The cooler worked out great for brining; the turkeys were still very cold this morning and ready to prep for the smoker.

I started the charcoal and put some hickory chips in a tub with a very inexpensive bourbon (not wasting the pricey stuff on wood chips!) to soak while I tended to the birds.

I put carrots, onion, celery and garlic in drip pans and rubbed the outside of the turkey with olive oil, sage, salt & pepper (poured into little bowls ahead of time, so I didn’t contaminate the spice jars with my fingers that had been handling raw meat). The older two boys helped chop apples to stuff inside the turkeys (one per bird), along with 2 cinnamon sticks and 6-7 cloves.

I tried to tuck the wings under, as best I could figure out how, so they wouldn’t burn too easily. I probably should have used larger aluminum pans, because it was a tight fit. I put them in the smoker uncovered for about an hour to sear them, and yum – they look so good!

After an hour, I covered them with foil rotated them (so the one nearest the firebox doesn’t burn) and set my alarm for another hour to rotate them again. So far, so good! 🙂

If I played my cards right, then the turkeys should be ready before I need to go pick up the younger three from their No School Fun Day program. Then, I’ll let the birds cool a bit before I slice and package them for transport: one to the church first thing in the morning and the other for our family meal at my great-aunt’s house.

Happy Thanksgiving!