The Thanksgiving Turkey should be a show-stopper, and I have a guaranteed masterpiece that your family will praise you for preparing. Of course, this turkey is smoked (you won't eat an oven roasted or deep-fried bird after this), but I also take country sausage, fresh herbs, sautéed vegetables, fresh herbs, bread, and tart apples all combined into a stuffing that cooks inside the bird. The stuffing is every bit as good as the turkey and you’ll probably want to make a big pan of it on the side because it’ll go fast.
Sausage and Herb Stuffed Smoke Turkey
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Stuffed Smoked Turkey filled with a variety of herbs, vegetables, breading, and sausage.
Author:Malcom Reed
Ingredients
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15lb Whole Turkey
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1 cup Kosmo’s Turkey Brine
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1 gallon Water
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Killer Hogs AP Seasoning
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Swine Life Mississippi Grind Rub
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14oz Pepperidge Farm Seasoned Bread Cubes
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1lb Country Sausage (browned and drained)
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22oz Chicken Broth
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1 cup Granny Smith Apple (chopped)
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1 cup Celery (chopped)
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1 Onion (chopped)
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3 cloves Garlic (minced)
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1 stick Butter
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1 large Egg (beaten)
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2 teaspoons Killer Hogs AP Seasoning
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1 teaspoons fresh Rosemary (chopped)
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1 teaspoon fresh Thyme (chopped)
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1 teaspoon fresh Sage (chopped)
Directions
Thaw turkey and remove giblet bag and neck. Place Turkey in XXL plastic ziplock storage bag, Add 1 cup Kosmo’s Turkey Brine & 1 gallon of Water, squeeze air out of bag and close. Place the turkey in a large plastic bowl or tote and place in refrigerator for 24 hours. (add a heavy pot to the top of the turkey if necessary, to weight it down)
Remove turkey from brine and allow excess liquid to drain away. Air dry the skin patting it with paper towel to remove moisture.
In a large sauté pan brown sausage & drain. Leave 1 Tablespoon of sausage drippings in pan and sauté onion, celery, & apple for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for additional 2 minutes.
Spray the skin with cooking spray and season with Killer Hogs AP Seasoning followed by Swine Life Mississippi Grind.
In a large bowl combine the bread cubes with sausage, sautéed mixture, melted butter, egg, herbs, 1 teaspoon AP seasoning and chicken broth. Stir to incorporate and stuff into the cavity of the turkey. Tie the legs together with butcher twine to hold in the stuffing.
Prepare pellet grill for indirect cooking at 300 degrees using a combination of Hickory, Maple, and Cherry wood pellets for flavor. (any flavor pellet can be used)
Place the turkey on the smoker and cook until an internal temperature of 165 in the breast. Be sure to check the internal temperature of the stuffing as well. It also needs to reach 165 before serving.
Remove the turkey from the smoker, rest for 15 minutes before carving.
This is a good recipe I want to try for thanksgiving. However, I was wondering what do you do about the leftover stuffing once the cavity is full? And I don’t have a pellet grill but I have a Gateway Drum smoker. Would it be possible to cook this recipe using a drum smoker? Should I add a pan of water below the turkey?
Malcolm I’ll definitely be trying this recipe this Thanksgiving dinner. Looks amazing and I’m sure the family will love it. Thanks for sharing your excellent recipes. I’ve tried many of them and never been disappointed. Happy Holidays.