Ingredients
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
2 gallons vegetable stock
2 cups apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons pickling spice
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, chopped into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
4 bay leaves
1 (10 pound) bag of ice
2 gallons cold water
16 to 18 pound turkey
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoon kitchen bouquet browning sauce
2 tablespoons salt
Ground black pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons paprika
6 large oranges, quartered
Directions
- Mix salt, brown sugar, vegetable stock, apple cider vinegar, pickling spice, onion, carrot, peppercorns and bay leaves in a stockpot and bring to a boil until sugar and salt is well dissolved. Remove from heat and cool. In large pot or ice chest, add stockpot mixture to ice and cold water. Submerge turkey. Brine for 4 to 6 hours.
- Remove turkey from brine and dry well. Combine Worcestershire sauce and kitchen bouquet browning sauce together and brush on skin of turkey. Rub salt, pepper and paprika onto turkey skin. Stuff inside of turkey with orange quarters and tie legs together.
- Smoke turkey in smoker set to 250 degrees for about 7 hours. Checking internal temperature to be 170 degrees. Remove and let rest for 45 minutes.