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Take out the neck and the paper bag of giblets. (JIBB lets)
We do not wash the brine off the turkey before putting it in our smoker. We soak the bird in the brine for 2 full days, take it out of the brine, and put it in the smoker. Perfection every time!
You can brine a Honeysuckle White turkey if you wish. This is not a mandatory action that you have to take.
A brine does not necessarily take the place of a marinade. A brine can add some flavor and saltiness. The brine is also generally something you do before cooking while a marinade is something applied at the end or after cooking is done.
There's a couple of factors in this answer. Was the turkey ever frozen? if so, it should be cooked within two to three days of thawing, regardless. If the turkey is "fresh" (not frozen) you can get away with an extra day. If in doubt, add more salt, and be sure to change the water daily. And did I say more salt? Add more. Salt acts as a preservative, and it's pretty much impossible to over-salt a turkey.
One must of course discard the plastic bag containing the giblets. But the contents are not only not poisonous but very useful for making gravies, chicken soup, etc. Just wash the giblets, put them in a saucepan and simmer slowly for a few hours. Then strain, keeping the stock and stripping the meat and chopping it finely. Add to the stock from the chicken carcass and some chopped vegetables for lovely soup!
It will take a couple of hours to thaw out a turkey leg before its ready to cook. It should take about 2 hours.
I brine one day for every two pounds.
8 hours
A frozen 20 pound turkey will take about three days to thaw in the fridge.
Kipper
yes you can take bacon into turkey