Recipes: Applewood Smoked Turkey with Apple Sausage Stuffing

Applewood Smoked Turkey

Brine Time: 18-24 hr   Prep Time: 45 min   Smoke Time: 4 hr   Serves: 4-6

Ingredients
2 quarts apple juice
5 cups apple wood chips
8 lb. turkey breast
(this recipe can be done with any turkey, really, but the smoking time will change)

For the brine
1 gallon water
8 tablespoons kosher salt

Tools
Weston Propane Smoker
Weston Baking Mat

Techniques
How to Use a Weston Smoker

First, brine the turkey. My rule of thumb is 1 tablespoon of kosher salt to 2 cups of water. It took about a gallon of water to cover my turkey breast, so for this recipe, I'd say your brine should be around 16 cups of water and 8 tablespoons of kosher salt. To ensure your bird is bacteria-free, keep it in its brine for 18 to 24 hours.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Soak the apple wood chips in water for at least a half hour.

Remove the wood chip box from the smoker and fill the water bowl to the fill line with apple juice. Preheat the smoker to 240 degrees. It takes about a half hour to get it smoking properly so that you can put in your bird. 

Place the turkey breast in the oven for 30 minutes on a Weston Baking Mat. This gets the cooking process started.

Check the smoker's temperature indicator located on the front of the smoker. If it reads 240 degrees, your smoker is preheated, and you can put in the turkey. If it is not hot enough after a half hour, close the dampers more and wait for it to heat up.

Once it is heated, place the woodchips in the woodchip box and carefully place the box back into the smoker. Place the turkey on the lowest rack and tightly close the door. Check on the turkey periodically. It must be at an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees for safe consumption.

How long you smoke your turkey depends on its weight. The rule of thumb is 25-40 minutes per pound. For my 8 lb. turkey breast, I smoked it four hours.

For help with using a smoker, visit the techniques section of the Cooking with Weston Recipe Book.

Slice and serve with Apple Sausage Stuffing.

Apple Sausage Stuffing
Click here for the recipe.