Getting Ready for Thanksgiving?
Honey Brined Smoked Turkey
Alton Brown of The Food Network is one of my all-time favorite chefs. So, when I saw him fix Honey Brined Smoked Turkey on the Allstar Thanksgiving show, I knew this recipe was a winner. We have stripped all the comments and photos out of their post so that we could share Alton’s recipe, courtesy of the Food Network and Alton Brown.
We are suggesting using organic, pasture-raised, local, seasonal ingredients for this recipe. This increases the nutritional content of the turkey.
Is Turkey Good for You?
Real organic, pasture-raised turkey is a good protein choice. It’s low in fat, and a serving has 30 plus grams of protein in it. Here’s a great post by livestrong.com, that the Sun Sentinel shared.
The Recipe
Honey Brined Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 gallon hot water
- 1 pound kosher salt
- 2 quarts organic vegetable broth
- 1 pound Bee Wild raw honey
- 1 (7-pound) bag of ice
- 1 (15 to 20-pound) organic turkey, with giblets removed
- Organic vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey
Instructions
- Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
- Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
- Heat grill to 400 degrees F.
- Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.
- After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.
- Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.
