Tremendous Texas Turkey made with Smooth Moove
September 8, 2021
By Obie Obermark
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In truth, this recipe will work just fine in the oven, but it’s so much better with a touch of smoke. Sadly most people have never had a delicious, truly juicy smoked turkey and that’s a shame, because it’s easy. Turkey breast is usually overcooked and dry because the dark meat takes longer to finish. One easy way to avoid this problem is to just cook the breast
Turkey is that oddball which loves roasting in high indirect heat, so we’ll cook hotter than with other smoked meats. This recipe is easiest using either a true smoker with a separate firebox, or a waterpan or baffle between the fire and the meat. I usually use a Big Green Egg with a baffle (the “plate”). I suppose you could do this on a gas grill with a rotisserie, but frankly I have my doubts and never tried it that way.
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Ingredients:
- Turkey Breast
- Obie-Cue’s Smooth Moove
- Apple Juice (in a spray bottle)
- Meat thermometer (preferably one with the probe on a heatproof wire)
- Aluminum Foil
Preparation Time: Extended initial dry marination of 6-24 hrs.
Cooking Time: Breast only is around two hrs, Whole bird: 3-4 hrs
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Step 1
The night before, rub the turkey. To start, lift up the breast skin and gradually peel several inches away from the meat by gently working your hand under the skin. Sprinkle a good shot of SMOOTH MOOVE, under the skin directly onto the breast meat, then cover the whole turkey inside and out with a heavy coat of SMOOTH MOOVE. |
| Step 2
Coat both the inside and the outside of the bird with Smooth Moove.
If the skin is dry, mist it first with apple juice so the rub will stick well.
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Step 3
 Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and overnight is much better. The meat will slowly brine and season itself by absorbing most of the SMOOTH MOOVE. Pull it out of the fridge about an hour before you are ready to cook. |
| Step 4
Build a medium-large fire. If you don’t have a baffle, push all the coals to one side and plan to keep a close eye on your bird while you cook on the other side. Before you close your lid, ring your fire with unlit charcoal to extend the life of your fire. Bring your pit to 350, or as close as you can get, then add your smokewood. Keep an eye on your smoke and replenish the wood as needed. |
| Step 5
Start your turkey breast-side down. Close the lid and watch your temperature, trying to hold 325-350. It will drop of course when the bird first goes in but watch it until the temperature stabilizes. Smoke your bird for about an hour.
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| Obie’s Tip: If you don’t have a baffle or separate firebox, rotate it after 30 minutes so both sides spend time facing the fire. |
| Step 6
After an hour turn your turkey over. Keep the temp at 350 or so, and keep heavy smoke for at least another hour. If you are cooking without a baffle rotate the bird every 30 minutes or so.
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| Step 7
After 30 minutes, put a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the breast.
BREAST ONLY: If you are cooking only a breast, bring it in when the temp hits 160 and after three minutes wrap it in foil. Allow it to stand for at least 10 minutes before slicing. |
Step 8
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| Left: Just off the grill! |
Right: slicing after 15 minutes. |
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| WHOLE TURKEY: Most folks have never tasted juicy turkey because they always overcook it. The dark meat absorbs heat just the same as the white, but it conducts heat slower. When the breast has absorbed enough heat to cook it completely, the dark meat actually has too, but it hasn’t had enough time for that heat to work all the way through it, so it’s still too raw next to the bone. We will solve this dilemma by using a “hotbox” made from an ice chest big enough to hold your bird which allows the dark meat to coast to perfect doneness without drying out the breast. When the thermometer in the breast reads 150, run several gallons of hot tap water in your ice chest to pre-heat it. When the temp hits 159, dump out the water and dry the ice chest. When the temp hits 160, bring in the turkey and immediately wrap it in foil, then close it in the pre-heated ice chest and let it coast for at least 45 minutes without opening the lid. The dark meat will finish cooking, and the white won’t dry out. If you need to travel, the meat will stay usably hot for a couple of hours.
Enjoy! |
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