Pretty much no matter what I do, turkey tastes like turkey. Brining is supposed to add flavor, but to me it just makes the turkey moist and gives you some margin for error as far as overcooking it a bit without it drying out. In any case, I haven't messed one up in years and I've been told that I'm required to cook Thanksgiving turkey from now on.

I generally brine the turkey overnight for 8-12 hours, then take it out of the brine and let it air dry uncovered in the fridge for 8-12 hours until it's time to cook it. I use a ceramic egg-style cooker and cook my turkey at about 325° with some wood chips thrown on for flavor. For turkey, I'll use a mix of pecan & either apple or cherry wood chips. I'll stuff the cavity with quartered apples, onions & pears, plus one of those herb bags and some garlic cloves. I'll loosed the skin of the breast and stuff some herb butter all under the skin, as well as all over the outside of the bird. After it's been cooking for a little while, I'll baste it with butter every half an hour until it's done. If I want the skin crispy, I'll heat my indoor oven to about 450°, take the turkey off a little early and then finish it in the oven for the last 20-30 minutes.