This Thanksgiving, we decided we wanted to use our relatively-new smoker to smoke a turkey. This involved brining it first to ensure the turkey would retain its moisture during the smoking process. I adapted this recipe and it worked so well that I want to use it again later! The meat was perfectly moist and delicious.

Brining a turkey is a good step before roasting as well as smoking. The bird will need to bring for 18-24 hours, so be sure to plan ahead — get the turkey out of the freezer 6-7 days before cooking (for a ~12-13-lb. bird), and get it in the brine the day before.

2 cups apple cider 
2 gallons water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
5 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tablespoons peppercorns
2 oranges, thinly sliced
2 lemons, thinly sliced
5 rosemary sprigs
3 bay leaves

Place all the ingredients (minus the turkey) in a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer.

Cook for 2-3 minutes or until salt and sugar have dissolved. Turn off the heat. Let the brine mixture cool.

Place a whole turkey in the brine solution to fully submerge it, then refrigerate for 18-24 hours. If your turkey does not fit into the pot, place the turkey and the brine into a brining bag.

When you’re ready to cook your turkey, remove it from the brine.  Discard the leftover brine — if you use more of it to baste, you might get a saltier turkey.

Proceed with your turkey roasting/smoking method, and enjoy!