As a Holiday service to all The Chipboard readers......

I am a caterer, and every year I prepare and smoke 25-30 turkeys for clients. I am always asked about the best way to prepare a Holiday Turkey. The simple answer: Buy a fresh turkey, and brine it. After that, you can roast it, BBQ it, smoke it, fry it, it really does not matter. Just don't overcook it, and you will have a moist, tasty bird.

For the first part, make sure you get a fresh bird that is NOT packaged/injected in/with a sodium solution. Added excess/absorbed water is OK (you may see that on the label), but brining a bird that has already been "salted" is BAD!

Below is a really useful link on brining. For the record, I use a simple brine: 3/4 cup kosher salt, 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup pepper and a gallon of water per bird, for 24 hours, rinse the bird, apply a salt-less rub, and cook away.

Hope this helps, and a Happy Thanksgiving To All!