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Cranberry-Glazed Whole Smoked Turkey Recipe
1
(8-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
4 T. butter, softened
1 T.
ground cumin
1 T. salt
1 T. pepper
1 (10- to 12-lb. turkey,
rinsed and patted dry)
1 6-9 wood chunks
Combine cranberry
sauce, onion, garlic, butter, cumin, salt and pepper in work bowl of a
food processor. Process until smooth. Rub paste liberally underneath skin
of turkey and inside cavity. Place turkey in a large plastic bag and
refrigerate overnight.
Place wood chunks in a bowl of cold water to
soak. Figure on using 6 - 9 chunks for the whole smoking process, more if
you like a smokier flavor. Remove turkey from refrigerator and let sit at
room temperature 45 minutes. Plug in smoker 30 minutes before ready to
cook. Line water pan with heavy-duty foil. When smoker is hot, place
soaked wood chunks in smoker, avoiding electric coil. Position water pan
in smoker and fill with hot tap water. Set top cooking rack in
place.
Dampen a 7-foot length of cheesecloth and wrap around bird,
tying ends together. This will help prevent the bird from drying out.
Transfer turkey to smoker, breast side down. Place an oven thermometer on
rack with turkey. Spray cheesecloth with more water at 1 1/2-hour
intervals to keep damp. After 5 hours, remove cheesecloth with scissors,
turn turkey breast side up and continue smoking until an instant-read
thermometer shows internal thigh temperature of 180° F, 3 to 6 hours
longer, depending on size of bird and smoker temperature.
When
turkey is cooked, remove and let stand 15 minutes. (The turkey can be
cooled to room temperature, wrapped in foil and refrigerated up to 3
days.) Carve, and serve.
Serves 10
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