Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...

Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?

I'm strongly leaning towards doing one this year cause they're
cheap and sooo easy. I'll be serving a big platter of Pork Tenderloin
Wellington but I need a major big hunk o meat to serve as the
real focal point.

I take a simple approach. Brine overnight in 1 C salt and sugar
per gallon. Light smoke at 250 F, then finish in a 500 F oven
for the last hour or so.

Serve with gravy made the day before. One thing I don't much
like is gravy made from smoked turkey.

I think I just talked myself into it.

--
Reg

"RegForte" > wrote in message
...
> Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
>
> Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?
>
> I'm strongly leaning towards doing one this year cause they're
> cheap and sooo easy. I'll be serving a big platter of Pork Tenderloin
> Wellington but I need a major big hunk o meat to serve as the
> real focal point.
>
> I take a simple approach. Brine overnight in 1 C salt and sugar
> per gallon. Light smoke at 250 F, then finish in a 500 F oven
> for the last hour or so.
>
> Serve with gravy made the day before. One thing I don't much
> like is gravy made from smoked turkey.
>
> I think I just talked myself into it.
>
> --
> Reg
>
>
The last time I brined I used about the same salt & sugar concentration. I
added lemon juice to taste to give it a slight bit of acidity. I think this
made made the turkey taste much better. It gave it a very slight "bite". Any
vinegar obviously can be used to accomplish the same. Buy some turkey parts
at your local market and make stock if you don't have it on hand. I think a
richly flavored turkey stock gravy makes all the difference in the world.

Happy Holiday,

Kent

On Dec 19, 3:26*pm, "Kent" > wrote:
> "RegForte" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
>
>
> > Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
>
> > Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?
>
> > I'm strongly leaning towards doing one this year cause they're
> > cheap and sooo easy. I'll be serving a big platter of Pork Tenderloin
> > Wellington but I need a major big hunk o meat to serve as the
> > real focal point.
>
> > I take a simple approach. Brine overnight in 1 C salt and sugar
> > per gallon. Light smoke at 250 F, then finish in a 500 F oven
> > for the last hour or so.
>
> > Serve with gravy made the day before. One thing I don't much
> > like is gravy made from smoked turkey.
>
> > I think I just talked myself into it.
>
> > --
> > Reg
>
> The last time I brined I used about the same salt & sugar concentration. I
> added lemon juice to taste to give it a slight bit of acidity. I think this
> made made the turkey taste much better. It gave it a very slight "bite". Any
> vinegar obviously can be used to accomplish the same. Buy some turkey parts
> at your local market and make stock if you don't have it on hand. I think a
> richly flavored turkey stock gravy makes all the difference in the world.
>
> Happy Holiday,
>
> Kent- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

When we smoke a turkey I do it exactly like one inside in the oven.
The last time we did one, it was outside for 1 1/2 hours then came in
to finish where I could baiste it easily and often. The meat was
smokey and moist. I even stuff it just like inside.
Nan in DE

"RegForte" > wrote in message
...
> Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
>
> Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?
>
> I'm strongly leaning towards doing one this year cause they're
> cheap and sooo easy. I'll be serving a big platter of Pork Tenderloin
> Wellington but I need a major big hunk o meat to serve as the
> real focal point.
>
> I take a simple approach. Brine overnight in 1 C salt and sugar
> per gallon. Light smoke at 250 F, then finish in a 500 F oven
> for the last hour or so.
>
> Serve with gravy made the day before. One thing I don't much
> like is gravy made from smoked turkey.
>
> I think I just talked myself into it.
>
> --
> Reg
>
>
Head down to the Lucas delicatessen on Valencia St. in SF, buy a pound of
dried A grade porcini mushrooms. They have it for an excellent price.
Mix 1/2 cup dried porcinis with water to hydrate. Pour off porcini stock and
add it to the stock that you're going to use to hydrate your stuffing; this
is very important. Make your stuffing with soaked porcinis, giblets, and
whatever you choose. As I've said in the past I think always works better if
it's baked separate from the turkey. The stock, however, is important. I
wonder how much flavor seeps from the cavity wall into the stuffing inside
the turkey. I'll bet not much.

Kent

Kent wrote:

> "RegForte" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
>>
>>Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?
>>
>>I'm strongly leaning towards doing one this year cause they're
>>cheap and sooo easy. I'll be serving a big platter of Pork Tenderloin
>>Wellington but I need a major big hunk o meat to serve as the
>>real focal point.
>>
>>I take a simple approach. Brine overnight in 1 C salt and sugar
>>per gallon. Light smoke at 250 F, then finish in a 500 F oven
>>for the last hour or so.
>>
>>Serve with gravy made the day before. One thing I don't much
>>like is gravy made from smoked turkey.
>>
>>I think I just talked myself into it.
>>
>
> Head down to the Lucas delicatessen on Valencia St. in SF, buy a pound of
> dried A grade porcini mushrooms. They have it for an excellent price.
> Mix 1/2 cup dried porcinis with water to hydrate. Pour off porcini stock and
> add it to the stock that you're going to use to hydrate your stuffing; this
> is very important. Make your stuffing with soaked porcinis, giblets, and
> whatever you choose. As I've said in the past I think always works better if
> it's baked separate from the turkey. The stock, however, is important. I
> wonder how much flavor seeps from the cavity wall into the stuffing inside
> the turkey. I'll bet not much.

Luca's is precious. The only thing I ever liked about living in The
Mission was being near that place.

I love the mushroom idea. I wish the wife didn't hate them. It's
one of the few major incompatibilities between us. I cook them when
she's not around.

The only area you and I differ is with the idea of putting citrus juice,
or anything acidic, in a brine. Most additional brine ingredients
do no harm, but they also have little or no effect. Acidic stuff
can actually do damage by making the meat mushy, especially if you
leave it in too long. One thing I like about brines is you (should)
have a little leeway in your soak time.

Happy Holidays!

--
Reg

Seems like the brine thread came up not too long ago... maybe not. I
think brines improve the texture, but don't do much for flavor.

I brine when I have a chance, but it is pretty much just salt, water,
maybe some sugar when I do. That's it. Extensive, side-by-side
testing on my part with chicken revealed no taste change in simple
brines vs. those 15 ingredient marinates folks make.

For me, the old fashioned way works the best. Soften butter and add
some salt, black pepper, sage, oregano and rosemary.

Make a paste. Gently lift the skin over the bird and put as much of
the paste as you can under the skin, all over the bird.

Take the remaining paste and rub it all over the turkey. Put it in
the smoker with a pan underneath to catch the butter/herb seasoned
drippings.

Cook at 350F in the smoker. Since there is no tough muscle to break
down and your butter will keep the meat moist, 300 - 350F works
great. I allow about 20-25 minutes a pound but check with a thermo to
be sure. I only baste about 1/2 way through, and it's with any butter
paste mixture I have left over.

For me and the missus, I let it sit for about 15 minutes or so while
getting the rest of the meal ready. We don't eat the skin.

But for company/family/presentation purposes, when it is finished
cooking on the smoker, I take the bird in the house and put it in a
preheated oven set at 450. This will crisp the skin nicely, and make
it uniformly brown.

Couldn't be easier.

Robert

> wrote in message
...
> Seems like the brine thread came up not too long ago... maybe not. I
> think brines improve the texture, but don't do much for flavor.
>
> I brine when I have a chance, but it is pretty much just salt, water,
> maybe some sugar when I do. That's it. Extensive, side-by-side
> testing on my part with chicken revealed no taste change in simple
> brines vs. those 15 ingredient marinates folks make.
>
> For me, the old fashioned way works the best. Soften butter and add
> some salt, black pepper, sage, oregano and rosemary.
>
> Make a paste. Gently lift the skin over the bird and put as much of
> the paste as you can under the skin, all over the bird.
>
> Take the remaining paste and rub it all over the turkey. Put it in
> the smoker with a pan underneath to catch the butter/herb seasoned
> drippings.
>
> Cook at 350F in the smoker. Since there is no tough muscle to break
> down and your butter will keep the meat moist, 300 - 350F works
> great. I allow about 20-25 minutes a pound but check with a thermo to
> be sure. I only baste about 1/2 way through, and it's with any butter
> paste mixture I have left over.
>
> For me and the missus, I let it sit for about 15 minutes or so while
> getting the rest of the meal ready. We don't eat the skin.
>
> But for company/family/presentation purposes, when it is finished
> cooking on the smoker, I take the bird in the house and put it in a
> preheated oven set at 450. This will crisp the skin nicely, and make
> it uniformly brown.
>
> Couldn't be easier.
>
> Robert
>
>
I agree about brine ingredients having little effect. I think it's mainly
salt and sugar, and at what concentration. If I add seasonings, I add only
assertive seasonings, like allspice, juniper, clove, etc. Grind seasonings
in a mortar and pestle, and then "cook" in a microwave with one cup of water
for several minutes. Add that to your brine solution.

Kent

In article >,
"Kent" > wrote:

> I agree about brine ingredients having little effect. I think it's mainly
> salt and sugar, and at what concentration. If I add seasonings, I add only
> assertive seasonings, like allspice, juniper, clove, etc. Grind seasonings
> in a mortar and pestle, and then "cook" in a microwave with one cup of water
> for several minutes. Add that to your brine solution.
>
> Kent

I've been experimenting with meat curing (mostly pork) and when I make
up my curing soak, I use raw sugar, sea salt, curing salts and various
spices such as garlic powder, basil, etc.

I put it all into the pressure cooker and bring it up to pressure to
melt all the sugar and salt, and make more of less of a "tea" with the
rest of the flavorings.

Trust me, this adds _lots_ of additional flavoring to my meat. But, my
brining times for projects like that are never any less than 5 days...

I've not tried it yet with poultry, but I ruined a hunk of beef with it.
Too much salt stayed in the beef. Guess I should have re-soaked it prior
to smoking it.

The pork I've done on the other hand was fantastic. See my Canadian
Bacon pics in my sig links.
--
Peace! Om

"Human nature seems to be to control other people until they put their foot down."
--Steve Rothstein

Web Albums: <http://picasaweb.google.com/OMPOmelet>

Subscribe:

"RegForte" > wrote in message
...
> Kent wrote:
>
>> "RegForte" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>
>>>Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
>>>
>>>Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?
>>>
>>>I'm strongly leaning towards doing one this year cause they're
>>>cheap and sooo easy. I'll be serving a big platter of Pork Tenderloin
>>>Wellington but I need a major big hunk o meat to serve as the
>>>real focal point.
>>>
>>>I take a simple approach. Brine overnight in 1 C salt and sugar
>>>per gallon. Light smoke at 250 F, then finish in a 500 F oven
>>>for the last hour or so.
>>>
>>>Serve with gravy made the day before. One thing I don't much
>>>like is gravy made from smoked turkey.
>>>
>>>I think I just talked myself into it.
>>>
>>
>> Head down to the Lucas delicatessen on Valencia St. in SF, buy a pound of
>> dried A grade porcini mushrooms. They have it for an excellent price.
>> Mix 1/2 cup dried porcinis with water to hydrate. Pour off porcini stock
>> and add it to the stock that you're going to use to hydrate your
>> stuffing; this is very important. Make your stuffing with soaked
>> porcinis, giblets, and whatever you choose. As I've said in the past I
>> think always works better if it's baked separate from the turkey. The
>> stock, however, is important. I wonder how much flavor seeps from the
>> cavity wall into the stuffing inside the turkey. I'll bet not much.
>
> Luca's is precious. The only thing I ever liked about living in The
> Mission was being near that place.
>
> I love the mushroom idea. I wish the wife didn't hate them. It's
> one of the few major incompatibilities between us. I cook them when
> she's not around.
>
> The only area you and I differ is with the idea of putting citrus juice,
> or anything acidic, in a brine. Most additional brine ingredients
> do no harm, but they also have little or no effect. Acidic stuff
> can actually do damage by making the meat mushy, especially if you
> leave it in too long. One thing I like about brines is you (should)
> have a little leeway in your soak time.
>
> Happy Holidays!
>
> --
> Reg
>
>
I've only tried the acidic addition once, on this last turkey. I used a very
small amount of lemon juice relative to the total volume of brine. I suspect
the ph change to the acidic side was pretty marginal. As I said before, both
my wife and I thought it gave the turkey a taste it didn't have before, all
for the positive.

Regarding the mushrooms, porcinis have a fairly assertive taste, just what
turkey stuffing benefits from . What you might consider trying, if you
haven't already, is to hunt down some dried Morels. They have a more
delicate taste. They hydrate very well. They're expensive, though it takes a
long time to get through a pound. As with most dried mushrooms, after
soaking, we dry them and sauté them in butter before doing anything. They
can, however, go directly into a turkey stuffing without sautéing.

I just realized that in the Embarkacaro there is a mushroom vendor with a
wide variety. His prices are slightly on the high side. His products,
however, look very good.

Happy Holidays to you and those near to you,

Kent

RegForte wrote:
> Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
>
> Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?


Not this year. I'm doing a TurDucHen for the very first time and I'm
going to roast it. If the family likes it, next year I'll smoke one.




--Brett

vex wrote:

> RegForte wrote:
> > Or Chanukah, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa ...
> >
> > Anybody doing smoked turkey this year?
>
>
> Not this year. I'm doing a TurDucHen for the very first time and I'm
> going to roast it. If the family likes it, next year I'll smoke one.
>


There you go. Start simple and then build on it.

Simple is a relative term though. Turducken is a fair amount of
hand work. The mere description of it is usually enough to wow the
guests and I bet it will be a hit.

As for me, I'm going to try the precook thing I learned from Jim
Minion. I do it all the time for stuff like brisket but I've never
done it for a whole turkey.

Today I'll smoke it at about 250 F until it not quite done. Maybe
165 F in the thigh, or thereabouts. Cool it and fridge it.

Tomorrow it goes back into a 400 F oven until complete, about
175-180 F in the thigh.

--
Reg

Nunya Bidnits wrote:

> RegForte said:
>
>
>>As for me, I'm going to try the precook thing I learned from Jim
>>Minion. I do it all the time for stuff like brisket but I've never
>>done it for a whole turkey.
>>
>>Today I'll smoke it at about 250 F until it not quite done. Maybe
>>165 F in the thigh, or thereabouts. Cool it and fridge it.
>>
>>Tomorrow it goes back into a 400 F oven until complete, about
>>175-180 F in the thigh.
>
>
> Can you elaborate on the precook thing? I've had some success precooking
> brisket and ribs to nearly done, and then reheating, usually in a loose foil
> wrap. What's your technique?
>
> MartyB
>

My terminology usage could be better. Actually it would
correctly be called "parcooking", meaning partial cooking.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Par-cook

Cook the meat mostly but not completely, like for a brisket
around 160 F, then fridge it. On game day cook it all the way
through.

In this case, I cooked the turkey until about 160 F in the breast.
Fridged it until it all cooled. Then, and here's where things
get a little different, I cut out all the breast meat in two neat
pieces, and wrapped them in foil with some thyme, sage, and a pat
of butter.

On game day I cooked the remaining carcass, which was all dark meat,
to 180 F. The breast meat got reheated but not cooked and further.

This was the first time I've ever tried doing this with a
turkey and it came out perfect. I will definitely do it again,
especially when I'm feeling lazy.

--
Reg