Skirt in the Kitchen
For oven cooking, I brine– always. For smoking it on the grill, I simply thaw it in the refrigerator kept in its seal for several days, and it still turns out moist after 6 1/2 hours of smoking it on the grill for a 12-pound bird. Preparing it before cooking and what is put inside and on it is key even when not brining in order to have the meat moist in the end. I love the the smoked flavor, and when this happens, I want an easy day of cooking, as well– This works, having no fuss about it.
Chop 2 large yellow onions. Make sure 1 is chopped in larger chunks to line the bottom of a shallow heavy pan. Crush and peel garlic cloves.
Lay the washed, dried turkey over the onions in the pan. Have the bird pat-dry of water. With a boning knife, carefully cut directly under the skin at the opening where it attaches to the breast. Be sure not to rip, tear, or slice into the skin.
With fingers, work your hand up the interior of the skin and breast to break apart any attachment of skin to the meat. Place thin pats of salted butter (with a little bit of salt sprinkled on the butter) evenly between both layers, then the crushed garlic, as much as possible without any pieces falling out of the opening near the cavity. Coat the outer skin, all over the turkey, with bacon grease. Salt inside and outside, then with a fair amount of creole seasoning and soy sauce.
Pour Scotch whisky in the corner of the pan to run and float in and through the onions.
Drizzle the apple cider vinegar glaze over the turkey after filling the cavity with lemons, onions, and a half stick of salted butter.
Have Jack Daniels wood smoking chips ready after having been soaked in water for at least 30 minutes. The charcoal needs to be around the outside portions of the grill. Once the coals are ready,
set the tray with the turkey in the center on aluminum foil that can be flared to deflect direct heat. Have the wet wood chips placed on the hot coals. This will cause the saturated chips to begin smoking.
Put the lid on the grill and adjust the vents to be about a third-way open, just enough to keep the coals going. Add coal as needed over the 6 to 6 1/2 hours of cooking time for 12 pounds. The lid on a grill like this fits just right over a turkey of this weight, for this kind of grill.
If the coals start to go out, remove the lid to allow air to rekindle the fire; place the lid back over the turkey.
Baste with the juices from the pan every 2 hours. Towards the end of cooking when skin darkens considerably, very blackened, some of the cooked onions from the pan can be used to cover the top of the turkey to keep moist. Cover or tent the wings with the foil if they get done too soon.
The turkey is thoroughly cooked when the meatiest part of the thigh reaches 160° on a meat gauge. Leg joints should separate easily around this temperature. Allow to set in the juices when off the grill 15 to 20 minutes before carving. Even the darkened onions over the breast are flavorful.
Save the meat drippings for rich broth in other dishes of food prepared. It’s too good to discard. Freeze the juices from the pan if not used right away.
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