Smoked turkey is a tasty twist on more traditional turkey recipes. With the skin stuffed with fragrant orange butter and herbs, this is one tasty bird.
You won't need a smoker for this recipe. Instead a more practical and easy to store smoking gun. Using a smoking gun gives a lighter smoke, and with the subtle taste of turkey it is a winner.
If you don't have a smoking gun, don't fear! I share instructions for smoking your turkey in a roasting pan with foil.
Lots of butter under the skin for roasting. You cook this just like a normal turkey. The smoke element comes after it has cooked. Plus there is plenty of pan juices to make a lovely orange infused gravy.
Sara xxx
Ingredients
- Turkey Buffe/Crown: This is both turkey breasts still attached to the bone, with skin on. You can use a whole turkey for this recipe if you prefer.
- Butter: I use lightly salted for this recipe.
- Maple Syrup: Adds a smoky sweetness to the turkey.
- Olive Oil: Only used to rub the skin for roasting. Use a light flavoured olive oil.
- Orange: The key ingredient for the butter and the pan juices.
- Onion: Used to add flavour to the pan juices and turkey while roasting.
- Garlic: It rounds out the flavour, adds a little interest, it isn't over powering.
- White Wine: Added to the roasting pan along with water. Helps to stop the turkey drying out whilst roasting. Also adds more flavour to the easy gravy.
- Oregano: You could use fresh thyme if you prefer, but it seems predictable. That's why I went for oregano for this recipe.
- Salt: A sprinkle over the turkey before roasting helps crisp the skin and enhances flavour of the smoked turkey.
Recipe Walk Through
In a medium bowl add all the butter ingredients.
Using a fork mash all ingredients together until completely combined.
Remove turkey crown from the packaging. Remove any string tying the bird, and absorbent towel/paper that may be in the crown cavity.
Trim any excess neck skin from the turkey. Wash turkey with cold water and pat dry.
Gently work your hand between the skin and the flesh of the turkey to loosen the skin that covers the breasts.
Take your time and be careful not to poke holes in the turkey skin. You also want to make sure the skin is still connected at down the bottom at the sides of the turkey crown.
The aim is to create a pocket for the butter to go between the skin and flesh.
Take handfuls of orange maple butter and evenly distribute it under the skin.
Smoothing the butter out evenly by pressing and running your hands along the breasts of the turkey over the skin.
Place onion, garlic, and quartered oranges in the roasting pan. Give the oranges a good squeeze to release their juice. Add maple syrup.
Add wine, water and oregano sprigs to the roasting pan. Place the turkey skin side up on top of the oranges and onions in the prepared roasting pan.
Rub the outside of the turkey with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Then place in the preheated oven to roast.
Smoking Gun Method
I use a Breville Smoking Gun with applewood chips for this recipe. I purchased it a few years ago and I use it to smoke all sorts of things.
I've been slack on sharing recipes, but expect smoked butter, smoked tomato tarts, and much more soon! There is also a Polyscience Smoking Gun which is highly regarded.
Place turkey in a jumbo size zip lock bag. Zip close the bag, leaving enough room still opened at one end to the tube from the smoking gun.
Insert the rubber tube from the smoking in the open end of the bag. Then seal the bag closed securing the rubber hose.If your smoking gun does not have a tube, leave enough space open on the bag to allow the smoke to enter from the gun.
Fire up the smoking gun and fill the bag with smoke. Once completely full of smoke remove rubber tube and seal the bag completely.
Leave the turkey sealed in the bag until the smoke settles. Then repeat the above process. Two rounds with the smoking gun should take you 20-30 minutes. Remove turkey from the plastic bag. It is now ready to serve
Smoking with Pan & Foil Method
- Prepare a new roasting tray by lining it with foil.
- Place turkey in the new lined roasting tray.
- Make a small open top container from a small sheet of aluminium foil to place your fine wood chips in.
- Put the chips in the prepared aluminium container. Place the container in a dry frypan and heat until it is smoking.
- Place the aluminium container in the tray with the turkey.
- Cover the turkey and the tray with aluminium foil. Folding the foil securely around the roasting tray rim, and folding any joins in the foil together. You don't want any smoke escaping.
- Remove turkey from the makeshift roasting pan smoker. It is now ready to serve
Easy Gravy Walk Through
Remove solids from the roasting pan. Place in a sieve and squeeze as much juice as you can out of them into the saucepan. Discard squeezed solids.
Pour the remaining pan juices through the sieve into the same saucepan.
Bring juices to a simmer and reduce liquid by one third. Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste.
Place cornflour (cornstarch) in a small bowl with a couple of tablespoons of the liquid from the saucepan. Mix well.
Add the cornflour (cornstarch) slurry to the saucepan and mix well. Continue to simmer for a minute or two until thickened.
Pour into a jug and serve alongside the smoked turkey.
Smoked Turkey with Orange Maple Butter
Special Equipment
- smoking gun + fine applewood smoking chips
- chopping board + sharp knife
- medium bowl
- medium saucepan + sieve
- baking tin/roasting pan
- jumbo zip lock bags
- If you don't have a smoking gun: extra roasting pan + lots of aluminium foil + frypan
Ingredients
- 3 kg turkey buffe/crown
- 2 oranges | reserve zest for the orange maple butter
- 1 brown onion | skin removed and cut into quarters
- 3 garlic cloves | skin removed and bruised with the flat side of a heavy knife
- 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 4 sprigs of fresh oregano
- 250 mls (1 cup) white wine
- 250 mls (1 cup) water
- olive oil
- salt
- 100 grams ( 1 stick) butter | softened
- 2 reserved orange zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano |finely chopped
- 1 garlic cloves | crushed
- 1 tablespoons maple syrup
Easy Gravy
- juices from roasting pan
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornflour (cornstarch)
Instructions
If your turkey buffe/crown is frozen defrost in the fridge for 2 days before starting this recipe
- Preheat oven 180°C (360°F)
Prepare the turkey
- Remove turkey crown from the packaging. Remove any string tying the bird, and absorbent towel/paper that may be in the crown cavity.
- Trim any excess neck skin from the turkey.
- Wash turkey with cold water and pat dry.
- Gently work your hand between the skin and the flesh of the turkey to loosen the skin that covers the breasts.
- Take your time and be careful not to poke holes in the turkey skin. You also want to make sure the skin is still connected at down the bottom at the sides of the turkey crown.The aim is to create a pocket for the butter to go between the skin and flesh.
- Take handfuls of orange maple butter and evenly distribute it under the skin. Smoothing it out by pressing on the turkey skin from the outside.
- Rub the outside of the turkey with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
Orange Maple Butter
- In a medium bowl add all the butter ingredients.
- Using a fork mash all ingredients together until completely combined.
Prepare the Roasting Pan
- Place onion, garlic, and quartered oranges in the roasting pan.
- Add maple syrup, oregano sprigs, wine, and water.
Roasting the Turkey
- Place the turkey skin side up on top of the oranges and onions in the prepared roasting pan.
- Put the roasting pan in the oven and roast for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Basting the turkey every 20 minutes.
- Roast until the turkey is golden and cooked through. To check if the turkey is cooked insert a skewer into the thickest part of the turkey crown all the way to the bone. When removed if the juices are clear the turkey is cooked.
- Move on to the smoking stage as per the instructions below. Reserve the pan juices to make the easy gravy (instructions as the end) while the turkey smokes.
Smoked Turkey: Smoking Gun Method
- Prepare the smoking gun as per manufacturer's instructions.
- Place turkey in a jumbo size zip lock bag. Zip close the bag, leaving enough room still opened at one end to the tube from the smoking gun.
- Insert the rubber tube from the smoking in the open end of the bag. Then seal the bag closed securing the rubber hose.If your smoking gun does not have a tube, leave enough space open on the bag to allow the smoke to enter from the gun.
- Fire up the smoking gun and fill the bag with smoke. Once completely full of smoke remove rubber tube and seal the bag completely.
- Leave the turkey sealed in the bag until the smoke settles. Then repeat the above process.Two rounds with the smoking gun should take you 20-30 minutes.
- Remove turkey from the plastic bag. It is now ready to serve
Smoked Turkey: Pan & Foil Method
- Prepare a new roasting tray by lining it with foil.
- Place turkey in the new lined roasting tray.
- Make a small open top container from a small sheet of aluminium foil to place your fine wood chips in.
- Put the chips in the prepared aluminium container. Place the container in a dry frypan and heat until it is smoking.
- Place the aluminium container in the tray with the turkey.
- Cover the turkey and the tray with aluminium foil. Folding the foil securely around the roasting tray rim, and folding any joins in the foil together. You don't want any smoke escaping.
- Remove turkey from the makeshift roasting pan smoker. It is now ready to serve
Easy Gravy
- Remove solids from the roasting pan. Place in a sieve and squeeze as much juice as you can out of them into the saucepan. Discard squeezed solids
- Pour the remaining pan juices through the sieve into the same saucepan.
- Bring juices to a simmer and reduce liquid by one third. Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Place cornflour (cornstarch) in a small bowl with a couple of tablespoons of the liquid from the saucepan. Mix well.
- Add the cornflour (cornstarch) slurry to the saucepan and mix well. Continue to simmer for a minute or two until thickened.
- Pour into a jug and serve alongside the smoked turkey.
Notes
- 1 teaspoon equals 5ml
- 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml (Nth America, NZ & UK use 15ml tablespoons)
- 1 cup equals 250ml (Nth America use 237ml)
- 4 teaspoons equals 1 tablespoon
- I use the below unless specified in my recipes;
Nutrition
More Turkey Recipes
Our Christmas dinner recipes collection has more delicious turkey recipes as well as some awesome ham recipes like my rum & coke glazed ham, and peach & bourbon glazed ham.
Carol
This sounds so delicious we always have turkey Xmas Day and I was hoping to jazz it up this year. I will use a smoking box with wood apple in my gas weber as I don't have a smoking gun. Thank you for the recipe.
Sara McCleary
Hi Carol
Hope you enjoy the turkey on Christmas day. I also have a smoking box for the bbq, they are so good! You will end up with a deeper flavour, it will be brilliant.
Cheers Sara