Carolina Smoked Turkey

Nothing better than a smoked turkey for the Holidays!! Pig Powder inside and out, Carolina Butter under the skin, stuffed with red jalapenos and glazed with UR Carolina BBQ Sauce yields a succulent bite with a little bite of its own. (and an awesome gravy)

Serves about 7-8

Ingredients

  • 10-12 lb turkey, thawed and rinsed, giblets removed
  • Underwood Ranches Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce
  • 1 ½ sticks butter, softened
  • Trim Tabb’s Pig Powder
  • 16-24 jalapenos, red or green (or poblanos)

Instructions

  1. The night before cooking, rinse off the thawed turkey. Dry with paper towels.
  2. Using a large wooden spoon or your fingers, loosen the skin from the turkey body, especially the breast area and the legs and thighs.
  3. Carolina Butter: Stir together 1 ½ sticks softened butter with 3 T UR Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce until combined and silky.
  4. Spread the Carolina Butter under the skin as far as you can reach without tearing the skin.
  5. Liberally sprinkle the Pig Powder or favorite dry rub on the outside and inside the cavities of the bird.
  6. Cover and let sit in fridge overnight.
  7. An hour before you are ready to cook, remove turkey from the refrigerator and stuff cavities with topped red jalapenos. Can use green jalapenos, poblanos or whatever you have to impart a layer of flavor.
  8. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees and place turkey in a disposable foil roasting pan, breast side down.
  9. Smoke for about 90 minutes, increase temperature to 325 and cook for about 1 hr. Turn the turkey to breast side up and cook for about 1 hr – 1 ½ hrs or until breast meat registers 160 and the thigh meat is about 175. Cover thinner parts that seem to be cooking faster with foil.
  10. Brush on UR Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce and raise temperature to High or about 425 for about 5-10 minutes or until it starts to glaze up a little.
  11. Remove from smoker and let sit for about 20 minutes. Collect drippings from the pan, pour off fat and make up a gravy with cornstarch and water. Triple layers of flavor!!

Karen 11.22.2020