Anyone have any good recipes?

BE specific, I am smoker ignorant.

Brine it...

A good Cajun rub the night before

Brine for one turkey:



1c sugar
1c kosher salt
1c Tony Chachere

Wednesday afternoon I will dissolve all the ingredients in a about a half gallon of water. The water has to be just hot enough to dissolve the salt and sugar. Let the brine cool down to room temperature.

I buy an orange 5 gallon bucket at Home Depot that has the lid with the rubber gasket. After removing the bag of innards, I put the turkey in the bucket, neck side down. Pour brine over the bird. Fill bucket with water till the bird floats up about three inches. Cover with ice and put the lid on.

We will be headed to our deer lease the same night. I will happen to be cold enough Wednesday night that I won't have to worry about it getting too warm.

Thursday morning I will take bird out of the bucket and pat it dry with paper towels.



Recipe:

1lb tub of softened butter (I like the Yogurt butter)
1 stick of salted butter, softened
1 tablespoon of coarse black pepper
1 bottle of Tony Chachere Garlic Butter Injectable Marinade
Tony Chachere Seasoning

Start your smoker while you are prepping your turkey

Mix both butters and black pepper thoroughly. I like to put it on a plate and mix it with a fork. Seems easier and less messy.

Put your hand between the skin and the breast separate the skin from the breast taking care not to tear a hole in the skin.

Take the butter mixture and stuff evenly under the skin.

Inject bird with the bottle of marinade. Look on YouTube on how to do this. The less holes you poke into the skin the better.

Sprinkle Tony Chacheres all over turkey

Place on smoker




The Cook:

Heat smoker to 275-300 degrees

Place meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh

After about two hours I will begin to baste with melted butter. I will bast about every 45 minutes to an hour.

The wing and leg tips will begin to get really dark. You can wrap the ends with small pieces of foil to prevent them from burning. You don't have to do this but it just looks better when the turkeys sitting on the on the kitchen counter or table.

Turkey is finished when the thigh reaches 165 degrees. I usually check several parts of the thigh just too make sure it's completely done.

Once finished, put the turkey in a pan and cover loosely with foil.

Let rest for a minimum of 30 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

No need to brine, since most are already brined. put a little oil on top of the bird and add poultry seasoning and tony chachere on the outside. onions, lime and orange wedges, and garlic along with a stick of butter on the inside. I prefer cherry wood to smoke a turkey with but any fruit wood will be good, then smoke untill temp is reached.

Make sure to read the packaging of the turkey. If it says it has been "Enhanced" with a salt and water solution then your turkey is is brined. Butterball turkeys are an example of enhanced.

Tom Thumb was giving away free turkeys when you spent a certain dollar amount. These were not enhanced and would need to be brined.