Smoked turkey two ways

Here's a great idea for a festive barbecue.

Credit: Spencer's Holiday BBQ

• serves

  6

• prep

  25 minutes

• cook

  1:50 hour

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

For brining

• 5.5-6.8 kg (12- 15 lb) turkey, spatchcocked, bones reserved for gravy
• 1½ cups (350 ml) sea salt
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled
• 3 oranges, peeled, zested, and juiced
• 7.6 L (2 gallons)  water
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 6 bay leaves
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) peppercorns

Cajun spice seasoning

• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) cayenne
• 3 tsp (15 ml) mustard powder
• 2 tsp (10 ml) coriander
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) chilli powder
• 2 tsp (10 ml) thyme
• 3 tsp (15 ml) cumin
• 2 tsp (10 ml) ground black pepper

Herbes de Provence seasoning

• 2 tbsp + 1 tsp (45 ml) dried thyme
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) dried savory
• 3 tsp (15 ml) dried rosemary
• 3 tsp (15 ml) dried marjoram
• 3 tsp (15 ml) dried lavender
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil, to rub on the turkey

To cook

• 4 cups Mesquite wood chips

 

Gravy

• Turkey bones, from spatchcocking
• Turkey neck
• 1 carrot, peeled
• 2 spears celery
• 1 medium onion, halved
• 4 cups unsalted chicken stock
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 bay leaves
• 1½ tbsp (30 ml) seed mustard
• 1 tsp (5 ml) juniper berries
• 115 g (½ cup) butter
• ½ cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• Salt and pepper to taste

Marinating time: 24 hours

Instructions

1. For the brine, in a large pot combine sea salt, garlic, orange peels, juice of the oranges, water, rosemary, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Bring mixture to a boil then set aside to cool.
2. Immerse turkey in the chilled brine mixture and marinate for 24 hours in a fridge.
3. On day of cooking, remove turkey from brine, pat dry, and let sit 1-hour room temperature before seasoning to cook.
4. For the Cajun spice, in a bowl combine cayenne, mustard powder, coriander, chili powder, thyme, cumin, and black pepper.
5. For the herbes de Provence rub, in a bowl combine thyme, savory, rosemary, marjoram, lavender.
6. For the turkey, soak the wood chips for 1 hour, thoroughly drain, then make 2 smoking pouches: Divide the wet wood chips between two large sheet of aluminum foil. Close each piece of the foil up loosely to make a sealed pouch. Pierce each pouch in several spots, top and bottom.
7. Meanwhile, for the gravy, preheat barbeque to medium or 175°C (350°F).
8. Grill turkey bones, cooking until charred. Grill carrot, celery, and onion cook until all sides are charred, then chop to make mirepoix.
9. In a pot combine cooked turkey bones, mirepoix, four cups water, chicken stock, thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and juniper berries. Simmer for ninety minutes or until reduced by half, then strain and set aside.
10. Meanwhile, preheat BBQ to medium or 175°C (350°F) with indirect heat.
11. Rub the entire turkey with vegetable oil. Set the turkey skin side down on a tray and season half the bird with Cajun spice and the other half with herb de Provence. Turn the turkey skin side up and liberally season the top of the bird with the Cajun spice on one half and the herb de Provence on the other, mirroring the nonskin side seasoning.
12. Place the turkey on the direct heat side of the grill and cook for five minutes to char the skin.
13. Place the smoking pouch under the grill on the lit side of the barbecue.
14. Move turkey to the indirect side of the grill to smoke for eighty minutes (after one hour, replace the smoking pouch with the second pouch) with the lid closed or until an internal temperature of  75°C (165°F).
15. Rest turkey for half an hour, loosely tented with tinfoil, before carving.
16. While the turkey is resting, finish the gravy. In a medium pot, melt butter, whisk in flour, and continue to whisk over low heat until smooth.
17. Whisk the stock into the flour butter mixture, stirring often to prevent lumps. Simmer until a sauce texture is achieved, then add the mustard, salt and pepper.
18. To Finish: Place turkey on a platter, carve and serve with the gravy.

Note

• Cooking times and temperatures will vary depending on the size and type of your barbeque.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.