This recipe was developed in partnership with the Market’s sponsor and local 3rd-generation turkey farm Ferndale Market. Ferndale Market’s Whole Smoked Turkey is smoked with hardwood chips at local, family-owned Lorentz Meats. It is fully cooked and cured without chemical nitrates or nitrites. Like all of Ferndale’s turkeys, the birds are raised free-range, without antibiotics, and are naturally processed–with no added salt, water, or fillers of any kind.
A Ferndale Market smoked turkey is already cooked, so this method slowly warms the smoked turkey in a low oven, bringing your turkey to temp while retaining its moisture for a satisfying centerpiece that is bursting with flavor. The best part is that it will leave you time to focus on preparing your favorite Thanksgiving classics with local market vegetables.
Beth Dooley is a Minneapolis-based cookbook author, including her latest publication: ‘The Perennial Kitchen: Simple Recipes for a Healthy Future.’
Whole Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey
By Beth Dooley
Ingredients
- 1 10 to 12 pound smoked turkey
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
Bring the turkey to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.
Place your Ferndale Market Whole Smoked Turkey, breast side up, onto a V-shaped roasting rack set into a roasting pan. Cut a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to cover the turkey. Rub this with butter and place the buttered side over the turkey.
Warm the turkey until the breast reaches a temperature of 140 degrees, about 3 to 4 hours. Baste the turkey with the maple syrup about 10 minutes before removing from the oven. Then, remove the turkey and allow it to rest for about 20 to 30 minutes before serving.
Ferndale Market’s smoked whole bird above and below: father, son team John and Dick Peterson at Ferndale Market in Cannon Falls, MN.
