Herb Smoked & Roasted Turkey

5 from 1 vote

This was by far the best turkey we have ever made! The star of any Thanksgiving meal is the turkey. We used a 16 lb. frozen turkey.

We finished the turkey in the oven for the even color

We have made this several times now and it comes out great every time.

The brining must be done the day prior

Prep Time12

Cook Time2 30

Smoke2

Total Time16 30

Servings:

Calories: 767kcal

Equipment

1 Smoker We have a Kamado Joe
1 Dutch Oven You can also use a sturdy baking pan
1 Roasting Pan with a Rack
1 Turkey Baster
1 Large Stock Pot For Brining You can also use a cooler filled with ice water and a thermometer see notes
1 Small Pot

Ingredients

18-20 lb Turkey

Brine

2 Gallons Water
18 oz Vegetable Stock
1/3 Cup Sea Salt
2 Bay leaves
1 Apple sliced
1 Onion rough cut
1 Rosemary Sprig
1 Thyme Sprig
1 Sage Sprig

Steam Pot For Smoker

2 Bay leaves
1 Apple sliced
1 Onion rough cut
1 Rosemary Sprig
1 Fresh Thyme Sprig
1 Sage Sprig
18 Oz Vegetable Stock
1-2 Carrots cut into quarters
1-2 Celery Stalks cut into quarters

For the Turkey Rub

6 Tbs Butter
1/4 Cup Thyme Fresh removed from stem
1/2 Cup Rosemary Minced no stems
3/4 Cup Sage Minced no stems

Instructions

For the Brine

Add all brine/marinade ingredients to a large pot or oversized bowl.
( I made a quasi brine that was more like a marinade so no need to boil and cool or to rinse the next day).
Soak the turkey overnight in the refrigerator. You can also use a cooler that is equipped with thermometer and fill it with ice water as long as you keep the temp between 38-40 degrees F
Pull the turkey from the brine after 12 hours and pat completely dry with paper towels. (This is an important step for the skin to cook properly in the smoker).

For the Rub

Rub the butter with your hands all over the dry turkey , then apply all the herbs
Reserve some for basting in a small pot on the stove.

For the Steam Pot

Add in all the ingredients and once your smoker has been lit and the smoke is the right color, set the steam pot down into the grill, right on the reflector plates and then place your grill racks over it.

For the Grill

I made a little foil packet of the fresh herbs, sealed it well and poked 3 tiny holes in it and set it down right on the coals (optional)
I placed a small piece of applewood in the smoker for a mild smoke flavor.

For the Turkey

Place the turkey on the racks in the grill for 2 hours at 350 degrees F.
At 1 hour and 40 minutes, preheat your indoor oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove the turkey and place it in a roasting pan. Baste it with the extra mixture of butter and herbs.
Transfer it to your oven. Baste one more time over the next hour.
Tent it with a piece of aluminum foil if the skin appears to be getting too dark before the temperature reaches 165 degrees F.
When the temp is 165 degrees F pull the turkey from the oven and wrap it in aluminum foil completely and let it sit for 45 mins to an hour before carving.

Notes

Note: (Nutritional Value is Skewed in this recipe based on Brine and Rub)

I removed it from the frozen Turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator to thaw on Saturday to be ready on Thursday. If you are ever unsure as to how long it takes to fully thaw you can visit the Butterball website they post these instruction very clearly.

It is important to brine the bird for moisture, so we will start with those ingredients. We made my brine more of a marinade than a traditional brine. (A traditional brine calls for more salt and you have to rinse it down before cooking).

We planned to smoke my turkey using a steam pot in my smoker to hold in even more moisture and infuse additional flavor. (We used our blue dutch oven to put in the smoker under the bird) We used mostly all the same ingredients as your see above. I applied an herb rub to the turkey.

We smoked it for 2-3 hours to infuse that smokey flavor and then moved it inside to the oven to finish it ensuring that even coloring

We had a little fun while getting the butter on the turkey

Nutrition