Smoked Turkey Crown

Method

1. Brine for a day

   Dissolve the salt and sugar in the water with the aromatics and submerge the crown for 24 hours in the fridge. Brining is what keeps lean turkey from drying out.

2. Dry the skin and dust it

   Take it out, rinse, pat very dry, and rub the skin with the baking powder and salt mix. Leave uncovered in the fridge for a few hours if you can. This is what crisps the skin.

3. Smoke at 165°C (325°F)

   A slightly hotter smoke than barbecue, because you want crisp skin, not just tender meat. Crown on the indirect side, wood on the coals, lid on.

4. Baste and watch the temperature

   Brush with butter each hour. Turkey breast is done at 70°C (160°F) and will carry over to 75°C (165°F) resting; going further dries it out. Around three hours for a 3kg crown.

5. Rest properly

   Thirty minutes tented loosely before carving. A big piece of lean meat needs the rest more than anything.

Notes worth knowing

• Smoking the turkey outside frees your oven for everything else, which is half the reason to do it at Christmas.
• Do not over-smoke: two or three chunks of a mild wood like apple. Turkey takes on smoke readily.
• Save the carcass and the smoky drippings for the best gravy and stock you will make all year.

Common questions

What temperature is turkey done at?

70°C (160°F) in the thickest part of the breast, pulled to rest, carrying over to 75°C (165°F). Cooking to 80°C (175°F), as old recipes say, gives you dry turkey.

Do I have to brine the turkey?

For a lean crown, brining makes a real difference to juiciness. A dry brine (salting a day ahead) is a lower-effort alternative that also helps the skin crisp.