Recipe – Smoked Whole Turkey (where’s my Hibachi?)

This is a combination of a few recipes I’ve found recently. I plan to follow it this year in the hopes that I can somehow approach the quality of food my Dad’s 50+-year old clay hibachi pot yields. He got it while on a tour of duty as a naval aviator during the Korean War era. It looks like this:

But I’ll be using a Char-Broil Electric H20 smoker. No idea if it will work or not. The chief complaint I’ve seen on this and other sites is that the walls are too thin to hold enough heat to effectively smoke when it’s cold out. And since I’ll be in Brinnon, WA, it’s a good bet it will be colder than, say, San Diego….

Anyway, here’s the recipe:

Smoked Whole Turkey

Ingredients:

• 1 (12- to 14-pound) turkey
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
• 2 cups hot water
• 1 ½ cups coarse sea salt
• 2 tsp peppercorns
• 5 large bay leaves
• 3 large cloves garlic, halved
• 1 tablespoon crushed dried rosemary
• 1 tablespoon dried sage
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon dried savory
• 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
• 1 gallon ice water

Preparation:

1. Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for other uses. Rinse thoroughly with cold water; pat dry and set aside.

2. Combine brown sugar, hot water, and salt in large stock pot, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in remaining ingredients, except the ice water. Bring to a boil, and then place in refrigerator.

3. Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey, breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining. When done brining, remove turkey from brine, and rinse thoroughly with cold water; pat dry. Discard brine solution.

4. Prepare smoker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Place water pan in smoker, and add enough hot water to fill the pan.

5. Place turkey on food rack, breast side down; prop body cavity open to permit air circulation. Cover with smoker lid; smoke 6 to 7 hours, refilling water pan with additional water if needed. (Time may vary with outdoor temperature and individual smoker.) Turkey is done when drumsticks are easy to move or meat thermometer registers 165° F. Let stand at least 15 minutes before carving; or cool to room temperature and chill for later.

Yield: 24 to 28 servings.

Notes:

• The brine must be kept between 35° F and 40° F to properly brine your turkey. Over 40 is dangerous, and under 35° F slows the brining reactions. Use ice packed in zip bags as needed.