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Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey (No Brine)

Print Recipe
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 4 hours
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 5 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients
  

Injection

  • 1 Cup Chicken Stock
  • 4 Tbsp Butter
  • 1½ Tsp Kosher Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Lemon Juice

Compound Butter

  • 1/2 Cup Butter
  • 1 Each Lemon, Zest
  • 2 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Tsp Fresh Rosemary
  • 1 Tsp Fresh Thyme
  • 2 Tsp Kairos, Santa Maria Rub or DIY Version
  • 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt

Butter Mop/Basting Butter

  • 1/2 Cup Butter
  • 1/2 Tbsp Honey
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice or Apple Cider Vinegar

Turkey

  • 1 Each 10-12 Pound, Whole Turkey
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil I used Graza. Use code OAKANDBLADE at checkout for 10% off your purchase and help me out as well
  • Salt and Coarse Black Pepper for exterior seasoning

Instructions
 

Injection

  • Combine the butter, chicken broth, salt, and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Melt and whisk together to combine. No need to get this too hot. We just want to melt the butter into the broth.
  • Remove from heat and, if you got it a little too hot, allow to cool to room temperature. Don't cool in the fridge, as this could cause the butter to solidify and not properly inject.
  • Give the mixture a good whisking and then begin injecting into the turkey with a food grade syringe. Make sure to hit the breast really well, all over. Also, give some attention to the thighs and legs.

Compound Butter

  • Combine room temperature butter with lemon zest, garlic (also grated on microplane, after zesting lemon), rosemary, thyme, Kairos Santa Maria rub, and salt
  • Smash all ingredients together with a fork. Mix thoroughly, until all ingredients are evenly distributed into the butter.
  • Now, let's prep the turkey for the compound butter. From the end of the breasts, just above the chest cavity opening between the legs, insert your fingers between the breast meat and the skin. Carefully work your fingers in towards the neck area, separating the skin from the breasts as you go. Try not to tear the skin. We want to create a void where we can place the compound butter.
  • Once the skin has been loosed, begin taking pinches of the butter and work it up under the skin. Try to evenly disperse the butter across all of the breast meat and maybe even into the leg and thigh area, if you can. The breasts are the most important to coat with the butter. As the butter melts, it will run down and begin coating the lower meat zones.
  • Once the butter and injections are complete, take a good amount of paper towel and pat the turkey's exterior dry. We want to remove as much moisture from the exterior of the skin as possible to help with browning.

Exterior Seasoning

  • After patting the skin dry, rub it with a little extra virgin olive oil. Then, season it all over with a few pinches of sea salt and an even coating of coarse black pepper.

Butter Mop/Basting Butter

  • In a small sauce pot, combine butter, lemon juice, and honey. Melt to combine. Keep warm and ready for basting the turkey as it smokes. The butter will solidify, so just make sure to melt it before it's time to baste the bird.

Bringing it all together: THE COOK

  • Preheat your smoker to 275°. Place your Turkey in a roasting pan or directly on the grate. I like a roasting pan with a wire rack, that way I can collect all of the turkey drippings and use for gravy or flavoring other dishes.
  • We are going to cook at 275° for roughly 2-3 hours. The goal is to get the internal temperature of the breasts up to 150°. This time will vary, depending on actual size of your turkey, as well as the cooking conditions in your smoker. (if using an oven, it may cook quicker)
  • During this time, every 45-60 minutes, baste the skin of the turkey with the butter honey mixture. If using a basting brush, be gentle....we don't want to knock all of our beautiful black pepper off in the process. Just a light, even coating. This will help with browning the skin.
  • Once the turkey hits 150° in the thickest part of the breast, turn your cooking temperature up to 325°. This will push us to the final internal temperature of 160° in the breast and 170° in the thighs. It will also help lock in that nice brown skin on the exterior.
  • Once your turkey reaches the desired internal temperature, remove it from the smoke/oven and allow the rest for at least 30 minutes. This will allow the internal temperature to continue to rise by another 5°. After the final rise in temperature, the bird will begin cooling and allowing the juices to redistribute into the meat. The rest period is IMPORTANT. Do not skip. It could mean the difference between a juicy piece of meat, OR a juicy cutting board and some dry meat.
  • After the turkey is fully rested, it's time to carve it up and enjoy!