DennyMike’s Oven Roasted and Smoked Turkey Seasoned with Turkey Lurkey

You are gonna' love the recipe guaranteed to get you the moistest, most delicious turkey.  Use my Turkey Lurkey Seasoning as a Rub, Seasoning or to Season your Brine—or all three!

Ingredients

• 12-14-pound turkey fresh or frozen, thawed
• 3 Tbs Turkey Lurkey, more or less, to taste
• 1 stick of butter

Instructions

Preferably, prepare the bird the night before cooking but not critical if time does not allow. Melt butter in saucepan or microwave and stir in the Turkey Lurkey, making a wet rub paste. Using a half or full-size rubber spatula, beginning at either end, insert the spatula, round edge leading, under the skin carefully so as not to tear, and work to separate as much as possible all over the bird. Making sure wet rub is still warm, use the spatula to spread the mixture to as many areas as you can reach to get the seasoning to, and remember to keep an eye on leaving enough to also smear over the entire OUTSIDE of the bird. For a ‘stuffing’, I use chunks of a small apple, onion, lemon and/or orange, and 2 sticks of celery cut in 2-inch pieces stuffed into the cavity. (Tip- I forgot to mention an option I use, seasoning the inside of the cavity with three or four good shakes of Turkey Lurkey before placing your stuffing). Now you can cover with plastic wrap and overnight in the fridge, or just leave it on the counter while you get your oven or smoker up to temp.

The Cook

Oven temp 325. I start my bird breast down for the first hour, then flip after the initial hour back to breast up, and baste once an hour or so, until done. Allow 13-16 minutes per pound in your oven, or 25-30 minutes per pound in your smoker, to fully cook to a finishing temp of 165-170 degrees, which should be taken from the thickest part of the thigh, but I also check the breast temp as well. As always, when smoking your bird, it is always best to plan for a longer cook time, so be safe and plan your cook accordingly. Enjoy!