How to Hot Smoke a Turkey
If you love the traditional taste of turkey but want to see what else it can do, why not have a go at hot smoking one? It might sound bonkers but it yields delicious results, with meat that's just lightly smoked tinged, giving it a little something different. This easy try-at-home method is surprisingly simple and if you have guests around for the festive period, it's something to keep them occupied, too!
How to Hot Smoke a Turkey
If you love the traditional taste of turkey but want to see what else it can do, why not have a go at hot smoking one? It might sound bonkers but it yields delicious results, with meat that's just lightly smoked tinged, giving it a little something different. This easy try-at-home method is surprisingly simple and if you have guests around for the festive period, it's something to keep them occupied, too!
- Serves: 8
- Prepare: 30 Minutes
- Cook: 2 Hours
- Difficulty: easy
WHO ARE THE ORGANIC BUTCHERY?
Starting life as an organic farm in the heart of the West Country, The Organic Butchery is proudly founded on a long history of organic principles. We source the best quality organic grass-fed and wild meats, sustainable fish and organic free-range poultry from trusted local suppliers and like-minded brands to guarantee the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective, to make the most of every animal that crosses our blocks, which means we offer you cuts that you will never see on the supermarket shelves.
WHAT IS ORGANIC TURKEY?
From late summer our slow-grown turkeys live in large, airy barns that open on to green downland fields. Every day they can follow their natural instincts in this free-range environment - pecking at the grass and bales in the fresh air, enjoying a high quality, organic feed (a mix of wheat, barley and oats).
Ingredients
- whole organic turkey
- 400g woodchips (we like the flavour of beech)
- 1 firelighter
- camping mess tin
- large galvanised bin
- 3 bricks
- matches
- drill
- heavy-gauge wire
- pliers
- s-hook
Method
- Drill 2 holes into the bin lid. Pass a length of wire through and tie the ends securely, creating a tight loop that’s strong enough to hold the weight of the turkey
- Find a safe place to position the smoker, away from the house, fences and sheds. Position the bin on the 3 bricks, put the firelighter into the mess tin and light it. Gradually pile the wood chips on top until they begin to smoke. You don’t want them to be burning with an active flame, just smouldering
- Place the tin the bottom of the bin, heaping all of the wood chips on top
- Securely tie the turkey’s legs together with string then suspend it, using the S-hook, from the wire in the lid
- Place the lid on the bin and leave the turkey to smoke
- The longer you leave the turkey in the bin, the smokier it’ll be. We recommend smoking it for 1 to 2 hours for a gentle background flavour of smoke
- After smoking, cook the turkey in the oven as usual at 180°C for 30 minutes per kg
- Once cooked, rest the turkey for 45 minutes under 2 layers of foil before carving
WHO ARE THE ORGANIC BUTCHERY?
Starting life as an organic farm in the heart of the West Country, The Organic Butchery is proudly founded on a long history of organic principles. We source the best quality organic grass-fed and wild meats, sustainable fish and organic free-range poultry from trusted local suppliers and like-minded brands to guarantee the highest standards of animal welfare and environmental stewardship. Our mission is to approach butchery with a whole-carcass perspective, to make the most of every animal that crosses our blocks, which means we offer you cuts that you will never see on the supermarket shelves.
WHAT IS ORGANIC TURKEY?
From late summer our slow-grown turkeys live in large, airy barns that open on to green downland fields. Every day they can follow their natural instincts in this free-range environment - pecking at the grass and bales in the fresh air, enjoying a high quality, organic feed (a mix of wheat, barley and oats).
Frequently asked questions
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We work with farmer Ed Walters. The Walters Family have been farming at Bower Farm, high on the Berkshire Downs for over 110 years. They have over 50 years’ experience of producing the highest quality fresh organic turkeys purely for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Every day they explore their natural surroundings pecking at the grass and bales in the fresh air. The turkeys eat a natural diet, they are fed on high quality organic feed (a mix of wheat, barley and oats).
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Organic turkey is made of several butchered cuts that come from a turkey reared in an organic certified system. There are several organic bodies in the UK who can offer this accreditation such as the Soil Association & Organic Farmers and Growers. The standards set by these bodies will affect the husbandry, birth, life, slaughter and processing of an organic beef animal. Every standard must be met and is audited at least annually to ensure this is the case.
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There are a number of studies that suggest organic turkey is a healthier option – higher in Omega 3, Amino Acids and Healthy Fats. There are also several other reasons why choosing organic turkey is a good idea. They range from the contribution of organic turkey to climate change, animal welfare and the use of pesticides and medicines used in the farming of conventional turkeys having a detrimental effect on our health. We work with farmer Ed Walters - the Walters Family have been farming at Bower Farm, high on the Berkshire Downs for over 110 years. They have over 50 years’ experience of producing the highest quality fresh organic turkeys purely for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Like us, they are passionate about the welfare of their animals. Ed carefully rears slow growing traditional Bronze turkeys for us, an old-fashioned breed that provides a bird with fantastic flavour and even coverage of meat. The flavour of the bird is made even better by slow growth to natural maturity.