Easy smoked turkey

6 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
12 pounds Fresh/thawed turkey
1 Bottle ( 3 1/2-oz) natural hickory liquid smoke
2 quarts Water
1 teaspoon Salt
¼ teaspoon Pepper
Celery carrots onions optional
2 cups Hickory chips optional soaked in water 15-30 minutes
24 Hours ahead: Combine water and liquid smoke for marinade. Place turkey

Directions

in a large heavy plastic bag; add marinade and seal. Place in baking dish or roasting pan. Refrigerate and marinate for 24 hours, turning occasionally. When ready to cook, plan about 12-14 hours. Remove turkey from marinade (set marinade aside) and pat dry with paper towel. Sprinkle turkey inside and out with salt and pepper. To keep turkey moist and tender, stuff with 1 rib celery and 1 carrot, cut into inch pieces, and 2 small onions quartered. Insert a meat thermometer in the thigh, with the tip away from the bone.

WATER SMOKER METHOD: Fill fire pan of water smoker heaping full of briquets and start the fire. (When using hickory chips, wait until the coals turn gray to drain hickory chips and add to coals.) Put the remaining marinade solution into the water pan. Put grid in place and place turkey in center of the cooking grid. COver.

COVERED KETTLE METHOD: When using a covered kettle grill, place briquets on one side. Place a foil drip pan beside the coals in grill and fill with remaining marinade solution. Put cooking grid in place and put the turkey over the pan.

Smoke-cook turkey about 12 hours, or until thermometer read 180 degrees. Check briquets and water pan or marinade pan every 4 hours, adding more briquets and hot water if needed.

Source: File/Fred's Cook Book

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