Romance Writers Weekly Blog HopWelcome! If you've popped over from the lovely and very talented Leslie Hachtel's blog, glad you took the time to visit me! If you missed her, please visit as her blogs are always fun and engaging! It's that time again! Thanksgiving is here and that means family, friends, and food! This week I'm the one supplying the prompt:
For me, turkey is the central food around which all other dishes revolve. The star of the show! And because I am the griller and smoker in the family, it means rising before the sun on Thanksgiving. I'm a bargain shopper so I purchase a frozen turkey. It takes days to safely defrost. Wednesday I prepare and submerge the rinsed turkey in a brine. You know how you calculate cook time for meats based on weight? I've learned that there a more factors than that. I've learned that the outside temperature is a major factor. One Thanksgiving it's freezing outside at 6 am. I decide to insulate the smoker with my windshield shade to keep the heat constant. It worked so well I cooked that turkey in record time. 17 pounds in 3 and half hours. Turns out brining also shortens the cook time. Bad news? Done way too early to eat at 2 pm. The good news? All the dishes related to cooking and slicing the bird were washed, dried, and put away! My smoked turkey recipe Purchase and thaw your turkey properly in the refrigerator. The day before your dinner, remove the packaging and rinse your turkey. Find a pot or container deep enough to submerge your bird in the brine and make room in your refrigerator. Mix the brine. Here's a recipe from Allrecipes.com that I am using this year. Soak the apple or cherry wood chips for at least 30 minutes. I get the smoker up to temperature prior to adding the wood chips. While the smoker temperature normalizes, I rinse and pat dry the turkey. Make sure all the brine ingredients are removed and discard remaining brine. Figure 20 minutes for a brined turkey at 235 degrees Fahrenheit. I place the turkey in an aluminum pan and prepare a dry rub. It's never exactly the same. Sea salt, freshly ground pepper, garlic powder or minced garlic, dry mustard, poultry seasoning, minced onion, chili powder, fresh rosemary. I pour some extra virgin olive oil in a dish and first rub the turkey outside and inside with the EVOO then generously spread and rub in the herb/spice mixture. Finally, I separate the skin from the breast and work the dry rub underneath to allow it to really penetrate the meat. After tying the legs together, I place additional fresh rosemary sprigs inside and place in the smoker. To me, there's no better turkey than a freshly smoked turkey. It's worth all the time and energy to prepare a delicious meal for my family and friends. Time to visit with Jenna Da Sie. She's a wonderful writer and fabulous lady. See you there!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWriter of quirky characters in real life relationships where truth is stranger than fiction. Part mermaid, part earth mother, all introvert. ArchivesCategories |