Enjoy smoked turkey this Thanksgiving

#Middlebury

In 1621, a small group of Pilgrims in Plymouth, Mass., gathered with the native Wampanoag people to celebrate a successful harvest. They could not have imagined the legacy they were creating for Americans who came after them. Giving thanks was part of the Wampanoag tradition as it was for the Pilgrims.

After many hardships and hard labor, the Pilgrims invited the Wampanoag to join them in feasting and sports in an outpouring of gratitude for the bounty they received. There is surprisingly little recorded about this important event in our history, but it does seem clear that, like our Thanksgiving today, there was a copious amount of food, and the revelry went on for about three days.

What we also know, for some certainty, is that many of the foods we most associate with Thanksgiving were not what the first Pilgrims prepared. There is a first-hand record, written by E.W. Winslow to a friend in England that gives us some idea of their menu. He writes that the men brought in large amounts of fowl, like duck and geese. William Bradford, the Plymouth Colony governor, reports that “there was a great store of wild turkeys.” We can believe with a degree of confidence, that the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag ate turkey on that first Thanksgiving, and most likely, venison and a variety of fish.

Cranberries, herbs and onions were used to stuff the meat and fish. Potatoes probably were not served, but rather turnips and Jerusalem artichokes. There were probably pumpkins, but no pie. The Pilgrims didn’t have access to butter, milk or flour for baking.

The traditional Thanksgiving menu that most of us think of today is about 200 years younger than the original celebration. Over time, as European farming methods were used by the early settlers, they grew the crops they missed from home. When farm animals and dairy products became available, many of the foods that we now associate with Thanksgiving were regularly prepared.

My recipe for Smoked Turkey provides some of the flavors from that first Thanksgiving. Using the smoking method to cook the turkey also frees up oven space for your side dishes and desserts.

Smoking a turkey is one way to prepare your Thanksgiving bird. (Weber.com photo)

Smoked Turkey

1 (8- to 13-pound) turkey, thawed and patted dry

Spice Rub
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon paprika
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons white pepper
1 teaspoon powdered ginger
1 teaspoon powdered sage
1/4 cup vegetable oil

1. Smoking the turkey can be done in an outdoor electric smoker that is specially designed for smoking food or in a covered grill. For the best smoking results for the grill method, use hardwood chips, such as hickory, apple or maple. Soak them in water for one or two hours. This prevents flare-ups. Prepare and plug in the electric smoker as directed or light the charcoal smoker while you are prepping the turkey, about 30 minutes before you are ready to start cooking.
2. For food safety reasons, the turkey should be thawed completely and not stuffed. Wash the turkey, remove the giblets and neck, then pat the turkey dry. Mix all dry ingredients together. Dust the inner cavity of the turkey with 2 tablespoons of the dry ingredients. Mix the remaining dry ingredients with the vegetable oil to make a wet rub, or paste, and rub it all over the turkey.
3. Gently separate the skin from the meat of the bird and massage the rub into the meat underneath the skin. Be careful not to remove the skin from the bird. Insert a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the thigh or breast without touching the bone. Cover the turkey with plastic wrap and set it aside while the smoker comes to temperature.
4. Remove plastic wrap and place the turkey in a foil pan on the grill. You can use the drippings from the turkey to flavor your dressing or to make gravy. Close the grill lid or smoker door and allow the turkey to cook for 30-minutes per pound. You will need a second thermometer for the smoker. The smoker temperature should be maintained between 225 F and 300 F. If you are using a charcoal smoker, add briquettes every hour to 1 1/2 hours to help maintain proper temperatures.
5. It can take up to 12 hours to cook the turkey, depending on the weather, the size of your bird and your equipment. An 8 to 13-pound turkey will take 20-30 minutes per pound to cook. Every time you lift the lid, you add 10 minutes to the cooking time. If the thermometer does not read 140 F in four hours, the turkey should be finished in the oven. Temperatures under 140 degrees for too long allow harmful bacteria to grow.
6. The turkey is done when the temperature on the meat thermometer reaches 165 F. Remove the turkey from the smoker and allow it to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Angela Shelf Medearis is an award-winning children’s author, culinary historian and the author of seven cookbooks. Her new cookbook is “The Kitchen Diva’s Diabetic Cookbook.” Her website is www.divapro.com. To see how-to videos, recipes and much, much more, Like Angela Shelf Medearis, The Kitchen Diva! on Facebook. Recipes may not be reprinted without permission from Angela Shelf Medearis.

© 2018 King Features Synd. Inc., and Angela Shelf Medearis