Best Citrus Honey Brined Smoked Turkey Recipes

HONEY CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Place orange juice, water, honey, brown sugar, lemon, oranges, black pepper, red pepper flakes, garlic, and bay leaf in a large pot; bring to a boil. Cook and stir until sugar is dissolved, 10 minutes. Remove from heat and gradually stir in ice to start chilling the brine.
• Pour brine into a large bucket; add more ice to finish cooling.

HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine the hot water and the salt in a 54-quart cooler. Stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the vegetable broth and the honey. Add the ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine, breast side up, and cover with cooler lid.. Brine overnight, up to 12 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and dry thoroughly. Rub the bird thoroughly with the vegetable oil.
• Heat the grill to 400 degrees F.
• Using a double thickness of heavy-duty aluminum foil, build a smoke bomb. Place a cup of hickory wood chips in the center of the foil and gather up the edges, making a small pouch. Leave the pouch open at the top. Set this directly on the charcoal or on the metal bar over the gas flame. Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast meat, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour.
• After 1 hour check the bird; if the skin is golden brown, cover with aluminum foil and continue cooking. Also, after 1 hour, replace wood chips with second cup.
• Once the bird reaches 160 degrees F, remove from grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 1 hour. Carve and serve.

CITRUS-SCENTED BRINED TURKEY

Steps:

• Mince five garlic cloves; halve the remaining garlic cloves and set aside. In a large saucepan, combine the apple juice, salt, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, bay leaves and minced garlic. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until salt and sugar are dissolved. Remove from the heat. Add cold water to cool the brine to room temperature., Remove giblets from turkey and discard. Place a turkey-size oven roasting bag inside a second roasting bag; add turkey. Carefully pour cooled brine into bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible; seal bags and turn to coat. Place in a roasting pan. Refrigerate for 18-24 hours, turning several times., Drain and discard brine. Rinse turkey under cold water; pat dry. Place the lemon, orange, onion, thyme and reserved garlic in both cavities. Rub oil over skin. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together. , Place turkey breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 4 to 4-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 160° (cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly). Let stand for 15 minutes before removing contents from cavities and carving the turkey.

HONEY BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

Steps:

• Combine hot water and salt in a 54-quart cooler; stir until salt dissolves. Stir vegetable broth and honey into the water. Add ice and stir. Place the turkey in the brine with the breast facing up; cover with cooler lid. Brine overnight to 12 hours.
• Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towel; rub vegetable oil over turkey to coat. Discard brine.
• Put 1 cup wood chips in the center of each of two large sheets of aluminum foil. Wrap edges around wood chips to form small pouches, leaving small openings at the top.
• Preheat an outdoor grill to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and lightly oil the grate. Place 1 pouch of wood chips directly over the flame beneath the grate.
• Set the turkey over indirect heat, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast, and set the alarm for 160 degrees F (70 degrees C). Close the lid and cook until the turkey's skin is golden brown, about 1 hour. Remove and discard first pouch of wood chips; replace with remaining pouch.
• Cover turkey with aluminum foil, return cover to grill and continue cooking until the turkey is no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 3 hours more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C).
• Remove the turkey from the grill, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 1 hour before carving to serve.

HONEY-CITRUS GLAZED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a small bowl, whisk the first six ingredients until blended. Reserve half of the mixture for brushing over turkey; refrigerate until needed., Place turkey on a rack in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. With fingers, carefully loosen skin from turkey breast; drizzle remaining butter mixture under the skin. Secure skin to underside of breasts with toothpicks. Sprinkle outside of turkey with salt and pepper., Add 1-1/2 cups broth to bottom of roasting pan. Roast turkey, uncovered, 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil; roast 1-1/2 hours longer., Remove turkey from oven. Warm reserved butter mixture until butter is melted; brush over turkey. Continue roasting turkey, loosely covered, 1 to 1-3/4 hours or until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°., Remove turkey to a serving platter. Let stand 20 minutes before carving., For gravy, pour drippings and loosened browned bits from bottom of roasting pan into a large measuring cup. Skim fat, reserving 1/4 cup. Add enough broth to the drippings to measure 3 cups., In a saucepan, mix reserved fat and flour until smooth; gradually whisk in broth mixture. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve with turkey.

CITRUS TURKEY BRINE

Steps:

• Rub salt onto your turkey, and place remaining salt, lemons, oranges, onion, garlic, bay leaves, thyme and pepper into a large pot. Place the turkey in the pot, and fill with water. Refrigerate overnight. Discard brine after removing turkey.