Texas Style Smoked Turkey

Smoked Turkey #1

1 turkey (10 to 14 pounds)

1 bottle Italian Dressing - I prefer Wishbone

1 cup of Texas BBQ Rub (original or Texas Wild are my preferences)

1 or 2 onions (optional)

3 stalks of celery (optional)

3 whole cloves of garlic (optional)

1 Reynolds turkey-cooking bag (optional)

1 full sized aluminum pan

1) Clean turkey - wash the turkey inside and out, remove the giblets from the cavity of the turkey. Set aside to dry or pat dry if you wish. If your turkey comes with a built in internal meat thermometer leave it in (they should pop out around 165 degrees)

2) Take the bottle of Italian dressing and pour it into a glass pan or bowl. To this add ½ cup of Texas BBQ Rub and mix well. (You should have a nice looking mixture that turns a light brown color) Work some of the Italian-Rub mix under the skin of the turkey without removing the skin. Use your fingers to get the Italian-Rub mix into all the areas under the skin of the bird (try not to tear the skin). If you tear the skin just toothpick it back on the bird. With the remaining Italian-Rub mix coat the outside and inside of the bird.

3) Apply the remaining ½ cup of Texas BBQ Rub over the Italian-Rub mix on the outside of the bird.

4) Your smoker should be set up for indirect smoking at a temperature of 225 degrees to 250 degrees.

5) If you are using the celery, onions, and garlic cut the celery stalks into two or three pieces and put in the cavity of the turkey before smoking. The onions can be cut into quarters and placed in the cavity. The garlic should be used to your taste but cut the cloves and place in the cavity as well.

6) I personally use a Reynolds turkey cooking bag and place the turkey in the bag. Follow the directions that come with the bag except I cut about 10 slits about 2 to 3 inches long in the bag when using it for smoking. The bag will allow for a nice smoke flavor (but not too much smoke) and it will help speed up the cooking time a bit and help maintain great moisture for the turkey. The bag will also keep the turkey from turning a really dark brown color. If you use the bag you can place some celery, onion and garlic in the bag.

7) Place the turkey filled bag in the aluminum pan and place on the smoker. This will keep you from tearing the bag during cooking and will keep all of the juices from the cooking in the bag for later use.

Put the turkey on the smoker and there will be no need to baste the turkey. Cook at 225 to 235 degrees until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 160 to 165 degrees. Check the internal temperature of the turkey in the thigh area. Approximate cooking times will be 5 to 7 hours. The cooking time is basically twice as long as a traditionally cooked turkey. When the turkey reaches 160 degrees take off the smoker and set aside for approximately 20 to 30 minutes before you carve it up.

Smoked Turkey Recipe #2

By the way you can inject any turkey that you are going to smoke. I use melted butter with some Texas BBQ Rub - Original mixed into the butter and then strain the butter and inject into the turkey before I put it in the turkey bag. But the turkey cooked in the bag is so moist and tasty it is just something you can try if you like or of you don't use the turkey bag.

You will need the following:

1 turkey 10 to 14 pounds

3 sticks of unsalted butter or 1 cup of margarine

1 cup of Texas BBQ Rub - Original rub

5 or 6 cloves of fresh peeled garlic minced

1 Reynolds Turkey bag (optional)

1 large aluminum pan

Melt together the butter, minced garlic, and ½ cup of the Texas BBQ Rub. Prepare the turkey as the above recipe except this time use the butter mix instead of the Italian Dressing mixture and make sure you rub under the skin of the turkey. Pour the remaining mixture over the turkey. Place in the turkey bag if you like less smoky taste on the turkey. I like white meat of turkey and the bag will help keep it moist and not absorbing so much smoke. Same cooking times as above. If you want to darken the skin of the turkey, the last 2 hours of the smoking tear the bag and expose the top of the turkey to more smoke. This will darken the skin of the turkey and allow a bit more smoke to get to the meat of the turkey.

Jeffrey Cowgill 2020