Ingredients

• 1 Large Turkey
• Salt
• 1 large oven bag for the turkey
• 1/2 cup of butter
• Your favorite turkey rub
• Aluminum foil

Instructions

1. Thaw out the turkey, remove the gizzards, live, and neck from the inside.
2. Rinse off the turkey and pat it dry.
3. Prepare the brine in the large oven bag inside of a large pot. For every one gallon of water, add 1 cup of salt in the turkey bag for the brine. You can also add ingredients from your cabinet. I prefer garlic, rosemary, sage, and pepper. I save some of the seasoning to place under the skin of the turkey for the brining process.
4. Place the thawed turkey in the brine and let sit for 24 hours in the fridge. I prefer to use the bottom drawer of the fridge, if the turkey fits. If the turkey does not fit in the fridge’s drawer, an alternative is to use a cooler, but make sure you add lots of ice.
5. When the turkey is ready to be smoked, fire up the firebox and get the smoker up to 230 degrees with the coals white (we don’t want the turkey to taste like charcoal.
6. Prepare the wood chips by soaking them in water. This moderates the smoke and allows the wood to smoke longer. I prefer using 60% cherry and 40% hickory. The cherry is for a light sweet smoke while the hickory is for a deep smoky flavor.
7. Rub the turkey with your favorite turkey rub. The rub in the skin doesn’t add much flavor to the turkey, but it does to the skin. If you want more flavor in the turkey, then you will have to get the rub under the skin.
8. Put the wood in the smoker to get the smoke going before putting the turkey in the smoker.
9. Place the turkey on a rack inside of a roasting pan. The roasting pan will allow you to catch some of the drippings to baste the turkey later.
10. Place the turkey in the smoker and rest for about an hour. For every 1 pound of turkey, let the turkey smoke for half an hour.
11. Baste the turkey every half an hour after the first hour.
12. Make sure that the turkey is 165 degrees before taking it out and test multiple places, such as the breast and legs.
13. Wrap the turkey in aluminum foil and let it rest in room temperature for about 15 minutes.
14. Carve and serve!

Notes