Thanksgiving Turkey

Wondering if you should wet brine or dry brine your Thanksgiving Turkey? The answer is… both!

This recipe will end dry, boring turkey. The outside is dry-brined for crispy, salty skin, and the inside is injected with a wet brine for juicy, perfectly seasoned meat.

This turkey is easy but requires some planning. If you are reading this on Thursday morning, you’ve already lost Thanksgiving! Okay, you haven’t lost; just don’t overcook the bird.

Here is a calendar to help you get organized: Saturday: Remove your turkey from the freezer and place in the fridge. Tuesday afternoon: Spatchcock and season the bird, make your turkey stock. Wednesday: Drink Grill’n Time Cocktails. Thursday: Get the turkey out of the fridge early and make some magic on that smoker. Make the brine: In a large pot, bring half of the water to a boil. Add the salt and sugar, stirring until they dissolve completely. Add the garlic cloves, peppercorns, and bay leaves to the hot water. Let it simmer for 5 minutes to infuse the flavors. Remove the pot from the heat, strain, and add the remaining water to cool the brine to room temperature. It is easiest to make this the day before.

Spatchcock the turkey:

Spatchcocking involves removing the backbone to flatten the bird, allowing for even faster cooking. 

To prep the turkey, remove the giblets, trim excess skin, pat it dry, and place it breast-side down on a stable cutting board. Save all the trim and parts for the stock! Cut along one side of the backbone using sharp kitchen shears from the tail to the neck. Repeat on the other side to remove the backbone entirely (save it for stock!). Flip the turkey over so it’s breast-side up. Press firmly on the breastbone until you hear a crack and the bird flattens. Tuck the wing tips under the breasts to prevent them from burning during cooking.

Season the turkey:

Move the turkey to a sheet pan with an inserted rack. Starting with the inside of the turkey facing up, liberally season with kosher salt and a nice thin sprinkling of pepper and garlic powder. DO NOT season under the skin for this recipe. Flip the bird skin-side up and repeat.

Using a meat injector, inject the meat with our brine. To do this, Insert the needle into the thickest parts of the turkey (breasts, thighs, and drumsticks). Press the plunger down slowly as you withdraw the needle to distribute the saline solution evenly within the muscle. Aim to inject 1-2 ounces of solution per pound of turkey, evenly spread across different areas.

The holes in the skin from the needle will help excess fat and steam escape from under the skin during cooking, making it crisp!

Put the turkey in the fridge, skin side up, for 24-36 hours.

Make the stock:

One advantage of prepping the turkey early is having ingredients for stock. Make this the day before! 

Rub the giblets, trimmed skin, and spine in olive oil and roast until light golden brown. Add them, along with the juices from the sheet tray, to a pot large enough to hold the stock and giblets. Add the stock and simmer until the stock has reduced slightly, about twenty minutes. Strain and allow it to cool. Store the story in the fridge.

Cook the turkey:

We are going to cook the turkey in two stages!

Preheat your smoker to 250º and remove your turkey 90 minutes before cooking. 

Place the herbs under the rack in the tray and place your turkey in the smoker, rotating the tray every 30 minutes until it reaches 153º – 155º in the breast and 165º in the thigh. The turkey will keep cooking. Poultry food safety is a factor of time and temperature. According to USDA, if the turkey gets to 155º intern for 47 seconds, it will be safe to eat. If you cook it to 165º on the smoker, it will hit 175º and be dry. If you have health concerns or love overcooked turkey, leave it on until the breast hits 165º and make extra gravy.

Allow the turkey to rest for 30-45 minutes (longer is okay; just tent it). Pour the pan juices into a bowl and reserve them for the gravy. 

Set up for searing the skin. We used our pizza oven at 600º, but you can also use a grill at 600º or a broiler with the turkey on a lower rack. Heat your butter and brush the skin. Place the turkey in the grill or oven until the skin gets golden brown, 3-5 minutes (watch it closely; turkey skin will go from golden to burnt and sad quickly).

It is ready to slice and serve!

Make the gravy:

Add the juice from the turkey sheet tray and the butter in a large skillet. Bring it to a simmer on medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and add the flour, cooking until it becomes light brown (2-3 minutes). Add the wine to deglaze the pan, then add the stock. Stir vigorously with a whisk to incorporate the rue and stock fully. Bring it to a simmer and stir until it thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Store in a thermos and keep it warm until you are ready to serve!