Smoked Whole Turkey

Prepared Turkeys  and gravy pans

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Ingredients for the gravy

3 quarts [2.8 L] water
1 cup [237 ml] apple juice
2 onions, skin on, ends removed, cut into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
1 rib of celery, leaves and all, cut into 2 inch lengths
1 tablespoon [15 ml] dried sage leaves, crumbled (do not use powdered herbs, they will cloud the broth)
1 tablespoon [15 ml] dried thyme leaves
2 whole dried bay leaves

(dry rub Ingredients)(meat heads rub, see link at top)

1 tablespoon dried crushed parsley
2 tablespoons dried crushed sage
1 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
1 tablespoon dried crushed thyme
1 tablespoon dried crushed oregano
1 tablespoon dried crushed basil
1 tablespoon dried crushed bay leaf
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sugar

Mix in some oil to proper consistency and spread it liberally. make sure to get under skin around breasts.

Ingredients for the bird

1 turkey, any size1 medium onion, cut in quarters, skin on
3 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
2 large sprigs of fresh sage or thyme, about 3 to 4" long
Peel of one orange or lemon
4 ounces [113 gm] or so of hardwood or fruitwood chips

Injecting

Melt one stick of butter. use injector and inject the breasts of the bird only. 

Preparing the gravy

Method
add ingredients from gravy list, as well as extras from turkey and juice from bag into foil pan.

Directions For bird:

1) Crank your oven/grill/pit up to 325°F or as close as possible as measured at the level of the cooking grate by a digital thermometer. \

2) If you have a leave-in digital thermometer with a probe on a wire, insert the probe into the breast so the tip is in the center of the thickest part of the breast, being careful not to touch the ribs. Digital thermometers have small sensors and they are very close to the tip, so they are by far the best. The sensitive areas of a dial thermometer are too big to be accurate.

3) Put the onion (remember to quarter it), garlic, orange peel, and fresh herbs into the cavity. These aromatics will release aromas and they will penetrate the meat from the inside of the cavity, along with the smoke. keep it loose

4) Grab 4 pieces of aluminum foil, each about 8" square, and coat one side with vegetable oil so it won't stick. Cover the tops of the wings and drumsticks with the foil. 

5) After an hour, open the cooker and remove the aluminum foil from the wings and drums. This lets them brown properly and you will have potato chip crunchy skin on your wings.

If necessary, add a quart of boiling water to the gravy pan. 

6) As the meat temp approaches 160°F in the center of the breast, tilt the bird and drain the cavity into the gravy. Now check temps all over, especially the back which can be a bit soggy or even undercooked if it is very close to the water. If the back isn't 160°F, remove the gravy pan and put the bird over direct heat to firm it up. This should take no more than 20 minutes or so, but watch things, because without that buffer of water, you can burn the back in a hurry.

7) Carefully remove the gravy pan from the cooker. Pour the gravy through a strainer into a large pot or saucepan. Discard the solids. They have given you their all. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and with a large spoon or basting bulb, remove most of the fat. If you find it too weak bring it to a boil and cook it down a bit. Taste again and add salt only at the last minute. If you add salt and then reduce it, it will be too salty.

All done and waiting to be carved