SOUTHERN THANKSGIVING MENU RECIPES

Steps:

• Make brine: In a 12- to 16-quart pot, combine water, apple cider, salt, sugar, rosemary, garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, thyme, red onion, and orange zest. Bring brine to a boil, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve, then remove pot from heat (it will be heavy) and set in a sink of ice water to cool completely.
• Spatchcock the turkey: On a work surface, turn the turkey breast-down. With sturdy kitchen shears, cut down each side of the backbone to remove it (save for stock if you like). Working from the inside of the turkey and starting at the neck end, use a sharp knife to cut through the membrane and split the triangular keel bone that joins the two sides of the breast. (If you can’t cut through it, skip this part; the turkey will still be reasonably flat.) Flip turkey over and press down firmly until bones crack and the turkey is flattened.
• Pour or ladle cooled brine into a large brining bag or pot. Place turkey in brine solution, then refrigerate for 16 to 24 hours (about 1 ½ hours per pound of turkey).
• Remove turkey from brine. Submerge turkey in a pot or sink of fresh, cold water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the outside. Remove turkey from water, place on a large cutting board, and pat dry with paper towels.
• Melt butter to a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring often. Remove from heat and stir in 4 tablespoons Cajun seasoning, the granulated garlic, and granulated onion until thoroughly mixed. Set aside about ¼ cup of mixture. Transfer the rest to a tall, heatproof glass measuring cup.
• Using a meat injector with the single hole needle, place the needle in the measuring cup and pull the plunger to fill the syringe with butter. Inject the turkey at approximately 1/2-inch intervals in the breasts, thighs, and legs, paying extra attention to the breast area and remelting the butter if needed.
• Following the instructions for your smoker or grill, preheat to 350°, setting up grill for indirect heat grilling. Add in a few chunks of cherry or apple wood for smoke. (Or, for a gas grill, use wood chips, soak in water for about 30 minutes, and then add about a third at a time to the grill’s smoke box now, after 30 minutes of grilling, and then 30 more minutes of grilling).
• Line a sheet pan (about 12 by 18 inches) with foil. Brush turkey all over with reserved butter mixture (re-melt it first, if needed) and season all over with remaining 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning. Set turkey breast side up on foil-lined pan with tips of drumsticks pointing out (turkey should not extend over sides of pan).
• When wood chunks start smoking, set turkey on pan in smoker or over indirect heat on grill. Cook, with smoker or grill covered, basting every 30-45 minutes with juices that gather in pan, until turkey reaches 145° to 165° in thickest part of breast not touching the bone, 1 ¾ to 2 ¼ hours. (Cooks with Soul likes to cook their turkey to 145° but some people prefer it more done.) Baste one final time, then remove from the grill.
• Let turkey rest 20-30 minutes before carving.