Barbeque Smoked Turkey

It’s that time of year again when turkey makes its appearance on the menu.  It is the traditional Thanksgiving centerpiece and it also shows up a lot on the Christmas dinner table.  We thought that we would concentrate on turkey recipes in this issue to showcase the versatility of turkey.  Now I hear you mumbling, saying that after the Thanksgiving meal everyone is tired of it but I’m hear to tell you that there is a turkey dish “life” after the holiday.

Now our take on turkey is certainly going to follow our theme of barbeque.  If you have not had a smoked turkey them you are missing one of life’s treats.  It will change your mind about the dry, tasteless bird that so many associate with the holiday.  We think it is better then the trendy “fried” turkey that has been so popular over the last few years.

You can smoke a whole turkey, turkey breast (the picture above), or turkey legs.  You use the regular smoking techniques that are described on the website (and you don’t have to worry about burning your house down using a turkey fryerJ).  All of the smoked turkey pieces are quite good.

The trick is that you must use a brine to marinate the turkey before putting on the smoker.  You must also make sure that you air dry the skin once you take the bird out of the brine. 

Andrea’s Kitchen showcases a recipe that we use frequently when cooking smoked turkey.