Mock Smoked Turkey

I seriously had no time to plan my meal for our recent family gathering.

When my mom emailed me asking what I wanted to bring – I told her it would be something on a bun.

A “surprise sandwich” if you will.

Trust me – it was a surprise for me, too. 🙂

When I finally got around to thinking about it – just 2 days before we left – I found 1 big turkey in the freezer.

It was too big to fit in the smoker – so I knew I couldn’t smoke it. So what could I do to make it a little different than just roast turkey sandwiches?

My exhausted, muddle-headed brain decided to try brining the bird putting some liquid smoke right in the brine.

Would you believe it worked? The family gobbled up that bird (excuse the pun) so fast I was amazed.

The smoked flavor was light – but the brine keep it really moist and yummy! And the best thing of all – anybody can make it – you don’t need a smoker!

Sometimes creating while half-asleep is a good thing. 🙂

Mock Smoked Turkey

Take your thawed bird (either a chicken or a turkey) and put it in a large container to brine. This will need to fit in your fridge overnight – so you might need to be creative. (Hint: Alton Brown suggests using a large ice chest for brining your birds so that it can sit out overnight.)

Then make enough brine to completely cover your bird. I do this one batch at a time until the whole thing is drowning.

Brine:

1/2 cup non-iodized salt
1/2 sugar (I’ve used both white and brown)
2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 quart water

Just mix them together till dissolved and pour over your bird.

Then let the whole thing sit for at least 6 hours – but I prefer overnight – in the fridge (or ice chest).

When your ready – take it out of the brine and place in a roaster with a little water on the bottom. Shake a little salt and pepper on the bird and bake at 350 degrees until that little popper thingee pops up.

You could slice it and serve it hot from the oven – or you could pull it from the bone and freeze it with the broth until you need it.

I pulled the meat off  and froze it overnight with the broth. (I wanted it good and cold for the 4 hour car ride the next day.) To serve – I threw it in the crock pot to warm it up and served it hot over my dad’s fresh buttermilk bread. Yum!

Enjoy!

I’ve linked this post up with Tempt My Tummy Tuesday at Blessed with Grace and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.