
Beer Brined Smoked Turkey
Thanksgiving is right around the corner – if you are Canadian, like me, you know we celebrate in early October – if you are American, hang onto this tasty Beer Brined Smoked Turkey recipe to wow your guests this November!
We always brine our turkey; but this it the first time we’ve smoked our turkey! It turned out so good, I don’t know why we didn’t do this from the beginning of time. Oh wait, I know. We live in the Arctic (slight exaggeration) and we can’t smoke in the winter – so we had to create this recipe in the summer months, and hope that some of you readers out there have nicer smoking weather in October – December!
The Beer
For this beer brined smoked turkey recipe, we chose Howe Sound Brewing, Rail Ale Nut Brown because of it’s rich flavours that we thought would make a nice flavourful turkey brine!
A – pours a dark, dark brown with a decent amount of frothy, creamy off-white head
S – smells of coffee, toasted nuts, caramels and toffee
T – roasted malts, caramels, toffee, nuttiness, coffee
M – slight bitterness balances with sticky caramel sweetness, medium bodied, medium carbonation
O – overall, easy to drink and perfect in turkey brine as well as perfect to pair with turkey dinner!
Beer Brined Smoked Turkey
This beer brined smoked turkey recipe takes days to make. Yup, days – sorry! Nothing quick here! If your turkey is frozen, take it out and let thaw in the fridge for about 3 days. Then after you make the brine, the turkey needs to be in it for at least 8 hours. Then the smoking takes about 3 hours. So plan ahead for this one!!
To start, we made the brine on the stove by heating up the water with sugar and salt, cut up onion and fruit, pepper, allspice and bay leaves. Once the sugar and salt were dissolved, the pot was set aside to cool completely. Do not pour hot brine over your turkey – it will start to cook it and we don’t want that yet!!
Once brine has completely cooled, place your turkey in a large plastic container and pour brine over top. Add the beer and fill the remaining container with ice – you want to ensure the turkey is covered completely. Let the turkey marinate in this brine for at least 8 hours – over night is best.
Remove the bird from the brine and dry the turkey as best as you can, patting it down with paper towels. Discard the brine.
Spatchcock the turkey (what?!) – check out these directions on how to do this!
Start your smoker now! If you need some tips on getting the charcoal going or smoking in general, read through my brisket recipe – lots of step-by-step tips there.
Season the beer brined turkey with salt and pepper, and fresh rosemary and thyme. Place insides down onto your prepared smoker. Smoke the turkey for 2 – 3 hours at 350 degrees, until the juices run clear and you get an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
Let the turkey sit for 20 – 40 minutes before carving. Enjoy your beer brined smoked turkey with your favourite sides, or try these:
Beer Brined Smoked Turkey
Ingredients
- 1 turkey 12 - 14 pounds
- 16 litres of water
- 1.5 cup kosher or coarse salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 - 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 Tbsp whole black pepper corns
- 1 Tbsp whole allspice berries
- 1 onion peeled and cut into quarters
- 1 apple peeled and cut into quarters
- 2 oranges cut into quarters
- 2 lemons cut into quarters
- 4 - 5 bay leaves
- 1 litre of dark / brown beer
- Ice
- Fresh rosemary and thyme
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
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Take turkey out, if frozen, and let it thaw in the fridge for about 3 days.
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Make the brine on the stove by heating up the water with sugar and salt, garlic, cut up onion and fruit, pepper, allspice and bay leaves. Once the sugar and salt were dissolved, the pot was set aside to cool completely.
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Once brine has completely cooled, place your turkey in a large plastic container and pour brine over top.
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Add the beer and fill the remaining container with ice - you want to ensure the turkey is covered completely. Let the turkey marinate in this brine for at least 8 hours - over night is best.
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Remove the bird from the brine and dry the turkey, patting it down with paper towels.
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Spatchcock the turkey to cook faster.
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Start the smoker.
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Season the beer brined turkey (inside and out) with salt and pepper, fresh rosemary and thyme, and place insides down onto your prepared smoker.
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Smoke the turkey for 2 - 3 hours at 350 degrees, until the juices run clear and you get an internal temperature of 165 degrees.
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Let the turkey sit for 20 - 40 minutes before carving.