Herb-Rubbed Turkey Smoked Indoors
- 1 tablespoon coarse salt (kosher or sea)
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 1 8- to 10-pound turkey
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- Make rub: place salt, poultry seasoning, garlic powder and pepper in a small bowl, and stir to mix.
- Remove giblets from turkey.
- Remove fat from main cavity.
- Rinse turkey, inside and out, under cold running water, then blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels.
- Place turkey on a sheet pan with sides.
- Sprinkle 1/3 of rub inside both cavities.
- Truss if desired.
- Sprinkle with remaining rub.
- Set up a smoker, placing 3 tablespoons hardwood sawdust in center of bottom.
- Line a drip pan with foil, and place it on top of sawdust.
- Oil a wire rack and insert it in smoker.
- Put turkey, breast side up, on rack.
- Tent bird with heavy-duty aluminum foil, crimping edges over rim of smoker to make a seal.
- Ideally, foil will not touch turkey.
- Place smoker over high heat for 3 minutes, then reduce heat to medium, and continue smoking for 30 minutes.
- Heat oven to 350 degrees.
- Remove foil from turkey, being careful to avoid steam.
- Paint bird with melted butter.
- Remove sawdust from smoker, then place smoker bottom with bird in it in the oven.
- Roast turkey until skin is crisp and golden brown and bird is cooked through, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours more, basting once or twice more.
- Turkey is done when internal temperature of thigh is 180 degrees.
- Transfer turkey to a platter, loosely tent with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Reserve any drippings for gravy.
coarse salt, poultry seasoning, garlic, freshly ground black pepper, turkey, butter
Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/8247 (may not work)