Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays will look a little different this year. Like many other people across the country, we’ll host a small group, maybe even just the two of us. Here’s where this recipe for Oven BBQ Smoked Turkey comes in. It makes a juicy moist bird with the flavors of outdoor BBQ. Because the turkey is split before roasting, the recipe works for a half turkey, what we’ll probably be making.
To make this recipe, you rub a small split turkey (or half a turkey) with a smoky seasoning mixture. Let it cure overnight then slow roast it in your home oven for a few hours. The cure flavors the meat and helps it retain moisture. The result is a juicy moist bird with the flavor of outdoor BBQ and none of the fuss.
This Oven BBQ Smoked Turkey uses one special ingredient, the Smoky BBQ Rub from Spitjack, a company that sells everything to do with cooking over a live fire. Bruce Frankel, chef extraordinaire and generous friend, sent us his collection of smoked rubs to test. And he gave me tips on how to handle the turkey. (Sliding butter under the breast meat makes a world of difference as does roasting the meat on a rack at a low temperature.) His blend includes ingredients with naturally smoked flavors such as smoked paprika and smoked salt. The layers of smoky tastes build into a flavor in the meat that really resembles actual wood cooking, this coming from someone with indoor and outdoor wood grills and a wood-fired oven.
The amount of rub depends on your taste preferences. You can see here about how much I used when curing the bird before roasting. Then I added more seasoning before roasting. In all, I estimate I used about 1/4 cup of the mixture.
As for timing, when preparing a 10–12 pound split turkey, plan on 24 hours to cure the turkey in the rub. Then the next day when you cook the turkey, plan on letting it sit at room temperature for 2 hours and then slow roasting it for 3 hours.
As with any other poultry, cook the turkey until it reaches 165°F in the center of the meat as registered on a roasting or an instant read thermometer as you can see here.
Although we serve the turkey with pan gravy, you might want to offer it with relish and coleslaw, cornbread, macaroni and cheese and other BBQ sides. We enjoy it on sandwiches just like any other roasted bird.
The only things we will miss are our family and friends around the table.
Kitchen Notebook
Spitjack’s Smokey BBQ Rub is the ingredient we used. But other companies make blends designed for giving foods a grill-kissed BBQ taste such as Spice and Tea Exchange and Penzey’s.
Get your butcher to split a turkey in half if you like. But order your split turkey soon. I expect they will be overwhelmed with similar requests.
Thanksgiving and the year-end holidays will look a little different this year. Like many other people across the country, we’ll host a small group, maybe even just the two of us. Here’s where this recipe for Oven BBQ Smoked Turkey comes in. It makes a juicy moist bird with the flavors of outdoor BBQ. Because the turkey is split before roasting, the recipe works for a half turkey, what we’ll probably be making.
Ingredients
One small turkey, 10–12 pounds, split in half
Spitjack Smoked Rub for Chicken or other smoky rub for poultry, approximately 1/4 cup
4 ounces butter, softened
Flour and stock for gravy, if desired
Directions
- A day before cooking, pat the turkey halves dry. Rub the exposed flesh with some of the BBQ smoked seasoning. Sprinkle it liberally on the skin. Place the turkey halves, skin side up, on a sheet tray and refrigerate overnight.
- Place the oven rack in the center of your oven. Preheat the oven to 240°F.
- Line a half sheet tray with foil. Place a rack on the foil-lined sheet tray. Take the turkey out of the refrigerator. Pat each half dry with clean paper towels. Loosen the skin without tearing and spread the butter liberally over the breast meat.
- Place the turkey, skin side down, on the rack. Season it again liberally with the BBQ rub. Let it come to room temperature.
- Place the turkey in the oven. Turn on the convection fan if using a convection oven. Cook the turkey for an hour, basting it from time to time, every 20–30 minutes or so, with the juices.
- After one hour, flip the turkey so that it is skin side up. Continue cooking with the convection fan on, basting the turkey halves frequently until the meat is tender and the juices run clear, for approximately 2 ½ – 3 hours in total cooking time. Test the temperature with an instant read thermometer which should read 165°F. The joints should move freely.
- Prepare a gravy from the pan drippings if you like. Serve the turkey with mashed potatoes, gravy and cranberry relish or with BBQ sides such as relish, coleslaw and macaron and cheese.
Notes
Spitjack’s Smokey BBQ Rub is the ingredient we used. But other companies make blends designed for giving foods a grill-kissed BBQ taste such as Spice and Tea Exchange and Penzy’s.
Get your butcher to split a turkey in half if you like. But request this service soon. I expect they will be overwhelmed with similar requests.
