Mesquite Smoked Turkey With A Peach Glaze Recipe 465

MESQUITE SMOKED TURKEY WITH A PEACH GLAZE RECIPE - (4.6/5)

Steps:

• In a medium bowl combine all rub ingredients. Remove giblets from turkey, rinse turkey in cold water and pat dry. Place turkey on a large tray. Massage rub mixture into turkey until generously coated inside and out. Cover the turkey and place in the refrigerator to marinate overnight. The next day, place 8 cups of wood chips in water to soak for 1 hour. Prepare the glaze by placing all of the ingredients into a small saucepan set over low heat. Remove turkey from refrigerator (Optional: stuff the cavity with sliced oranges and lemons). Tie the legs with butcher twine to hold the bird together as compact as possible. Set it aside and allow to come to room temperature. Prepare smoke pouches by mixing 2 cups of the wet drained wood chips with one cup of the dry on a large piece of foil. Wrap loosely into a package. Using a fork, pierce the package all over to allow smoke to escape. Repeat these steps to make 3 more smoke pouches (4 pouches in total). Prepare barbeque for indirect cooking and smoking by removing the grate over one burner and turn only it onto high heat. Place a drip pan over the cool elements, but under the grates. Place a smoke pouch on direct heat. Wait for smoke to form and adjust barbeque temperature to reach 220°F (105°C). Place the turkey over the drip pan and no heat. Close the barbeque lid and smoke for 20 to 30 minutes per pound, changing the smoke pouch when smoke dissipates. In the last hour of cooking, baste the turkey with sauce at least 2 times. Remove turkey from the barbeque when a digital thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the bird reads 165°F (74°C). Cover turkey loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes. Carve and serve with extra peach glaze.

HONEY SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat grill for high heat. If you are using a charcoal grill, use about twice the normal amount of charcoal. Soak wood chips in a pan of water, and set next to the grill.
• Remove neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse the bird and pat dry. Place in a large disposable roasting pan.
• In a medium bowl, mix together sage, ground black pepper, celery salt, basil, and vegetable oil. Pour mixture evenly over the turkey. Turn the turkey breast side down in the pan, and tent loosely with aluminum foil.
• Place the roasting pan on the preheated grill. Throw a handful of the wood chips onto the coals. Close the lid, and cook for 1 hour.
• Throw about 2 more handfuls of soaked wood chips on the fire. Drizzle 1/2 the honey over the bird, and replace the foil. Close the lid of the grill, and continue cooking 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees F (80 degrees C) in the thickest part of the thigh.
• Uncover turkey, and carefully turn it breast side up in the roasting pan. Baste with remaining honey. Leave the turkey uncovered, and cook 15 minutes. The cooked honey will be very dark.

SMOKED TURKEY WITH HOT PEPPER JELLY GLAZE

Steps:

• Gas Grill Set-Up:
• Using wood chips in a gas grill is very easy but takes a little planning. If your grill has a smoker attachment, follow the manufacturer's instructions and fill it with wood chips that have been soaked in water or other non-flammable liquid for 30 minutes. If you don't have a smoker box, follow these simple instructions: Fill a small disposable aluminum pan with soaked wood chips, remove the cooking grate, and place the pan in the upper left corner of the grill, or at the spot where all the burners come together. The pan of wood chips will be resting directly on the ceramic briquettes, flavorizerbars, or lava rocks.
• Preheat the grill with all the burners on high until smoke begins to appear around the edges of the grill. At this time, set the grill for indirect cooking (turn the burners that will be directly under the food off) and turn the other burners down to medium-low heat. Immediately place the food in the center of the cooking grate and close the lid of the grill to retain the heat and the smoke. You won't need to add more chips, as one panful is enough to impart a nice smoky flavor to the food.
• Note: It is essential that you put the soaked wood chips in a gas grill during the preheat stage. Once you set the burners for indirect heat, there won't be enough heat to smolder the chips. Likewise, if you don't soak the chips, they will ignite and burn, not smoke.
• Charcoal Grill Set-Up:
• Using wood chips on a charcoal grill is much simpler than a gas grill. There is no special equipment necessary; all you do is soak the chips and put a handful directly on top of the white-gray ashed briquettes. To set up a charcoal grill for indirect cooking, place two equal piles of ashed briquettes on each side of the grill, separated by an aluminum pan filled with a bit of water. If you want just a hint of smoke, only use one handful of chips. If you want a more pronounced smoke flavor, add a handful or two more, but be careful: Too much smoke will turn the meat acrid and your food will taste more like ashes than smoke.
• Note: There is a barbecue contingent that believes that smoke dehydrates the cooking chamber and steals moisture from the meat. To prevent any loss of moisture, I usually add some liquid in an aluminum pan to both charcoal and gas grills. After all, it can't hurt and we all know that steam does tenderize and cook food.
• Smoke the Turkey:
• Remove and discard excess fat from the turkey. Rinse the bird and pat dry. Twist the wing tips under the back. Brush the turkey with oil and lightly sprinkle with salt and pepper inside and out. If you brined your bird, skip the salt and pepper.
• If using a gas grill, place the turkey on a roasting rack set in a disposable aluminum-foil roasting pan and place in the grill over the unlit burners. Bend the roasting pan to accommodate closing the gas grill.
• If using a charcoal grill, set an aluminum pan filled with 2 inches water on the charcoal grate directly under where the turkey will smoke. Place the turkey, breast?side-up, directly on the cooking grate above the pan. Add wet wood chips directly to the gray-ashed charcoal briquettes. Place the lid on the grill and adjust the vents so that two-thirds of them are closed on the bottom and the top.
• Cook over indirect heat without lifting the lid for at least 40 minutes to get good smoke on the turkey. Add more wet wood chips to the smoker box or to the charcoal as desired. After a total of 1 1/2 hours, you won't need to add any more wood, as the turkey will have developed a nice burnished color and "cooked" skin. Charcoal grillers will have to add about 12 briquettes to each side every hour; gas grillers don't need to do any tending. No need to baste; the thin coating of oil will promote browning and keep the juices inside the bird.
• While the turkey smokes, prepare the glaze. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt the hot pepper jelly, stirring occasionally so it doesn't burn. When the jelly is melted, stir in the vinegar to combine. Add the salt and red pepper flakes, if using. If the glaze is too thick, add a bit more vinegar. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Cook the turkey for 12 minutes per pound total, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh (not touching bone) registers 165°F and the juices run clear when the meat is pierced. Brush the smoked turkey with the glaze, cover, and cook for 15 minutes more. Transfer to a serving platter and let rest for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving.

SMOKED TURKEY WITH SWEET COFFEE GLAZE

Steps:

• Bring 1 gallon of the water to a boil in a large pot and keep warm.
• In a stockpot large enough to hold the turkey, combine cider vinegar, coffee, onion, thyme, salt and peppercorns with 1 3/4 cups of the brown sugar or syrup (or 3/4 of the brown sugar/syrup mixture) and the remaining gallon of water. Bring to a boil.
• Hold turkey by legs and ease into the hot brine, neck end down. Add enough of the hot water to the stockpot to cover turkey and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove turkey from the stockpot. Strain 2 cups of the braising liquid into a heatproof bowl and stir in the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar or remaining cane syrup (or remaining brown sugar/syrup mixture). Discard the remaining liquid.
• Meanwhile, light a charcoal grill or preheat a gas grill.
• Right before the turkey has finished simmering, add 2 cups of the hickory chips to the coals. When the chips start smoking, brush the turkey breast with oil. Set the turkey, breast side down, on the grill.
• Cover & smoke over a low flame for 15 minutes. Baste turkey with reserved braising liquid - turn it breast side up and baste again. Cover grill and continue smoking for about 40 minutes longer, basting occasionally with braising liquid and adding more coals or hickory chips to grill as necessary.
• The turkey is done when a thermometer inserted in the inner thigh registers 165°.
• Place the turkey on a cutting board and let rest 20 minutes before carving.

MESQUITE SMOKED CAJUN WHOLE TURKEY COOKED ON GAS GRILL

Steps:

• Preheat grill on high. Turn down to maintain (medium) 350 degrees.
• Place smoker box of wet mesquite chips on grill.
• Remove neck and giblets from cavity, rinse turkey, and pat dry.
• Mix spices in a small bowl, set aside 1 TBSP of mixture, and put some of the mixture in the cavity and some under the skin.
• Spray turkey with butter spray and pat reserved spice mixture on the skin of the turkey.
• Place turkey breast side down, turning back wing tips, on the grill over a dip pan.
• Cook turkey for 11 to 13 minutes per pound (internal temperature 180 degrees in thigh and 170 degrees in breast.
• Note: At halfway point, turn turkey if needed for even cooking. 10- 18 pound turkey takes 2 to 3 hours. We turned our turkey at 1 1/2 hours. To reach internal temperature of 170 in breast we cooked it for 1 1/2 more.
• Let stand 15 minutes before carving.