• Using a fresh or thawed turkey, clean out the cavity, and rinse thoroughly inside and out with cold water. Set aside.

To make the turkey brine:

• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat and add 2 quarts water, bay leaves, onion powder, ground cloves, sea salt, and maple syrup. Heat for about 5 minutes or until heated through and salt is dissolved. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
  
• Place the cooled brine in a covered container large enough to hold the turkey (a small cooler works well and is what I use). Whisk in the cold water, dark rum, and whole peppercorns. Add the turkey and make sure it's completely covered by the brine. Allow to brine overnight (for at least for 12 hours but no more than 24 hours).
• Remove the turkey the next day from the brine and discard the brining liquid. Place the turkey on a wire rack over a rimmed baking sheet for at least 30 minutes to drain and dry. If desired, truss the bird.

To make the injection sauce:

• While the turkey is drying, prepare the injection sauce by melting the unsalted butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir in the stock and rum, remove from heat, and allow to completely cool.
• After the turkey is finished drying, fill an injector with the sauce and inject it in numerous places in the breast, thighs, and drumstick areas.

Smoking the turkey:

• Set up your smoker and preheat to 275F/135C degrees. Use your favorite wood in the smoker (I like to use fruit woods when smoking poultry and used apple wood chunks for this recipe)
  
• Place the turkey on a rack in the smoker. Start basting the turkey with the melted butter after 2 hours of smoking and continue to baste every hour. Smoke the turkey until browned and when temperature registers 165F/74C degrees in the deepest part of the thigh.
• Remove turkey from the smoker, place on a cutting board or serving tray, and tent with a large piece of foil. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.  Enjoy!