Alton Brown’s Honey-Brined Smoked Turkey
INGREDIENTS / SUPPLIES
1 gallon hot water
1 lb. honey (about 1 ⅓ cups)
1 lb. kosher salt
2 quarts vegetable broth
1 (7 lb.) bag of ice
1 (15- to 20-lb.) turkey, with giblets removed
Vegetable oil, for rubbing turkey
hickory chips
aluminum foil
meat thermometer - one with an alarm is useful
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BRINE
In a large cooler, combine water, honey and kosher salt, stirring until the honey and salt dissolve.
Stir in the vegetable broth, then add the ice and stir until the brine is cool.
Place the turkey in the brine in a cooler, breast side up, weighting it down closing the lid.
Leave in the brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse inside and out. Discard the brine.
Pat the turkey dry with clean paper towels, then rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
Leave at room temperature for at least 30 minutes while you prepare the grill.
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GRILL
Heat the grill to 400F.
Using a double-thick piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb by placing a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gathering 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.
Close the lid and cook for 1 hour; when the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking, replacing wood chips with a new cup.
Once the bird reaches 160 degrees (the juices should be clear), remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.
Carve and serve.
NOTES
When I mentioned to Jamey that I'd decided to skip the bother of a turkey for last year's Friendsgiving party, he volunteered to grill one for us. A quick search online yielded the concensus that Alton Brown's was the best method. IMPORTANT: Cooking began about a half hour later than planned. We had a lot of food, but people were really wanting that turkey, so he finished it off in the oven. I didn't observe the preparation, so I don't know how closely he followed it or how long it spent in the oven, but we all agreed that it was the best turkey any of us had ever tasted. This is high praise, since one of my guests is a farmer who raises mosly hogs, but also turkeys, and has been featured on the cover of the New York Times.
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