Traeger Maple Brined Turkey Recipe
There’s nothing better (or tastier) on Thanksgiving than this Traeger Maple Brined Turkey Recipe!
Really you can cook this masterpiece on your smoker or any brand of pellet grill… as long as it’s big enough.
Smoking or cooking your turkey on the Traeger pellet grill is great for the wood fired flavor it gets.
But it also frees up the oven for all the yummy holiday side dishes.
And the brine creates a no-fail juicy bird that is the star of the show!
How to make this Traeger Maple Brined Turkey Recipe
You’ll need a large pot (or container) to brine a 14 to 16 pound turkey.
I have large pot that I used to make the brine.
Start with 1 1/2 gallons of water in the pot.
And add 1 1/2 cups kosher salt, 3/4 cup real maple syrup, and 3/4 cup of either whiskey, bourbon, or apple cider.
Then add 1/2 cup brown sugar, some whole peppercorns, and a few sprigs of fresh thyme and rosemary.
Bring to a boil so everything comes together and once cooled I just added the thawed turkey.
Let this brine in the fridge for 24 hours.
Once 24 hours have passed, remove the turkey and pat it dry really well.
Then slice an apple, orange, lemon, and onion for the stuffing.
Stuff as much of the fruit as possible in the turkey and also a few thyme and rosemary sprigs.
Then brush the whole turkey with melted butter.
No additional seasoning is needed thanks to the brine.
Place the turkey in a smoker or pellet grill set to 225 to 250 degrees.
Smoke the turkey for 30 minutes per pound (approx. 7 to 9 hours for a 14 to 16 pound turkey) or until internal temperature is 175 degrees in the dark meat.
This is what it looked like after a few hours.
This Traeger Maple Brined Turkey Recipe is sure to be a hit at your family Thanksgiving dinner đŸ™‚
Yum!
If you like this Traeger Maple Brined Turkey recipe, you might also like these holiday recipes…
The BEST Sausage Stuffing
Traeger Green Bean Casserole
Thanksgiving Leftover Pig Shots
Traeger Game Day Appetizers
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Traeger Maple Brined Turkey
Equipment
- Traeger/Pellet Grill
- Smoker
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 gallons water
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 3/4 cup real maple syrup
- 3/4 cup whiskey, bourbon, or apple cider
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- Optional: a few sprigs of fresh thyme and/or rosemary
- 14 to 16 pound whole turkey (thawed)
- 1 apple sliced
- 1 orange sliced
- 1 lemon sliced
- 1 onion sliced
- 4 tablespoons melted butter
Instructions
- In a very large pot (big enough for the turkey to fit into) combine the water, salt, maple syrup, either whiskey, bourbon, or apple cider, brown sugar, peppercorns, rosemary and thyme (if using). Bring to a boil. Boil for 1 minute and let the brine come to room temperature.
- Once the brine is at room temp add the turkey, breast side down. Refrigerate at least 24 hours.
- Remove the turkey from the brine, discard the brine, and pat the turkey dry with paper towels.
- Stuff the turkey with the wedges of apples, oranges, lemons, and onions and the fresh thyme and rosemary (if using).
- Brush the melted butter over all sides of the turkey.
- Place the turkey in your smoker or pellet grill set to 225 to 250 degrees. Smoke the turkey for 30 minutes per pound (approx. 7 to 9 hours for a 14 to 16 pound turkey) or until internal temperature is 175 degrees in the dark meat.
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