Ingredients
1 Brining Mix of your choice
1 stick Butter, softened
2 tablespoons Mixed chopped herbs, such as Rosemary, garlic, thyme, sage, marjoram, parsley
21 pounds Fresh Turkey
Preparation
Rinse the turkey, removing the giblets. Place turkey in a brine solution. We use a prepackaged brine kit from the local kitchen store. It comes with a giant sturdy plastic bag to place the turkey in. Brine the turkey in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Six hours before serving time, drain the bird from the brine solution. Rinse lightly, and pat dry.
Put softened butter into a bowl with the herbs, and mix well. Separate skin from breast, and rub butter under the skin. Rub remaining butter over the outside of the skin. Make sure the legs and wings are pinned against the body.
Place bird in a disposable roasting pan, breast side up. Fill bottom of pan with 2 cups of chicken stock. Support the bottom of the roasting pan with a cookie sheet, as they are notoriously unstable alone. Place bird in preheated smoker on ‘smoke’ (approx. 125 degrees F) for 2.5 hours. Baste every half hour.
Raise the smoker temperature to 325 degrees F. the bird is done when it is registering 165 Degrees in the meatiest part of the thigh. Usually the cook time is 3 hours. baste every half hour. Remove from smoker, being sure to support the pan with a cookie sheet.
