Printer Friendly RecipeBY MICHAEL PENDLEY AUTHOR OF TIMBER 2 TABLE WILD GAME RECIPESMAY 1, 2015One of my favorite cooking methods for wild turkey is to smoke a whole plucked bird. There is just  something about wood smoke that sets off the flavor of a wild turkey. But when the subject of smoked turkey comes up at camp, it seems that, all too often, the method results in a dried-out and chewy bird. These tips and tricks will help to keep your turkey moist and tender.

 

Adding moisture and not overcooking are the secrets to smoking a wild turkey.

Ingredients

One whole wild turkey
plucked and spatchcocked

Brine

2 gallons warm water

1 1/2 cups salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 gallon brewed sweet tea

3 cloves garlic
lightly crushed

3 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon black peppercorns

A sprig each of fresh thyme and rosemary
or a half teaspoon of each dried

 

Injection

I cup of either beef or chicken broth

1 stick of butter

1 Tablespoon of Better Than Boullion brand Chicken Base

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

 

Your favorite BBQ rub

 

Cooking Instructions

Brine

Since wild turkeys aren’t inherently moist to begin with, that juice has to come from somewhere. My go-to method always starts with a brine. Two gallons of warm water, a cup and a half of salt and a half a cup of brown sugar form the brine’s base. To that, I like to add aromatics like a few lightly crushed garlic cloves, a handful of peppercorns, three to five bay leaves and a couple sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary if I have them handy, a half  teaspoon of each in dried form if I don’t. From there, my turkey brine takes a bit of a different twist. I add a gallon of strongly brewed sweet tea.

A clean cooler makes the perfect vessel for brining a turkey.

Pour the brine mixture into a clean (very clean) cooler. Submerge the turkey into the brine, breast side down. Next, pour a bag or two of ice into the cooler and close the lid. Let the turkey brine from four to eight hours.

Inject

While brining definitely adds moisture and flavor to the bird, I like to take it another step by injecting the meat before I place it on the smoker. The base for this turkey injection starts with a cup of beef or chicken broth. Heat the broth in a small saucepan and add a tablespoon of Better Than Bullion brand Chicken Base, a stick of butter and a tablespoon of Worcestershire sauce.

Pump the injection liquid into the breast, thigh and leg meat.

Inject the mixture into the turkey breast, thigh and leg meat about 30 minutes before the bird goes on the smoker.

Spatchcock

Spatchcocking a bird simply means to cut down either side of the backbone and press to flatten out the turkey like an open book. This helps the bird to cook a bit faster and more evenly, preventing fast-cooking areas from drying out while the thicker parts come to temperature.

Rub the spatchcocked bird with olive oil and coat with your favorite BBQ rub.

Don’t Overcook

To prep the bird for the smoker, blot the skin dry, coat it with olive oil, then shake on a liberal amount of your favorite BBQ rub.

I highly recommend the use of a remote thermometer when smoking any large cut of meat. The ability to watch the temperature without opening the smoker keeps the temperature up and speeds the cook along. I like to place the thermometer in the meatiest part of the thigh and pull the bird as soon as it hits 165-170 degrees. As the turkey rests, it will rise another 5 to 10 degrees.

 

A smoked wild turkey really can be moist and tender.

Bring your smoker up to 250 degrees. I like a mixture of pecan or hickory and a fruitwood like cherry for turkey and pork. While I don’t always use the water pan on my smoker, I do with turkey. The extra moisture in the smoke just seems to help keep the meat from drying out. Place the bird onto the smoker and cook for three to five hours, depending on the size of your bird. Carefully monitor the internal temperature to prevent overcooking.