Smoked Jack Daniels Turkey Brine Recipe

This Jack Daniels Turkey Brine Recipe paired with a butter injection is amazing! The turkey is perfect for Thanksgiving dinner, holiday dinner, or weekend meal!

I love smoking holiday meat! I made this on my Pit Boss Pro 1100.  NowI picked mine up from Lowes, but Walmart and Amazon carry other Pit Boss options or the Pit Boss websites themselves.  

Pit Boss Pellet GrillsTraeger Pellet GrillsZ Grills Pellet Grills

 

Jack Daniels Turkey Brine Ingredients: 

• Brown Sugar
• Minced Garlic
• Salt
• Ice
• Jack Daniels 
• Water 

Jack Daniels Turkey Injection Recipe Ingredients:

• Jack Daniels

Turkey Butter Injection Ingredients: 

• Butter
• Minced Garlic 

How To Make Jack Daniels Injection Turkey:

Safely thaw your turkey and remove the innards. 

If you choose to rinse off your turkey, pat dry before injecting. 

Your smoking tools are just as crucial as a good smoker. I have gone thru several plastic injectors over the years! We broke another when we made the Beef Brisket With A Whiskey Injection! The old lady had enough this time and ordered a Metal Injector from Amazon! 

I  loved the different sizes of the attachments, the finer point is going to be amazing on some smoked cornish game hens!! The extra gaskets will make the injector last even longer since upkeep will be easier. This time I used the big tip for the metal injector; I knew the turkey skin would be tougher.  Plus, larger areas of meat to inject as well. 

Now I measured out a cup of Jack Daniels into a glass to pull from so I wasn’t putting the injector into a bottle of Jack Daniels to reload with. You can also pour yourself a shot too!

Place your turkey in a cooler or container and start to inject. 

Fill your cooler with the rest of the brine ingredients and submerge your turkey.

 

While your turkey is brining, store it in the fridge or ice water.  You don’t want the temperature to rise and grow bacteria. 

The day you are ready to smoke your turkey remove your turkey from the brine; I set mine in a pan to allow it to dry off a bit while I prepare the rest. 

How To Make Butter injection for Jack Daniels Turkey:

In a bowl, melt one stick of butter and your minced garlic together for the butter injection.

I used the large injector as well again, the minced garlic did clog some. It was workable through the injector into the turkey. 

How Long To Make A Turkey For

Now this will vary some smoker to smoker. The most common practice is to smoke for a couple of hours at 225 and then turn the temperature up to 350 to decrease the remaining cooking time. When turning the temperature up, you can cover the turkey with foil if you like.

• You can start smoking on a smoke setting for an hour or two before increasing the temperature.
• 225 degrees Fahrenheit for ~30 minutes per pound of meat.
• 250 degrees Fahrenheit for ~30 minutes per pound of meat.
• 325 degrees Fahrenheit for ~12 minutes per pound of meat.

For Example, a 15-pound turkey at 225 pounds would be about 450 minutes. Divide that by 30 to get 7.5 hours of cook time.

The most important part is not to smoke for time but for temperature. You will want to use a meat thermometer to ensure your bird reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees before serving.

How To Smoke A Jack Daniels Turkey:

 After you are done injecting the butter, sprinkle your turkey with seasoning.  For this, I used a bit of Montreal Steak Seasoning, Johnny’s Original Seasoning Salt, and Lawrys Garlic Salt.  

Next, I placed a stick of butter in the turkey cavity; this will help keep the inside moist and flavor the turkey more.  

Start your smoker up; I used Mesquite Pellets with Pitboss Fruit Blend Pellets in my hopper. Walmart is one of my favorite places to pick up Pitboss pellets; plus, ordering online, they ship to a home for free with $35 orders!

Set your smoker at 255 and allow the turkey to cook slowly.  I cooked mine at 225 for about 5 hours and then turned it up to 250 for another hour.   

Remove and serve! 

What To Serve With Smoked Turkey:

Any of the classic turkey dishes will go with smoked turkey. I love to smoke versions of classics as well.

• Smoked Baked Potatoes 
• Smoked Loaded Cheesy Potatoes
• How To Make Smoked Deviled Eggs 
• Smoked Mashed Potatoes
• Smoked Loaded Baked Beans 
• Cheesy Potatoes
• Smoked Sweet Potato Casserole 
• Creamy Smoked Macaroni And Cheese
• Smoked Cream Cheese
• How To Smoke A Pie

Other Smoked Turkey Recipes: 

• Smoked Coca-Cola Turkey Brine Recipe
• Smoked Turkey With A Dry Rub
• Apple Cider Brine Smoked Turkey
• Smoked Turkey Breast With Brine Recipe
• Smoked Turkey With Brine, Butter Injection, and Dry Rub

Other Whiskeys To Use For Whiskey Injected Turkey:

• Makers Mark
• Jack Daniels Honey 
• Bird Dog Peach Whiskey 
• Old Camp Peach Pecan Whiskey
• Crown Royal Apple