We did Thanksgiving a little early this year, so I cooked the bird early this Sunday.

First things first, brine:

2 gallons water
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup dried tarragon

I brined the 15lb bird from Friday night to Sunday morning. At 7am on Sunday morning I put her in the egg, at 325 with some pecan wood chips.

Then I went back to sleep. At 11am I woke up, took a look at the Stoker screen on my laptop, and the breast was at a perfect 180F. Pulled it out, bundled it up in tinfoil and a blanket and hit the road to head home.

And here’s the stoker log:

The end result? Best turkey I’ve made yet. Even the white meat was moist and tasty.