In my house it’s always down to me to cook the Thanksgiving turkey and I now use the barbecue smoker. For many years I’ve read loads of recipe books searching for menu ideas and everyone says something different about how long to cook the turkey for and my biggest complaint is that most of the voices of authority for traditional cooking out there always overdo the poultry (maybe for safety reasons) and the breast is dry.

So if you’ve searched like me for a guaranteed recipe then try indirect cooking on a barbecue smoker. If a direct barbecue grill is however your thing then you’ll be better going for turkey smoker grill recipes but choose some sliced breast.

Indirect cooking is to all intents and purposes a slow roasting process and slow roasting guarantees a tender result, couple that with cooking over a water bath and you’re well on the way to a moist Thanksgiving turkey to boot. I guess it’s pretty logical when you think about it because the definition of indirect cooking is where the heat is passed over the turkey as opposed to a barbecue grill where the turkey is seared directly over the charcoal grill.

My recommendation is always to keep the seasoning to the basics, be generous with the salt and pepper and have some oil & butter mix on hand to start the basting process. Melt 100g / 4 oz of butter in a pot and add a tablespoon of oil – this baste will give all the flavour of the butter without burning it. If you want to go the whole hog, part the skin from the flesh by gently sliding your hand up from the neck and smear some butter up there but if you fancy trying this, do be gentle so that you don’t break the skin. Go for a relatively small bird around 9 – 12 lbs (5 or 6kg), season and baste and then place breast side up on the BBQ smoker.

You may be able to get away with a large kettle barbecue but you’ll have to be pretty good at keeping the charcoal away from the turkey and you may need to place some foil to protect the sides of the turkey. The best solution is an offset smoker or a kamado barbecue such as a Big Green Egg that has a plate setter accessory to guarantee indirect cooking, and after that is just a matter of medium coals, indirect heat and a drip tray in the bottom with a couple of tablespoons of water. Cover and baste every 30 minutes or so with the butter / oil mix and 3½ hours later you should have the perfect Thanksgiving barbecue turkey.

Having said that most cookbooks overdo turkey, the best test for me is not how long it’s been cooked but a skewer test for clear running juice in the breast and legs or a thermometer and look for an internal temperature of 165 °F. If it’s not quite ready just give it another 30 minutes and try again.

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Barbeque Smoker Recipes - Free barbecue grill recipes & meat smoker cooking ideas on gas, charcoal or electric.

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