What sort of rub do you guys use for smoked turkey?

I use roughly equal parts salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder.

My favorite store bought rub is "Butt Rub." It is basically the ingredients listed above. LINK

Cover the bird with oil and rub, refrigerate overnight. Brining would be best for moisture, but injection should do that almost equally well.

Stuff that cavity with some citrus and aromatics. It’s makes for a delish subtle little taste.

quote:

---

I'm too lazy to brine

---

I mean it doesn’t get much easier than brining a turkey. If ya really care about how they turnout you’ll brine em

From another thread a coulpe of weeks ago...

My poultry rub is
3 cups Salt
1/4 cup Granulated Garlic
1/4 cup Ground White Pepper

I like a natural flavor to chicken and turkey and this blend allows for that.

quote:

---

1) Preseasoning the bird is going to give you a better result. Dry brining for 3-4 days before the intend cook day will benefit your turkey exponentially.

2) I don't see why not, but not necessary.

3) No, but this will give you a better result. The breast & legs cook at different rates & spatchcocking allows for more even cooking. Most turkey experts actually recommend removing the legs from the breast to allow for the difference in cooking time.

4) Normal smoking temperature will work but a little bit higher temperature will not hurt. 285°F is my preferred temp. Just make sure you hit 165°F internally.

My method is to have the bird completely defrosted four or five days before I want to cook it (presuming it is frozen).

Remove the wings at the first joint (between the flat & the drumette) cut out the spine & take out the wish bone (this will make carving easier). Keep the wings, spine, & neck to smoke along with the turkey. They are great for adding to soups, beans, greens... etc

I make a basic spice blend of salt, granulated garlic, and white pepper to not overpower the natural flavors of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning all over paying particular attention to the cavity & exposed meat areas first. Turn it over & season the skin side, separate a little portion of the skin from the meat & spread some seasoning on the breast meat as well.

Finally place the turkey skin side up on a rack lined pan & place it in the fridge for a couple of days to marinate & dry out the skin.

The day before cook day, leave some butter out (about a stick or two) overnight to soften. On cook day, coat the skin in a nice thin layer of butter. Place it in your smoker with a pan underneath to catch the drippings. Smoke 2-4 hours @285°F until a minimum internal temperature of 165°F is achieved in the thickest part of the breast & the thigh.

Good luck

---

brine it for 24 hours,
use tony's cajun butter and inject it,
season with meat church holy cow if you want some spice
keep an olive oil spray or something with high heat capacity on hand to spray the turkey every hour or so while it's on the grill

everything you ever needed to know about smoking a turkey

LINK

I did this recipe last year


I will do one to two of these every year. It was the best damn turkey I have ever had. Flavorful and moist. It cooks fast so you have to keep your eye on the temp.

quote:

---

Combine the melted butter and the remaining 1/4 cup of maple syrup and divide in half.

---

I added Fresh Thyme, and Sage to the above ingredients and made extra to inject. A high quality maple syrup. This was silky good on its own, but added so much flavor to the turkey. I added the suggested spice to it as well.

Usually my kids will have some and that's it. This Turkey was gone in two days. I order two fresh Turkey's online because I don't want one that's brined already from the store. I got mine from Dartagnan's.

I am not over exaggerating how good this was. Now, it is a mixture of savory and sweet, but the Turkey mix pellets added the perfect smoke. Spatchcocking was awesome and allowed for easy prep of the meat. If your family needs the traditional look well then scratch the spatchcocking, but I won't do it any other way from now on.