What's Today? Easter? Let's Smoke Something.

We're getting a little crazy with the meat smoker. I think we've only gone two or three weekends without smoking something since we bought this Char-Broil Electric Water Smoker, and this weekend will not be one of them.

Today we are going to try a smoked turkey using my tried and true wet rub.

Here's the rub ingredients-

Saffron
Chili Powder
Curry
Cumin
Rosemary
Cayenne Pepper
Salt and Pepper
Mashed Garlic
Dijon Mustard
Olive Oil
Brown Sugar
Whiskey (today it's Jeffersons Reserve Kentucky Small Batch Bourbon)

I take mostly equal relative amounts of each ingredient except for the salt and pepper, and mix thoroughly. Then you take the turkey after removing the giblets and cleaning with cold water and smother with the rub. I separate the skin from the breast gently enough so that I can push the rub under the skin to cover the breast and the sides. It sat since last night in the fridge covered up so the spices have had a chance to soak in the meat. We are going with alder chips and wine barrel chunks for smoking, and using bay leaves and other spices in the water pan.

They say to go with 30-40 minutes per pound of turkey, and since we have the water pan we can make sure you lean towards the 40 side to make sure the turkey is done and not worry about it drying out. I'll post a picture along with the side items for this weekends feast.

Update:

Success. The meat is as tender as the ribs, and pretty spicy too. I pealed back the skin and you can see the breast came out very nice. Notice that the meat is so tender that the leg fell from the joint.