Smoked, Cider-Basted Turkey
- 4 tablespoons (½ stick) unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup finely chopped shallots or red onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- One 12-ounce bottle hard dry apple or pear cider
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon salt
- One 12-to 14-pound turkey, neck and giblets reserved for another use, fat from tail area discarded
- Cranberry-Pineapple Salsa
- 6 cups mesquite or applewood chips, soaked in water for at least 30 minutes, drained
Instructions:
Smoking adds a robust flavor to turkey. The turkey is cooked by the indirect method, where the bird is cooked by the radiating heat supplied by a bank of coals.
- To make the cider baste, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the chili powder, and stir for 30 seconds. Add the cider, rosemary, sage, and salt. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to very low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely. heat to very low. Simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- In a small bowl, mix the apple, onion, garlic, chili powder, rosemary, sage, and salt. Turn the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with the apple mixture. Using a thin wooden or metal skewer, pin the turkey’s neck skin to the back. Fold the turkey’s wings akimbo behind the back or tie to the body with kitchen string. Loosely fill the large body cavity with the remaining apple mixture. Place the drumsticks in the hock lock or tie together with kitchen string. Place the turkey on a roasting rack in a large disposable aluminum foil pan. Set aside while you light the grill.
- For a charcoal grill, light 3 pounds of charcoal briquettes on one side of a grill and let burn until covered with white ash. Place the roasting pan on the cooking grate on the empty side of the grill opposite the coals. Sprinkle a handful of drained wood chips over the coals. For a gas grill, preheat the grill on High. Wrap a handful of dried wood chips in a packet of aluminum foil. Tear open the top of the packet to expose the chips. Place the packet directly on the source of heat. With the grill lid open, let the chips ignite (this may take about 10 minutes). Turn one burner off, and adjust the other(s) on Medium to Low to regulate the heat to 325°F. Place the roasting pan in the cool (off) part of the grill.
- Pour 2 cups water into the roasting pan. Baste the turkey with some of the cider mixture. Cover the grill and cook until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 180°F, 3 to 3½ hours. For a charcoal grill, add more briquettes and drained wood chips every 40 minutes or so to maintain a temperature of about 325°F, and baste the turkey. For a gas grill, add a handful of drained wood chips every 40 minutes to the foil packet. For both grills, as the liquid in the pan evaporates, add more water to keep the drippings from burning. If the turkey is getting too brown, tent it with foil.
- Transfer the turkey to a serving platter and let stand for 20 minutes before carving. Carve and serve with the salsa.