Just found out

That I have to do not 1 but 2 turkeys Thursday. I've got one brining now,so I think the other one will be non brined. I guess that's a good thing in case my brined one sucks hahaha. I made up my own brine consisting of:
Apple juice
A little AC vinegar
Cilantro
Smoked paprika
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Lemon pepper
Rosemary
Celery seed
Crushed red pepper
oregano
Brown sugar
Honey
Basil
butter
And a small squeeze of my bbq sauce

I brought it to a quick boil,then added water and ice to finish the mix and cool it down. Put the bird in a roasting bag and poured the brine in it. Shook it real good then sealed it and put it in a cooler with 20 lbs of ice. To be sure it was safe,I have a thermometer in it and it's reading 36*.
I took a small taste of the brine and it tasted pretty good and smelled good. They'll both be going on the 18.5 WSM. The 20lb bird (non brined) will go on the bottom grate and the 16 lber on the top grate. Should be enough room (I'm hoping at least!).
I have 2 concerns:
1) got the 20 lber earlier today and it was frozen. Hoping it will be thawed for Thursday. If not,I'll have to put it in water Wednesday night and constantly change the water so I can safely thaw it.
2) which do you think will get done first if I'm running the WSM at 300*? The 20lb on the bottom grate or the 16lb on the top?

Oh,and I picked up some fresh lemons,apples,oranges,and some celery to put inside the cavities for the aromatics.

THoey1963 said:

Birgey, is Thanksgiving in Kentucky the same as the rest of the US? As far as I know, most of us will not start brining until Tuesday at the earliest, and then remove it Wednesday to let the skin dry out before we cook it on Thursday. I am not thinking it will be bad, but never seen anyone brine one this early.

Click to expand...

hahaha
I figured brining Sunday-Tuesday, air dry in fridge Wednesday, then on the WSM Thursday morning.