First the turkey is soaked overnight in a brine to improve flavor and ensure moist meat. (Be sure to use a pot large enough to hold both the brine and the turkey.) The smokiness of the turkey is offset beautifully by the tangy, sweet glaze, which incorporates two quintessential Napa Valley ingredients: wine and mustard.
Ingredients
Serves 8
For turkey
For glaze
Make turkey:
Step 1
Combine first 8 ingredients in very large pot. Bring mixture to simmer, stirring until salt and sugar dissolve. Cool brine completely.
Step 2
Rinse turkey inside and out. Place turkey in brine, pressing to submerge. Chill overnight, turning turkey twice.
Step 3
如果使用木炭烧烤:丘木炭煤砖tes in barbecue and burn until light gray. Using tongs, carefully divide hot briquettes into 2 piles, 1 pile at each side of barbecue. Sprinkle each pile with generous 1/2 cup hickory chips. Place empty broiler pan between piles. Position grill at least 6 inches above briquettes. Position vents on barbecue so that chips smoke and briquettes burn but do not flame.
Step 4
If using gas or electric barbecue: Preheat barbecue with all burners on high. Turn off center burner and lower outside burners to medium-low heat. Place generous 1/2 cup hickory chips in each of 2 broiler pans. Set pans over 2 lit burners. Place empty broiler pan over unlit burner. Position grill at least 6 inches above burners.
Step 5
Remove turkey from brine; discard brine. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place orange wedges in main cavity. Mix olive oil and sesame oil in small bowl. Brush over turkey. Arrange breast side up on grill, centering above empty broiler pan. Cover; cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 160°F, adding 1 cup hickory chips (and 6 briquettes if using charcoal barbecue) to barbecue every 30 minutes, about 3 hours.
For glaze:
Step 6
Bring all ingredients to simmer in heavy medium saucepan.
Step 7
Brush glaze over turkey; cover and cook until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F, covering any dark areas of turkey with foil, about 1 hour longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil and let stand 30 minutes.
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Reviews (102)
Back to Topshadivaz from san francisco, I've used this recipe many times (in more than one state, on more than one smoker) and every time, I've cooked the best turkey I've ever eaten by following the directions. Pat off the brine with paper towels as instructed. I've also made the Winter Fruit Chutney as an accompaniment which is a very nice touch.
deannalp
Santa Cruz Mts./Silicon Valley, CA
8/21/2019
Can you substitute the Dijon mustard for regular yellow mustard or any other type of mustard?
Karlk01
Canada
12/22/2018
oops forgot to rate it. I do rinse off the brine just as the recipe tells you to.
rroyce
Anchorage Alaska
12/23/2014
I have also made this since I first saw the recipe in 1997. Some years when it was 30 below zero. Just got to add more charcoal. It is great. I use the left over glaze and throw it in some packaged turkey gravy and it is absolute killer. Incredibly good.
rroyce
Anchorage Alaska
12/23/2014
I have made this numerous times. If you use a tall enough tray, you can collect the drippings and make a great gravy along with the stock from the giblets.
CVCriv
CT
11/26/2013
I've used this recipe for Thanksgiving every year since first seeing it in 1997. Don't change a thing. It's the best.
bikejudy
Grand Rapids, MI
11/8/2013
I'd like to make this for thanksgiving but I've heard brines should be rinsed off of the turkey and this recipe does not specify that. Please let me know if you've made this before and believe you must rinse the turkey before grilling. THANKS!!
shadivaz
san francisco
11/18/2011
This is the best! I was having some trouble in the first hour with the wood chips smoking and turned the outer burners up to med high to high. No problem after that. I will be making this more often than just for Thanksgiving.
grtbaker
Costa Mesa, Ca
11/27/2009
Tastiest, juiciest turkey ever. As it was kosher and already soaked/salted, I used only 3 tbsp of salt in the brine. Looked like glaze didn't play well with the oil bird was coated with, possibly because I coated it with more oil midway through bbq'ing. Served with Winter Fruit Chutney and string beans with whole grain mustard.
Anonymous
Montclair, NJ
11/27/2009
I made this turkey for the first time this year. I'm not a huge turkey person but everyone at the table loved it, and some said it was the best they've ever had. It had brown, crispy skin and was ridiculously juicy. The added bonus of keeping the oven free for other T-day dishes makes this a keeper.
robhope1
Oakland, CA
11/27/2009
Love this recipe! I have used this twice now, and the second time was even better than the first. Brine it for at least 10 hours. The glaze is phenomenal! The turkey turns out juicy, and the skin brown and crispy, with this extra little punch from the glaze. Both times, there were NO leftovers. :)
AuroraFae
11/18/2009
this is still my all time favorite turkey.
mpallie
Oakland, CA
11/15/2009
Fantastic! I made this turkey for Thanksgiving dinner this year and my family devoured it and we really aren't a turkey-loving family. My changes: I roasted the turkey uncovered over a bed of carrots, celery, onions, thyme, rosemary and sage in the oven at 500 degrees for 40 minutes, which really crisped the skin. I used the pan drippings for gravy. Then I placed it on the gas grill for 4 hours over indirect heat, at 350 degrees, basting every hour. I tented it with foil for the last hour. It was so tender and moist that the bones could be pulled out. It was a 17 pound bird. Next time I think I will grill it only for three hours.
dasimmonds
12/8/2008
This is our 10th year using this recipe and it is awesome! It is juicy and has a fine mahogany color when done. Here's my husband's blog post about this year's results: http://www.weblogs.mozillazine.org/asa/archives/2008/11/every_years_tur.html Instead of a pot for brining, I use a large enough plastic bag to hold turkey and all of the brine and squeeze out all of the air before sealing. I like the new 3 gallon zip-closed big bags... I double bagged the brine/turkey, sat it upright in an ice chest, got all the air out, packed it in ice with a little ice water added and left it for about 24 hours. If using smoker with water bowl like our effective cheapo (Char-Broil brand Charcoal Water Smoker), consider putting heated [boiling] water into water bowl so it doesn't unnecessarily pull heat from the coals. Do yourself a huge favor and skip lighter fluid or instant light briquettes and get a chimney charcoal starter (like the Weber brand Rapidfire Chimney Starter)... and use a probe thermometer with a temperature alarm (like the ThermoWorks brand The Original Cooking Thermometer/Timer) that way you can watch the temp while keeping the lid on, not losing any heat... we're loving it so much that we're now looking at a smoker upgrade (perhaps the Weber brand Smokey Mountain Cooker 18-1/2-Inch Smoker).
deannalp
San Francisco peninsula, CA
11/29/2008
I've been making this recipe on our Big Green Egg for 3 years. It's outstanding! Smoky and delicious. Last year I BBQd a 21 pound bird at 225 for about 4 hours and at 300 for the last 45 min (total 5 hours). This year I BBQd an 18 pound bird for about 6 hours at 225 - 250. The dark meat is out of this world and the glaze is perfect. Next year I am going to make the brine 2 days ahead to give the brine plenty of time to cool before adding the turkey. I wouldn't change anything.
pdxstudies
Portland, OR
11/28/2008
