Ingredients
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12-13 lb Turkey
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1 Package Meat Church Bird Baptism Brine
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2 C brown sugar
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2.5 C honey (reserve .5C for glazing)
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Meat Church Honey Hog to taste
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1 stick of butter
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8-12 C ice
Tools
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Poultry shears or chef knife for spatchcocking
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Brine Bucket
Brine
Thoroughly mix the entire contents of the brine package, the brown sugar and the honey with roughly 4 cups of water in a medium stock pot. Bring nearly to a boil to dissolve the salt & sugar.
Remove from the heat and add 8 - 12 cups of ice water to completely cool the liquid.
Place the turkey in the brine bag. Fill the brine bag with the brine mixture making sure to completely submerge the turkey. Add more water if necessary. Refrigerate and brine overnight or at least an hour per pound.
Remove the turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
Spatchcock the Turkey
The spatchcock can be done before or after the brine.
Using a pair of poultry shears, cut along each side of the backbone of the turkey to remove it as seen in this video. Remove the keel bone and press the turkey flat.
Prepare your smoker
Prepare your smoker at a temperature of 275 degrees. I recommend a medium smoking wood or pellet such as pecan, hickory or a fruit wood for this cook. In this video we used a Traeger Woodridge with Meat Church pecan and cherry Traeger pellets.
Prepare the Turkey
Separate the skin on the breast and thighs gently using your fingers like I did in this video. Place the pats of butter under the skin and pin the skin back using toothpicks.
Season all sides of the turkey evenly with Honey hog making sure to get underneath the legs and wings.
Allow to adhere for at least 15 minutes.
Smoke the Turkey
Smoke the Turkey
Place the turkey in the smoker. Smoke the turkey until you reach 155 in the breast using an instant read thermometer.
Baste with melted butter halfway through the cook.
Finishing and Glazing the Turkey
Glaze the entire turkey with the honey you set aside previously. Squirt the honey straight out of the bottle and touch up the spots you can't reach with a silicone brush.
Smoke for 5 more minutes or until the honey is tacked up. Remove from the cooker and let rest at least 30 minutes depending on size.
Carve and enjoy with a Fall Spiced Whiskey Sour!
