Before smoking the turkey on the Traeger, it has to soak in the bourbon brine. Bring the water to a boil and add the cinnamon sticks, cloves, bay leaves, salt, and brown sugar. Allow these flavors to steep in the hot water. Remove the turkey brine from the heat and add the bourbon. Stir until the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
No brine, and yields a juicy flavorful turkey in about 3-4 hours. Preheat Traeger grill to 250 degrees. Rinse turkey inside and out in cool water, pat dry. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan. Melt 1 stick of butter in a bowl, then add in all of the spices/seasonings, whisk together.
The use of sugar or maple syrup gives a sweet yet salty taste to the turkey, which is enjoyable but adds sugar to the turkey. This brine doesn’t call for any kind of sugar or sweetener. We don’t recommend trying to use a sweetener as most sweeteners change taste the longer they sit.
Smoke whole turkey at 275 degrees F for 2 hours. Make the turkey baste. (photo F) You don’t have to baste the turkey, but it will add a lot of flavor to the skin. To make it, add all the basting ingredients to a small saucepan on a burner set to low heat. Stir until melted then remove from heat and set aside until the next step.