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Orange-Brined Turkey with Orange Mayo Sandwich Sauce
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Mar 31, 2025
There’s no reason to wait for November for your turkey fix: this turkey soaked in an orange- and cinnamon-scented brine, then kissed with wood smoke, will satisfy your hunger. Particularly when thinly sliced and sandwiched between slices of rye bread slathered with Orange Mayo.
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0:00
Brine is a saline solution. To one gallon of water, add one cup kosher salt, brown sugar
0:17
whisk these ingredients until the sugar and salt crystals are dissolved. add thinly sliced onion and the zest that is the oil-rich outer rind of a couple of oranges
0:36
then squeeze the juice in as well next add four fresh bay leaves a cinnamon stick
0:46
black peppercorns, and whole cloves. Give the brine another whisk. I have a 12-pound bird
1:01
Pour the brine over the turkey. Marinate the turkey in the brine at least overnight
1:10
If you're marinating the turkey in a roasting pan, you'll need to turn it several times
1:18
If you have a clean plastic bucket, that's even better. The important thing is to keep the turkey submerged
1:24
keep it in the refrigerator and brine it for 24 hours Brining is one of the most useful techniques there is for keeping inherently dry foods like turkey and pork chops moist when you cook them on the grill or in the smoker
1:39
This is an offset barrel smoker, so-called because the fire chamber is offset and lower than the smoke chamber
1:48
Grab your turkey, and you want to sort of drain it. This turkey brined for 24 hours in the refrigerator
1:59
Blot it dry on paper towels. And position the turkey on the grate in the smoke chamber
2:12
with the breast away from the flames. Remember, the smoker's going to be hotter at this end than this end
2:18
So you want the thighs, which take a little longer to cook, towards the fire
2:22
Then close the smoke chamber. And the way a smoker works is you use a bed of natural lump charcoal to generate the heat
2:32
and then soaked hardwood chunks. I have pecan. And lay it on the coals
2:39
You soak the chunks so that they smolder rather than catch fire. You're looking to smoke at about 250 degrees
2:48
Cooking time for a bird this size will be about five to six hours
2:52
Looking for an internal temperature of 170 degrees Now if you see the turkey is smoking too hot just close this chimney vent a little bit That slow the airflow down bring the temperature down Remember
3:06
more air, higher heat, less air, lower heat. Now, every hour, what you want to do is add fresh
3:17
wood chunks. Then close the firebox door. To go with your cinnamon orange turkey
3:26
a mustard orange mayonnaise. It starts with mayonnaise, Dijon-style mustard, triple sec or other orange-flavored liqueur
3:40
and grated orange zest. Whisk these ingredients together. Let's check on the turkey
3:56
So it's been about two hours, and you can see the bird has acquired this beautiful mahogany sheen
4:02
What you want to do now is mop the turkey with melted butter
4:07
This will both add an extra layer of flavor and help keep the bird moist
4:17
And check out that patina of smoke Now to my eye it looks cooked but you always want to make sure using an instant read meat thermometer inserted in the deepest part of the thigh
4:34
You want to be about 170 degrees. Nailed it. So grab a platter
4:41
and to get the bird off the grill, these insulated rubber gloves are always handy
4:53
You want to tent the meat with foil and let it rest for 10 or 15 minutes
5:02
This allows the meat to relax and the juices to flow back throughout. Okay, and now the moment of truth
5:12
And what you want to do is just carve a few slices off the breast
5:18
Oh, yeah. Okay, let's put it together. Slice of rye bread
5:28
Spoonful of our orange mustard mayonnaise. A couple of slices of smoked turkey
5:41
Another slice of rye bread. Mmm! Nice cinnamon-orange flavor and plenty of moisture and smoke
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