Page 10 2013 Home for the Holidays Special edition of LINCOLN DAILY NEWS.com
the bird. If you do, it will come out too dark and will
lose its visual appeal. The best plan is to add a little
smoke via wood chips or wood charcoal at the begin-
ning, then just let the heat of the fire cook the bird to
perfection.
Graue said that for cooking turkey, he likes to start
with a fresh bird, not a frozen and thawed bird that has
been injected. He noted that some of the name-brand
turkeys on the market do have flavor injected into the
meat, and that is not needed when smoking a bird.
What he does do is brine the bird before cooking.
Simply put, brining is soaking the bird with a mixture
of salt and seasoning suspended in water. Graue said
he usually sets a 16-pound bird in the brine for about
six hours.
The best way he has found to do this is to mix the
brine, then put the turkey in a very large zip-lock bag
inside a cooler. Fill the bag with the brine, press all the
air out of the bag and seal it. Next, cover the bird with
ice to keep it cold, and let the brine do its job.
Graue uses the following recipe for his brine:
1 turkey, 12-14 pounds
2 quarts apple juice
1 pound brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3 quarts water
3 oranges, quartered
4 ounces fresh ginger, sliced thin
15 whole cloves
6 bay leaves
6 large garlic cloves, crushed
To prepare the brine, combine all ingredients (except
the turkey) in a large stock pot. Over medium-high
heat, heat the brine until it is very hot, and stir it until
all of the salt and sugar has completely dissolved.
Place the brine in the refrigerator until it is cold. Once
the brine has cooled down to 40 or 45 degrees in the
refrigerator, it is time to add the turkey.
Graue said that brining is an important step for cook-
ing the bird. The purpose of the brine is that the liquid
with its seasonings will infuse into the meat, mak-
ing for a very nice, moist and flavorful slice when it
comes to the table.
Once the brining stage is completed, pull the turkey
out of the brine, rinse it well and let it stand at room
temperature for about two hours. He said it is impor-
tant not to place an ice-cold turkey on the smoker. The
reason is that it will not cook evenly. The outside will
get hot much sooner than the inside, which in the end
will result in the turkey exterior being overcooked and
the interior possibly undercooked.
To prepare the turkey for the smoker, Graue said,
“again, a little is better.” He rubs the outer skin with
vegetable or olive oil. The chef can then add what
he chooses: kosher salt, seasoned salt, cracked black
pepper or some type of rub. Again, Graue cautioned
that one would be wise to go light on such products
because they, too, will make the outside of the turkey
too dark.
To prepare the smoker, Graue said the chef can decide
what type of smoke he wants. He added that apple
wood and hickory are good ones to use, and mesquite
might be a little too strong for poultry. There are also
