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.

HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
• Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
• Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.
• Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.

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.

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.

HONEY, BUTTER, AND ORANGE INJECTED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a small sauce pan, add the shallot and the garlic to the melted butter. Simmer on very low for about twenty minutes stirring occasionally. Add the sage, thyme, salt, pepper, orange zest, and white wine. Let simmer for fifteen more minutes to cook off the alcohol, stirring occasionally. Add the orange juice. Strain this into a bowl. Wipe out the sauce pan and return mixture to the pan. Add the honey. (When I added the honey, I just added a little, and kept stirring and tasting until the honey taste just barely started to come through.
• I stored this in the refridgerator overnight. The next morning I reheated it just until it was liquified, then injected it into the turkey. Smoke or bake as you normally would.

SMOKED GARLIC AND ORANGE TURKEY

Steps:

• At least 1 hour before cooking, soak wood chunks in enough water to cover.
• Preheat coals.
• Rub the turkey cavity with salt.
• Cut oranges into 2-inch chunks.
• Place the cut oranges, sage and garlic in the cavity.
• Loosen the breast skin and spread the cheese spread underneath.
• Tuck the wings under the back and tie legs together.
• Rub the turkey with oil, juice from an orange, chopped sage, salt and pepper.
• In a smoker, arrange preheated coals, half of the drained wood chunks and the water pan according to the manufacturer's directions.
• Add water and orange juice to water pan.
• Cover and smoke for 5 - 6 hours until thermometer registers 180°F when inserted in the breast.
• Throughout, add more coals, wood chunks, and water/juice as needed.
• Remove turkey to platter.
• Cover with foil to keep warm.
• Rest at least 5 minutes prior to carving.
• Reserve any drippings for Orange Turkey Gravy with Sage.

HAPPY ORANGE TURKEY

Steps:

• Finely grate zest from oranges. Cut the fruit into wedges. Combine softened butter and orange zest. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from the turkey; rub butter mixture under the skin., Pat turkey dry. Combine the garlic powder, salt and pepper; rub over the outside and inside of turkey. Drizzle with melted butter. Place the oranges, onion, rosemary and thyme inside the cavity. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together., Place flour in oven bag and shake to coat. Place oven bag in a roasting pan. Place turkey, breast side up, in bag. Pour Champagne and orange juice over turkey. Cut six 1/2-in. slits in top of bag; close bag with tie provided., Bake at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°. Remove turkey to a serving platter and keep warm. Let stand for 20 minutes before carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.