Pro-Q Smokers & BBQs
Pro-Q Smokers & BBQs
Smoked Rolled Turkey Crown
A turkey crown is a seriously underrated alternative to cooking a whole bird… hear us out: it’s easier to cook, comes out beautifully tender and juicy, cuts down on waste, and is a breeze to slice. It’s the perfect option when you’re feeding fewer people. Want to know how to master it? Here’s our recipe.
OVERVIEW
METHOD
Hot Smoking
Prep Time
24 Hours
Cooking Time
6 Hours
Serves
6 - 8
Suggested Wood
Oak
Ability
Beginner
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5kg Rolled & Boneless Turkey Crown
- ProQ Herbylicious Rub (or whatever you fancy)
For the Brine
- 2.5 Litres Cold Water
- 80g Salt
- 65g Caster Sugar
- 65g Brown Sugar
- 100ml Light Soy Sauce
- 60ml Cider Vinegar
- 30g Honey
- 2 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Granules
- 1 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1 Orange, sliced
- 1 Lemon, sliced
INGREDIENTS
- 2.5kg Rolled & Boneless Turkey Crown
- ProQ Herbylicious Rub (or whatever you fancy)
For the Brine
- 2.5 Litres Cold Water
- 80g Salt
- 65g Caster Sugar
- 65g Brown Sugar
- 100ml Light Soy Sauce
- 60ml Cider Vinegar
- 30g Honey
- 2 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Granules
- 1 tsp Ground Allspice
- 1 Orange, sliced
- 1 Lemon, sliced
METHOD
Preparation
We prefer to brine our turkey because it adds flavour and helps it retain moisture during cooking, but brining is completely optional and you can get decent results without.
To figure out how much brine you’ll need, pop the turkey crown (packaging on is fine) into a deep container. Fill it with water using a measuring jug and make a note of how much it takes to completely submerge the turkey. Ours needed about 2.5 litres, so the ingredient amounts are based on that — just tweak the quantities to suit your container.
Step 1
Mix all the brine ingredients in your container and stir until the salt and sugar have completely dissolved. Unwrap the turkey and submerge it in the brine, then refrigerate for 12–24 hours. If the turkey floats, just weigh it down with something heavy — a tin of beans in a small zip-top bag works well — to keep it fully submerged.
Step 2
Preheat your smoker to 110°C/225°F with water in the pan. This low-and-slow method is more forgiving, though you can go hot and fast — just keep a close eye on the meat’s internal temperature.
Lightly rub the turkey with oil or melted butter, then apply ProQ Herbylicious Rub while the smoker warms up.
Step 3
Place the turkey in the smoker and add your preferred smoking wood chunk. We like oak because it stands up well to the strong flavours of a full dinner plate.
Smoke the turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 66°C/151°F, which should take roughly 6 hours.
Step 4
Now, you may be thinking 66°C/151°F —that’s under the final safe temperature! But the next step is really, really important… resting. During resting, the internal temperature will continue to climb naturally by 8–10°C. You need to rest the turkey and monitor the temperature until it hits at least 74°C/165°F to be food safe. When you’re ready, slice and serve!
Tip: When it’s time to rest the turkey, take it out of the smoker and set it on a chopping board, loosely covering it with a tent of foil. Keep it indoors somewhere warm, like a busy kitchen. If you want it to stay warm for longer, you can transfer the turkey to a pre-warmed cooler box until you’re ready to serve..
