pot, combine the water, apple juice, salt, spices, and herbs. Bring to a boil.
  2. Remove the brine from the heat and stir in the remaining cold apple juice and the ice cubes. Once the brine is fully chilled, pour over your turkey or chickens. Brine in a container that can keep the birds fully submerged in the brine.
  3. Keep your turkey/chicken and brine below 4C degrees during the entire brining process. Brine for approximately 1 hour per 500g of turkey or chicken.
  4. Once your turkey/chicken has been in the brine for long enough, remove from the brine and rinse gently, both on the inside and the exterior of the birds. Pat completely dry and drizzle with a little cooking oil or melted butter for a crispier skin. Stuff the quartered onions and apples into the bird cavity.
  5. Set up your Bradley Smoker and heat to 110C degrees, load with Apple, Cherry or Hickory bisquettes. Place the turkey/chickens on the smoker rack breast side up in the smoker. Place a pan on the rack under the turkey/chicken to catch the drippings, make sure there’s always 1-2 Cups of water in the pan, top-up when needed.  Use the drippings to make delicious gravy.
  6. Set the timers of both the Smoke and Oven to 7 ½ hours, plan on approximately 30 minutes per 500g until the internal temperature is 74C degrees in the breast and thigh of the turkey or chicken, we recommend using a Bradley Smoker Digital Thermometer.  If you want a less intense smoky flavour, smoke for half the cooking time and continue with the oven only.

  7. Once all temperatures are above 74C degrees, it is time to remove the smoked turkey/chicken to a large platter or cutting board.

 

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Original recipe by Hey Grill, adapted by Bradley Smoker NZ