Orange Marinated And Brined Smoked Turkey Recipes

ORANGE TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Combine the orange juice concentrate, orange slices, lemon slices, lime slices, thyme, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, salt, and water in a large stockpot; bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
• Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bucket in the refrigerator. Allow turkey to marinate 1 to 2 days before cooking. Remove the turkey carefully. Drain and discard the excess brine and pat dry.
• Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster.

OUT OF THIS WORLD TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• In a food-grade large bucket or container large enough to hold your turkey, mix together the water, salt, garlic, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar. Store in a refrigerator, and soak turkey for 2 days before smoking or roasting.

TURKEY MARINADE

Steps:

• Place all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Whisk until well combined.
• Pour the marinade over a whole thawed turkey. Rub the marinade to coat all over the outside, then loosen the skin and rub some of the marinade under the skin.
• Let the turkey sit in the marinade for 12-24 hours.
• Scrape any large pieces of herbs and garlic off the marinated turkey so that they won't burn when cooked.
• Roast, smoke or grill the turkey as desired, then serve and enjoy.

ORANGE-BOURBON TURKEY

Steps:

• Remove giblets and neck from turkey; discard. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Combine orange juice, water, 1/2 cup bourbon, and molasses in a 2-gallon heavy-duty ziptop plastic bag; add turkey. Seal and marinate in refrigerator 4 to 24 hours turning bag occasionally. Remove turkey from bag, reserving marinade.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Tie ends of legs with cord. Lift wing tip up and over back and tuck under bird. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt into body cavity. Stuff cavity with oranges. Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray or on a rack set in a shallow pan. Insert meat thermometer into meaty part of thigh, making sure not to touch bone. Bake at 350 degrees for 3 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees. (Cover loosely with foil if it gets too brown.) Remove turkey from oven. Cover loosely with foil; let stand at least 10 minutes before carving. Discard oranges.
• Pour reserved marinade into saucepan; bring to a boil. Skim foam from mixture with a slotted spoon; discard. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 3 1/2 cups (about 15 minutes). Combine 1/4 cup bourbon and flour in a small bowl, stirring well with a whisk. Add to reduced marinade; bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt. Serve sauce with turkey. Garnish with orange slices and parsley sprigs if desired.

CITRUS HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mix hot water and kosher salt in a 54-quart cooler, stirring until the salt dissolves. Mix in vegetable broth, honey, and orange juice. Pour in the ice cubes, place the turkey into the brine with breast side up, and close the cooler lid. Place the cooler in a cold place and let the turkey marinate overnight or up to 12 hours. Brine temperature must stay colder than 40 degrees F (4 degrees C).
• Remove turkey from brine, discard brine, and dry the turkey thoroughly with paper towels. Mix vegetable oil with poultry seasoning in a bowl, and rub the turkey with the mixture. Place apple, celery, onion, and orange pieces into the cavity of the turkey.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C) for indirect heat and lightly oil the grate. Build a 'smoke bomb' by placing about 1 cup of hickory or cherry wood chips into the middle of a 12x12-inch doubled piece of aluminum foil. Gather up the edges of the foil to make a pouch and leave the pouch open at the top. Set the smoke bomb directly onto the coals if grilling with charcoal, or onto the flame bar of a gas grill.
• Set the turkey onto the grill in position for indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the turkey breast, not touching a bone, and close the grill. Set the probe thermometer for 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).
• Grill turkey for 1 hour and check the bird; if skin is already golden brown, cover the breast, legs, and wings with aluminum foil. Replace the smoke bomb with a new one; close cover and continue to grill until probe thermometer registers 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), 2 to 3 more hours. Remove the fruit and vegetable pieces from the cavity, cover turkey with aluminum foil, and let rest for 1 hour before carving.

SMOKED TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Cool the brine: Add 1/2 gallon (9 1/2 cups) of cold water to the hot brine to help it cool down faster. You can also replace the water with ice to help it cool even faster. Cool the brine to room temperature. Then refrigerate it until chilled.
• Prepare for drying: Set a wire rack over a baking sheet.
• Remove turkey from brine: Remove the turkey from the brine and place it on the prepared baking sheet. With a paper towel, remove any residual salt and brine ingredients from the turkey. Pat the turkey dry.
• Dry the turkey: Transfer it to the refrigerator, uncovered, and let it air dry for 24 hours. This will help crisp up the skin when you cook the turkey.
• Cook the turkey: Once a turkey has been brined and air dried you can follow whichever cooking method you prefer to either roast, smoke, or fry the turkey.

BOURBON & ORANGE BRINED TURKEY RECIPE - (3.7/5)

Steps:

• MAKE THE BRINE: In a large stockpot or other container large enough to hold the turkey and brine, combine the water, bourbon, salt, brown sugar, orange wedges (squeeze each wedge to release the juice), bay leaves, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the turkey to the brine, breast-side down, weighting it with resealable plastic bags filled with ice or cold water. Refrigerate the turkey and brine for 24 hours. When ready to cook, drain the turkey and discard the brine. Blot the turkey dry with paper towels and knock off any solid bits of spices. Remove any large gobbets of fat at the front of the main cavity. Put the orange wedges and herbs in the main cavity. Tie the legs together with butcher's string and fold the wings behind the back. Combine the butter and Grand Marnier, if using, and coat the outside of the turkey. Start your grill, oven or roaster - set to 350°F. Roast the turkey until it is deeply browned, the skin is crisp, and the internal temperature of the thickest part of a thigh is 165°F when read on an instant-read meat thermometer. If deep frying - heat oil to 375°F. When lowering the turkey into the oil it is recommended to turn off the burner. Once turkey is fully submersed light the burner and cook maintaining 350°F oil temperature. Cook 3 to 4 minutes per pound. Internal temperature should be 165 to 170°F in the breast, 175 to 180°F in the thigh. Remove and let grease drain. Set on paper towel to rest for 15 minutes.

ORANGE-MARINATED AND BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• To make brine, Combine all ingredients in a stock pot or large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes. Let cool completely. (May be prepared 1 day ahead and refrigerated in a non-metal container.) Thoroughly rinse and dry turkey inside and out, removing and reserving,giblets, liver and neck. Place the turkey in a large plastic bag and pour in the brine. Place in a close fitting tub or cooler. Make sure that the brine completely covers the turkey. Cover and refrigerate for 3 days. If the brine does not completely cover the bird, turn it every 12 hours. Soak about 2 lbs.wood chips for smoking at least 4 hours before use. Use hickory, orange wood or grapevine cuttings. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry; truss and place on a roasting rack in a pan. Rub with olive oil, salt and pepper. Smoke turkey on the grill for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Maintain about an inch of water at all times in the drip pan. Carefully add water if drippings appear to be boiling away. If turkey skin gets too dark, cover with foil. When meat thermometer reaches 165-170 degrees in the thickest part of the breast without touching the bone, carefully transfer turkey to carving platter and let rest for about 15 minutes before carving. Reserve pan drippings for gravy.