Post by rivergirl on Feb 12, 2012 18:54:11 GMT
Message
minesamojito
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 311
Location: deepest darkest devon
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 11:18 pm Post subject: Smoked Christmas Turkey
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I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas, and your Festive Fowl was lovely and juicy?
I was so chuffed with my turkey cooked on my new smoker. I’d planned and planned to make sure I could get it as right as I possibly could.
I missed the moment our turkey met it’s maker, I was away working at that time. However I was able to do the deed and gut the bird and prepare it for cooking which was an experience.
I was able to get my hands on a wonderful turkey from my friends at Pitmans Farm the small holders over the road, so I knew it had a good provenience.
I kept the neck and heart for the stock for gravy. It felt good to have been able to get hands on with our Christmas meat, and knowing hat i’d be feeding my family a good quality bird.
So down to the preparation. I made an injection brine with 300ml water, 2 tsps sugar, 2 tsps sea salt, and injected this strategically in the breast and legs the night before.
Then starting the smoker going at 8am, I injected 100g of melted butter into the breast, and rubbed a dry rub mix of Za’atar (an Israeli blend of hyssop and other herbs and spices) mustard powder, smoked paprika, celery powder, onion powder, and a little muscovado sugar, ground black pepper and sea salt. I rubbed this all over and then drizzled olive oil over the breast and legs, before covering the leg and wing ends with foil to stop them burning.
I popped the bird on the smoker with a bowl of water underneath with the neck and heart of the turkey, some chopped carrots, celery and onion, some bay leaves, water and a pint of home made cider (this would give me the stock for a wonderful gravy).
I smoked at around 300degF (the hottest I could get my smoker and used a mixture of apple and oak woods to smoke with. The internal temperature of the turkey rose steadily throughout the morning, taking 4 hours to reach 160degF, where I removed it from the smoker to rest, continuing to monitor the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast and saw it rise to 165degF, perfectly cooked.
This temperature ensures any nasties are destroyed and the breast meat is still moist.
After parading the whole bird around to the family, I broke the bird down into leg and breast, and carved the breast meat at the table against the grain.
Served with all the usual trimmings, goose fat potatoes, roast parsnips, lightly steamed sprouts and carrots, red cabbage, pigs in blankets, 2 sorts of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and lashings of turkey stock gravy.
The highlight was definately the turkey, which everyone really enjoyed, it was moist, slightly smokey, herby and delicious, a meal I was proud to serve for 11 hungry people.
I must say that cooking turkey in a smoker is great as it tastes delicious, and frees up a lot of space in the oven to allow the rest of the food to cook properly.
Merry Christmas to you all, and hope you have had a wonderful day.
Cheers
Marcus
_________________
My Outdoor cooking/eating/smoking and WFO blog
countrywoodsmoke.wordpress.com/
Homebuilt WFO, Homebuilt smoker/BBQ, ProQ Frontier Smoker
minesamojito
Joined: 27 Apr 2010
Posts: 311
Location: deepest darkest devon
Posted: Mon Dec 26, 2011 11:18 pm Post subject: Smoked Christmas Turkey
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope you have all had a wonderful Christmas, and your Festive Fowl was lovely and juicy?
I was so chuffed with my turkey cooked on my new smoker. I’d planned and planned to make sure I could get it as right as I possibly could.
I missed the moment our turkey met it’s maker, I was away working at that time. However I was able to do the deed and gut the bird and prepare it for cooking which was an experience.
I was able to get my hands on a wonderful turkey from my friends at Pitmans Farm the small holders over the road, so I knew it had a good provenience.
I kept the neck and heart for the stock for gravy. It felt good to have been able to get hands on with our Christmas meat, and knowing hat i’d be feeding my family a good quality bird.
So down to the preparation. I made an injection brine with 300ml water, 2 tsps sugar, 2 tsps sea salt, and injected this strategically in the breast and legs the night before.
Then starting the smoker going at 8am, I injected 100g of melted butter into the breast, and rubbed a dry rub mix of Za’atar (an Israeli blend of hyssop and other herbs and spices) mustard powder, smoked paprika, celery powder, onion powder, and a little muscovado sugar, ground black pepper and sea salt. I rubbed this all over and then drizzled olive oil over the breast and legs, before covering the leg and wing ends with foil to stop them burning.
I popped the bird on the smoker with a bowl of water underneath with the neck and heart of the turkey, some chopped carrots, celery and onion, some bay leaves, water and a pint of home made cider (this would give me the stock for a wonderful gravy).
I smoked at around 300degF (the hottest I could get my smoker and used a mixture of apple and oak woods to smoke with. The internal temperature of the turkey rose steadily throughout the morning, taking 4 hours to reach 160degF, where I removed it from the smoker to rest, continuing to monitor the internal temperature in the thickest part of the breast and saw it rise to 165degF, perfectly cooked.
This temperature ensures any nasties are destroyed and the breast meat is still moist.
After parading the whole bird around to the family, I broke the bird down into leg and breast, and carved the breast meat at the table against the grain.
Served with all the usual trimmings, goose fat potatoes, roast parsnips, lightly steamed sprouts and carrots, red cabbage, pigs in blankets, 2 sorts of stuffing, cranberry sauce, and lashings of turkey stock gravy.
The highlight was definately the turkey, which everyone really enjoyed, it was moist, slightly smokey, herby and delicious, a meal I was proud to serve for 11 hungry people.
I must say that cooking turkey in a smoker is great as it tastes delicious, and frees up a lot of space in the oven to allow the rest of the food to cook properly.
Merry Christmas to you all, and hope you have had a wonderful day.
Cheers
Marcus
_________________
My Outdoor cooking/eating/smoking and WFO blog
countrywoodsmoke.wordpress.com/
Homebuilt WFO, Homebuilt smoker/BBQ, ProQ Frontier Smoker
