Here we go again with the "Sorry I'm a Lousy Blogger" stuff (Unboxing a New Toy!)

Yeah.  Well.  Life Happens!

I'll skip the B.S. Apologies (particularly since I'm not even sure if anybody reads my crap regularly anyway!) and just dive right into the latest Adventure!

QT, the BQ-Ho, bought a brandy-new pellet grill!

I was at the SF Garden Show a couple of weeks ago - mostly looking for inspiration/motivation to get off my @$$ and get my garden ready for spring.  I was also doing "Reconnaissance Work" for me and P - since we are contemplating setting up a ceramic garden-art sales booth at this show, next year.

Turns out, the organizers of the show have taken significant steps to make the show *much* more Vendor-Friendly.  Now attendees actually have to walk through the vendor area before viewing the Display Gardens (and I believe they've lowered the cost for booth-space)...  

Before I get too rambly (HA!), I'll say that the "walk through the vendor space" was a very effective technique because - somehow or other - I ended up getting sucked-into a sales pitch from a Traeger Pellet-grill Rep!

Now everybody knows what a Ho I am, when it comes to good BBQ.  And I have shared some of my Smoking (Mis)Adventures on this very blog.  I'm still limping along with the Pedazo-de-mierda Brinkmann Electric Smoker (did a tri-tip a few weeks ago - came out "pretty okay" - but I mis-timed everything and the meat got cooked before the smoke even got started - ooooops!), but I think I'm about ready to "graduate" to something nicer.  And - much as I hated the "Last hot dog in the ballpark" sales spiel from the Traeger-dude - I did find myself very intrigued over the whole pellet-cooker idea.

Of course, I am not one to spend $400+ on a whim (Well, except for Stormageddon!) (Although it *did* take me a month to complete that Impulse Purchase!).  The Sales-Dude was really... "motivated" (yeah, that's the word!) to sell me a cooker.  Once he determined that my Price-Point was "CHEAP," he focused on trying to get me to buy the Jr. Elite model which is little-more than a tailgate smoker in size. And he kept throwing in "extras" to entice me to buy: Free grill cover!  Cookbook (srsly?!).  I'll even throw-in a 20# bag of pellets...

Long story short:  I didn't buy it.  I wanted something bigger - *and* I wanted to do more research.  

Researching pellet-smokers is kinda like stapling Jell-O to a tree.  Broad assortment.  Many different "features."  Huge price differences (with the general consensus being "You get what you pay for.").  Many websites were surfed.  Amazon (especially the customer reviews), AmazingRibs.com, Pelletheads.com, were some of the main ones.  There were others, I'm sure!  Pretty mind-boggling, to tellya the truth!

The general gist of  these pellet smokers is that you fill a hopper with hardwood cooking pellets (they look like rabbit food), and there is an auger assembly that feeds the pellets into the cooking chamber.  At the bottom of the cooking chamber is a burn pot which has a glow-plug and fan to ignite the pellets and keep them cooking.  There are also thermometers incorporated into the unit that create a feedback loop.  Basically, you dial-in the temperature you want, and the thermometer tells the auger to deliver more (or less) pellets to the cooker in order to maintain the desired temperature.

Kind-of / Almost "Set it and Forget it!"  Which is WAY better than having to constantly fuss, and add wood chunks, and hope it doesn't over-smoke, and oh-crap-need-to-soak-more-wood, and is it DONE yet?!

Some pellet smokers have less temperature control (Low-Med-Hi), some have what-are-called PID controllers which are supposed to dial-in temps even closer.  Hell, some have WiFi controls so that you can monitor (and even turn on/off) your cooker from your phone!  It seems that most of the "decent" smokers are gonna start in the $500 range, but you can easily spend thousands of dollars!

Yep.  Mind-boggling!

I ended up going with the Camp Chef PG24DLX - more than ample-enough for the two of us, but still large enough for a Pool-BQ party.  Beer-can chicken oughtta fit in there, just fine.  I bet I could even smoke a decent-sized turkey breast in there!

Some of the "features" that I liked about it were:

• It does have a dial-in temperature control (160 - 500*, in 25* increments).  It is not PID, however.
• It has a pellet-purge function
• Clean-out is pretty simple. Just pull a lever that "dumps" the ashes into a cup (so you don't have to completely disassemble the grill and suck-up ashes after every use).

Size and Price seemed about right.  Big, but not huge.  And under $600 (all-in - including shipping). Spendy, but (I hope) a worthwhile investment!

I bought it from OutdoorCooking.com.  Got a free custom grill-cover and shipping was quick and free (Not Amazon-Fast, but still very reasonable) - and I am very satisfied, so far!

Unboxing:

Man, I have never seen a FedEx driver deliver and disappear so quickly!  He had a huge hand-truck and was able to drop the package on our front step, banged on the door and ran like hell!  Had it been my UPS guy, I have no doubt he would've stuck around and been willing to drop the (very large/very bulky/very heavy) box in my backyard.  Ah well!

w00t!  My new smoker is here!

I grabbed our hand-truck and quickly discovered that it was too heavy/bulky for me to maneuver onto the hand-truck on my own (and Hubs was out of town on business).  I texted my neighbor - to no avail.  Then - realizing that at least the box was up *one* step - I figured that MAYBE I could wrestle it onto our flatbed cart.  Yay!  Success!

I got it to the backyard and waited til late afternoon to begin The Un-Boxing!!

Oh dear, what have I gotten myself into???

Actually, I have to say that this thing was *very* well-packaged, in heavy-duty cardboard and super-sturdy styrofoam.  The cool thing was - once you lifted-off the big upper box/lid, the inner-box (which was highly resistant to my box-cutter) actually doubled as a soft assembly surface.  I gave-up on slicing the cardboard at the corners and, instead, cut the tape that was holding the bottom-box together.  Once the tape was sliced, the box fell-down flat.  Well, it would have - had I decided to assemble it in a large unobstructed area!  Instead, it was leaning-up against my table-legs and trash bins!  I was able to maneuver it around a bit, so it was mostly flat.  But bottom-line: Excellent packaging by Camp Chef because assembling it on cardboard kept me from scratching the hell out of it!

It came with a good, well-written instruction manual.  I'm pleased to say that most of the assembly was "done" before I opened it.  I just had to install the legs, chimney, handle and right shelf.  Finding all of the pieces was kind of fun:  The legs were inside of the cooking chamber.  I didn't figure that out 'til I'd already laid it on it's back.  

She's got leeeeeggggs!

She knows how to use 'em....!

(Sorry - channeling ZZ-Top!)

Nah - all things considered, this was pretty Easy-Peasy to assemble and I did it all myself in less than an hour (with plenty of margarita breaks!).  

Ain't she purdy?!

So yeah - Easy to assemble.  Well packaged. Shipped quickly.  Free cover (sorry no photo of that yet - but it's awesome!).

And since I didn't want hubbie to feel left-out, I let him deal with all the cardboard and styrofoam! See how thoughtful I am?!!  Oh, and then he gets to go 'round and tighten all the nuts and bolts that my girly wrists couldn't tighten sufficiently!

Okay, I think that's enough for one day.  I'll post more - after I finish the "christening" of my new smoker (which is happening today - Right Now, in fact!)

Smoked Pork Shoulder Update

Yeah, so...  A couple of years ago, I attempted to make a smoked-pulled-pork roast, and I yammered about it here.

Since that time, I blathered about taking a BBQ class and, as a result of taking that class, I believe I have nearly-perfected Smoked Chicken.  I've made it several times - with little variation in the recipe.  It's proven to be quite a reliable recipe!

Last time I was at Smart & Final, they had big ol' honkin' pork roasts on sale for cheap.  So I bought one.  (Ten Freaking Pounds Worth!!!).  And - once again - I bought the WRONG kinda roast!  I bought a Picnic Shoulder Roast - should have purchased a Boston Butt, dammit!

Ah well, onwards and upwards...  I decided to throw the pig in the smoker, yesterday - and it came out MUCH better than previous attempts, so I figured I'd throw a quickie-post up - just so I can reference it later :-)

No prep-work (brining, wrapping, yada-yadas) the night before - although I do think that wouldn't hurt to soak it in apple-juice overnight (probably make it even better, actually!).  Trouble is - I never know "the night before" if I'm gonna be able to allocate adequate TIME, the next day, for smoking.

Smoking is very time-consuming, and somewhat hands-on - but not the ENTIRE time.  Of course, it's not like you can toss a slab o' meat into the smoker and then just leave the house, either!

Anyhoooo...  Gonna dial-back the rambling and just focus on "what I did" - Deal?!  DEAL!

Based on my BBQ Class Notes:

• Pork roast - takes appx 1:00 - 1:10 per pound to cook in a smoker (mine runs around 225*F).
  
  So, 10 lbs: In at 9:00am, out at 7:00pm (best case scenario).
  
• Halfway point, put the roast into a big aluminum pan, wrap with foil, and allow it to continue cooking
  
  (Smoke - this late in the game - makes no difference)

8:00am - I took the roast out of the fridge and let it come a bit closer to room temperature. Hacked a few diagonal slices on the fat-cap.
8:30am - I grabbed a bunch of Apple and Hickory wood-chunks and tossed 'em into an aluminum pan full of water.  I also removed the roast from the package, gave it a good rinsing in cool water, then moved it into a large disposable lasagna pan.  Coated the roast with garlic-infused extra-virgin olive oil, and rubbed the whole thing generously, with Bad Byron's Butt Rub.  Left everything 'soaking' for half an hour. (Wood nice and wet, Pig ended up with a slick coating of BBQ rub)
8:45am - I plugged in the smoker and let it start heating up
9:00am - I wrapped the bigger wood-chunks in aluminum foil, poked-holes in the foil.  Put the smaller wet wood crumbles into a smoker box.  Put everything on/around the heating element in the smoker.
9:15am - Smoker's starting to smoke.  Filled the water pan with a bottle of hard-apple-cider, water, and some fresh rosemary sprigs.  Sprayed the rack with olive oil.  Placed the roast on the rack - fat-side-up, directly above the water bowl, added a couple of rosemary sprigs on top of that.
9:30 - 10:30am - kept checking the smoker, periodically, to ensure a steady stream of smoke - added more wet-wood, as needed, to keep it shmokin'!
10:30am  - Decide that the roast really could use a good "mop" so I mixed up 1/2c Apple Cider Vinegar, 1/2 cup Soy Sauce, 1/2 cup Sweet Baby Rays Sweet 'n Spicy BBQ Sauce, a couple splashes of Worcestershire Sauce, several shakes of BBQ rub, Brown sugar and Molasses (sorry - didn't measure!).  Kept slathering that on thru the cooking process
1:30pm - (or thereabouts).  I pulled the roast out of the smoker, returned it to the (washed!) giant lasagna pan, covered the whole thing (pan + roast) with heavy-duty aluminum foil, then returned it to the cooker.
5:00pm - Hubbie is expressing interest in the delicious aromas emanating from the smoker.  I have to tell him the sad news that this is most-likely going to be "leftover meals" (he's pretty strict about wanting dinner around 6pm!)
5:30pm - I decide that there's no harm in moving the roast into the crock pot.  In fact, that might help facilitate the "shreddification" of the meat - since the crock pot won't dry it out...

5:30 - 8:00pm - Put the nekkid roast - along with some pan drippings and more "mop" - into the crock-pot.  Cooked it on high 'til the bones fell out and the meat would shred easily.

8:00pm - Remove the fat/skin and bones - toss 'em out (or save 'em  for soup - whatEVAH).  Grab a fork and a knife and start shredding.  Add more mop if the meat seems too dry (mine wasn't dry - but I added some mop anyway for flavor!).

ENJOY!!!

Came out FANTASTIC!  Still not as good as my favorite BQ Joint, but a HUGE improvement over my earlier attempts!

Tasty!

Whoa... Another post?! Recipe: Smoked Whole Chicken

Warning: This may be a wee bit rambly(Surprise!!!)  But useful, if you're interested in smoking/BBQ...

So I've been having a serious hankerin' for some GOOD smokey BBQ.

Hubs has offered to take me out for a belated B-Day Dinner and, when we go, it will be Trail Dust BBQ (bestest Q around here - IMHO).  But I'm not quite ready to call-in my rain-check, just yet.

Nope.  This past week, I decided to throw a chicken into the smoker, and I figured I'd share it here - because it is actually surprisingly easy to smoke a whole chicken!  Yeah, a bit of prep-work, but all things considered, it's *almost* a Set-It-N-Forget-It kinda venture...

This, coming from a person who was AFRAID to BBQ chicken - ever since the "Rocky The Range Chicken Incident".  Many years ago, mom bought a brandy-new gas grill with electric rotisserie.  I offered to cook and I ran over to the local gourmet grocery where I procured a rather expensive range-raised "Rocky" chicken.  I lovingly tended to Rocky for at least an hour, brushing him tenderly with BBQ chicken-marinade as he spun gently over the flames.  I had to leave Rocky unattended for THREE minutes - to run to the bathroom.  When I returned, Rocky was completely engulfed in flames (the rotisserie motor melted as Rocky was immolated).  Yeah, I was traumatized!

Well, last year, I got a Groupon deal for a BBQ class held at one of the local BBQ/Patio Stores.  The instructor was Big Ed of Big Ed's Buzzard BBQ in Santa Clara.  This was the Real-Deal BBQ: Shmokin'!

Ed gave an awesome (and entertaining) presentation; he covered all KINDS of smoking (ribs, chicken, brisket, tri-tip, pork roasts, fish, and even veggies!); answered all of our questions; *and* there was BBQ served for lunch (that, alone, was worth the price of admission!).  So if you're in the Bay Area and you ever see a Groupon for Big Ed's BBQ Class, I highly recommend it (and no, I get no spliff for saying so!)

I'd brought along a pencil and a composition book and took copious notes during the class.  Then I promptly moved my notebook to a Super-Secret/Super-Safe Location - Grrrr! (I hate when I do that!).

It's been hiding in that Super-Secret/Super-Safe location for almost a year now - but I did stumble onto it when I was shuffling some crap around on my desk - Yay!!  Then I quickly scanned it to a PDF (all twelve pages' worth of notes).  My PDF won't help anybody but me (my handwriting makes me think I should have been an MD!), but the point is: I found my notes - Yay - and I was able to smoke a chicken!

Here is what I did:

First off, I bought a fresh Foster Farm's Chicken.  I suspect FF is a California thing, but I'm sure other states have something similar.  Big Ed highly recommended Foster Farms because the chickens were *alive* the day before they arrive in the stores.  I'm thinkin' that's pretty fresh! (although I'll avoid commenting on "Factory Farming" - at this point. Obviously fresh, organic, range-fed purchased directly from the farmer would be better - but I digress....)

Okay. Got a Foster Farms 6# fresh bird.  Rinsed him twice under cold, running water.

First off, I brined him.
- 1 gallon of water
- 1/4 cup sea salt (or kosher salt)
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Ed's recipe calls for 8 oz of apple or cranberry juice.  I had neither so I dumped in a 12 oz. bottle of hard cider, and cut back about a cup of water.
- I also added a couple-three generous shakes of BBQ rub (probably a tablespoon or so)

Mix everything up in a bowl (I used a smallish bowl w/32 oz. water for the initial mixing, then added water - as needed) - make sure you get all of the sugar and salt dissolved at the small-bowl stage.  Then pour the mixed brine into a 2-gallon zipper bag, along with the rest of the water.  Add the chicken.  I find it helps to put the whole thing in a big dutch oven (and use a clip to "tie" the top corners of the bag together so it doesn't spring a leak and gooze nastiness all over the fridge) (yes, zipper bags *can* leak!).  Slide it into the fridge and let it soak.

Ed suggested brining for one hour per pound, and cooking within an hour (my bird soaked for just under 5 hours - I was *hungry!*).  If you brine overnight, or wait too long - after brining - to cook the bird, it tends to come out too salty.

Once you are done with the brine, dump it out.  Do not attempt to re-use it for anything else.

Next, I injected the bird.  I loosened the skin on the breast so I wouldn't have to inject through the skin (holes = places for the marinade to ooze out).  I used Creole Butter that I bought from Amazon.  They also have other flavors (Lemon Butter is quite tasty).

Notes on injecting marinades:

• First, pour what you think you're gonna use into a separate container.  You'll use the injector needle to suck-up the marinade and you don't want to contaminate the jar-full of marinade. 
• Second, make sure that any herbs/spices are well-mixed before you start trying to suck-it-up into the injector.  If you're making an injection marinade from scratch, make sure the herbs are crushed into teensy bits - otherwise, you'll jam up the injector.
• Injecting the breast: Lay the bird on it's back (breast-side up), and work the injector under the loosened skin.  I managed 4 injections, per side, using only 2 holes, per side.  So left side, up toward the top of the breast, one hole and inject, then pull the needle almost all the way out, point it in a different location and inject again.  Repeat on the lower half of the breast.  Then do the same thing on the other side of the breast.  Total of 4 holes, 8 injections.  Then smooth the chicken-skin back down over the breast...
• Then I squoze a couple more injections into the legs and thighs (don't bother with the wings).
• Sorry, I didn't take exact measurements for the injector amts.  I think the syringe that came with the marinade holds something like 2 oz.  I probably used 4-5 "full" syringes, total (with the majority going to the breast zone).  You'll see, as you inject the bird, that the breast will "plump up."  If you inject too much, it will find a way to gooze out.  This definitely isn't a "science!"

I'm guessing there are probably YouTube videos on "how to inject" - and they're probably more useful than my instructions (and *definitely* more usable than my scribbly notes - which made PERFECT sense to me!)

Okay, so the bird is injected.  You can either roast him on his back in the smoker or stand him up.  I've got one of those beer-can-roaster stands (but I chose to skip the beer-can).  If you use a vertical roaster, spray it with oil before you shove it up his butt ;-)  It will make removal *much* easier!

I find it helps to twist the wing tips back behind the bird.  Keeps him as one solid unit, while cooking, so no black wing-tips.  Plus, he looks funny as hell!

Jes' chillin' before grillin'!
--OR--
"You missed a spot!"

So yeah, after you've got him perched most-jauntily on his grilling stand, hit him with a light coating of Olive Oil (I used a spray-can of EVOO), then rub him oh so gently with BBQ Rub.  I used Bad Byron's Butt Rub from Amazon.  I've mixed-up some home-made rubs, in the past, but I find BB's Butt Rub to be tasty and simple (and yes, if you use any of my Amazon links, I *might* get a wee bit of spliff - although I haven't seen a penny, yet!)

I don't think it's *really* cheating to use a Tried-And-True BBQ Rub

Oops.  Let me back-up just a little.  About half an hour before I'm ready to start cooking, I like to soak my wood chunks in water (more smoke, less flame) - for, say, 15-20 minutes.  So before I injected, oiled and rubbed the bird, I grabbed a few chunks (and a lot of crumblies) of Applewood, put 'em in a disposable aluminum steamer-pan, and filled it with water...  Then I wrapped the big chunks in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and poked a few holes in the foil-wraps.  The crumbly bits were put into a smoker box.  About 15 minutes before the bird goes in (so right around "rub-time"), plug in the smoker and place the foil-wrapped wood-chunks between the electric heating elements, then balance the smoker box  full of wet-wood crumblies on top of that.  Let it heat up and start smokin'...

Smoker assembly: Mine is a cheesy-cheap Brinkmann P.O.S. Electric smoker, but it suits my needs just fine!  Bottom section is full of lava rock. The electric heating element sits on top of that.  The big wet-wood chunks are placed around the heating elements - but try not to have the aluminum foil touch the electric heating elements.  The smoker box got perched on top of all of that (and it doesn't matter if the smoker box touches the heating elements - at least I don't think so!).  Center cylinder is where the cooking racks and water pan go.  Water pan on the lower-supports (helps keeps the chicken moist).  I filled it with mostly water, a chunked-up onion, a sprig or two of fresh rosemary, and some pomegranate juice.  You can pretty-much dump whatever you want into the water pan.  IMHO, it imparts very little flavor on the bird...

Grilling rack(s) go above that (inside of the main cylinder).  I was only cooking the one bird, so I only used one rack in the lower position (directly above the water pan).  Additional food-safety note: If you're cooking multiple kinds of meat, do NOT cook chicken ABOVE something else.  

Then there's a lid that goes on top of the whole mess...

Once the smoker is heated-up and begins to smoke, place your bird in the cooker.  I had inserted a digital thermometer into the chicken thigh (from the butt-side, careful not to touch bone, nor the "injection zone."). 

This is the (mostly) Set-It-And-Forget-It part.  The thermometer receiver can be programmed to whatever your preferences are.  Chicken's default is 180* (I think), but I was able to tweak it down to 165* (per Big Ed's recommendation - the chicken continues to cook after it's taken out of the smoker).

Anyway, this is the part where I got to laze, with a cocktail, at the TiKi BaR and wait for my dinner to be done!

Once chicken reaches temp, you can remove him from the smoker, but wrap him in aluminum foil (and ideally, a towel), and let him rest for about 15-30 minutes.  Temp will continue to rise, and all of the juices should settle.

During cooking, you do have to keep one eye on the smoker to make sure that it's still smoking pretty-well for about the first hour to hour-and-a-half.  You don't want it BILLOWING, but you do want a nice steady stream of smoke (unfortunately, this picture doesn't show the smoke very well!).  After 90 minutes, additional smoke is unnecessary - the meat will take up all the flavor during the first hour to 90 minutes.  If, during the first 90 minutes, the smoker stops smoking, open the door and add more wood...

Two hours later, the thermometer beeped and I opened the lid to discover this tasty beast!

Those tanning beds'll kill ya!

Dinner was DELICIOUS!

The skin was just slightly crispy and the meat was tender and M-O-I-S-T!  Truly sublime!  That jar, in the background, is full of Trail Dust BBQ Sauce and, as you can see, my stash is getting dangerously low (another good reason to celebrate my B-Day at my favorite Q Joint!).

Final BBQ/Smoking Footnotes:

- One invaluable tool I've found is BBQ gloves.  You can grab the meat without getting burned (it was invaluable when I had to pull the rack out of chicken's butt!)

-Types of wood:  

  - Chicken works best with fruitwoods, and I am partial to Applewood.  

  - Pork is also best with fruitwood.  

  - Beef is better with Oak, Alder or Hickory

  - Fish is best with Cherry (or I'm partial to cedar-planked on the grill)

  - Ed doesn't use mesquite and, honestly, neither do I.  Too hot and "strong" in flavor
  - You can mix-up your woods, 50/50 if you like (50% Applewood, 50% Hickory)
-Aluminum Pans are VERY useful, when smoking.  I buy mine at a local restaurant supply store for appx $0.50 apiece.  They're nice and deep, easy for transporting messy food, and recyclable when you're done!
-Nitrile gloves are also quite handy ("handy" "gloves" Get it?!! bwahahaha!) during Chicken or Pork prep.  Thankfully, I've got CASES of these gloves lying around - leftover reminders of my Psoriasis/Eczema Days (which, for now are GONE - Glory Freaking Hallelujah!  More on that later...).  Anyway, food-safety cannot be downplayed when you are playing with a smoker.  Smokers, by nature, tend to cook Low 'n Slow, and if done improperly, you are inviting nasty stomach bugs!  Be safe!
-Lastly (unrelated to chicken-smoking) - Ed confirmed that Spreckles' the Fair Pig (actually *any* home-raised pork) is too lean for smoking.  My earlier endeavor into making pulled-pork out of Spreckles was a big-fat fail!  But I'm glad it wasn't "me" - it was just the fact that home-raised pork is too lean!

Okay, I think that's rambly enough!  If you've got a smoker, I would encourage you to give this recipe a try!  It was surprisingly easy and EXTREMELY delicious!

xoxo

-QT

Recipe: Smoked pork shoulder - "pulled pork" - No "sliced pork!"

Okay, I am re-classifying this post as "Rambling" because, well, I rambled a lot (while I was bored watching the smoker smoke!), and also because the final product - while tasty! - was not exactly what I was hoping for...

Onward to my original ramblings..............

So I never put the smoker away, after last weekend's Smoked Turkey Breast - which made simply delightful sammiches!  And was equally delicious as a breadless sandwich under melted, smoked gouda cheese and a generous dollop of sweet apple-corn relish!

I do make a Killer-Diller BBQ pulled pork in the crock-pot.  Tastes delicious, but it lacks that charred-smoky texture.  You really do need to "smoke it" to get that!

I must say, I am getting much more *brazen* with my smoker (Heh!).  My first few attempts, I had limited myself to small hunks of meat - mostly ribs (yum!), and I think maybe a smallish chicken...

Today it's a fairly large pork shoulder roast (well, large for the two of us!).  It's roughly 4-5 lbs, bone-in "shoulder roast" (possibly a "picnic roast" - I don't feel like dragging the package out of the trash to confirm!).  I Googled pretty-heavily and, evidently, a "Boston Butt" is easier to work with (which still comes from the shoulder IIRC).  It's more "squarish" in shape.  Mine is definitely more "shoulder-looking" (almost conical in shape).

Feel free to Google to your heart's content!  There is no shortage of recipes and "How-To" guides for smoking meat.  I skimmed through numerous pages - and everybody's got their own "Secret Recipe" for rubs and mops and sauces and whatnot.  And all kinds of different super-secret techniques, yada-yada.

Most do seem to advise doing some sort of prep-work the night before: Removing the fat, coating with mustard (Ewwww!!!!  Yeah, I know it's supposed to cook-off - but I freaking HATE mustard!) then some kinda seasoning-rub, wrapping in saran-wrap and refrigerating overnight, blah-blah-blah...

I skipped all the "night-before" prep-work, this time (and I'll let'cha know if that was a mistake!).  I'll basically just post "what I did" and maybe snap a few pictures after it's done, and let ya'all know if it was tasty or gross!  How's that?!!

First, I took the roast out of the fridge and let it set on the countertop for a couple of hours to get it "closer to room temperature."  Honestly?  Hubs cranked down the fridge the other night and the roast was borderline-frozen on one side - so I wanted it to thaw!

While the roast was resting/thawing, I grabbed an 8" square aluminum cake pan and filled it with apple juice and water (appx 50/50).  Plopped a few (5-6 fist-sized) chunks of hickory wood into the juice/water and let 'em soak for the same couple-of-hours...  Hickory is fine.  Apple or Cherry-wood  might be better (Mesquite - too strong/too "hot").

Okay, once I was sure the roast *wasn't* partially frozen, I grabbed a big ol' sharp knife and attempted to score the fat-cap in a diamond-shaped pattern.  Let me tell you: Pig-skin is THICK and even my sharpest knife had a "challenge" cutting through!  I did manage to score it.  Not clear-down to "meat" - but just enough to break the surface of the skin/fat so that the fatty juices (and seasonings!) should be able to penetrate the meat...  The skin will be removed prior to shredding/serving - BTW.

Then I sprayed the roast with olive oil cooking spray (but I *suppose* - if you wanna be a purist - you could smear it with yellow mustard - ICK!!!).  Then I dumped a generous quantity of "rub" on it.  I used McCormick Grill Mates®  Applewood Rub and Pork Rub.  Yes, I am a total cheater! And no, I don't get nuthin' for posting those links.  I actually do like (and use - and BUY) these seasoning blends - period!

Unfortunately, I can't tell you exactly how much I used - but it was several tablespoons of each! (If I had to guess, I'd say maybe 1/3 cup of each???)  I sprinkled it - quite heavily - and made sure it stayed-stuck by spraying more olive oil on it.  Coated the roast, fairly thickly (maybe close to 1/4" thick?), on all sides.  Then I let it "set" for another 15-20 minutes while I went out and pre-heated the smoker...

Okay, again, the smoker I use is the (notoriously under-powered P-O-S) Brinkmann Electric Gourmet Water Smoker - and this time I'm posting a link to Home Depot - since that's where I bought the last one (again, I get NOTHING for the link!) (Jeez, maybe I should?!!).

So preheat takes appx 15 minutes.  Just before I plugged it in, I wrapped my soaked wood chunks in heavy-duty aluminum foil, poked holes in the foil-wood pouches, then placed 'em in the bottom of the smoker in a smoker box, and in-between the electric cooking element....

Put the center section on the smoker, install the water pan.  Fill the water pan appx 1/2 full with a mix of water and apple-juice (I just used the water/juice I'd soaked the wood in - then added a bit more).  Optional: Toss in a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Add the cooking grates.  Helps to spray them with olive oil (so nothing sticks/easier clean-up!).  Add the lid, plug it in and let it heat-up.  I didn't bother checking it this time, but it takes appx 15 mins - after complete assembly - for the temp at the top grate to reach appx 250-260*.  The wood probably won't be smoking at this stage of the game...

Time to put the roast in!!!  I put mine in, meat-side-down and fat/skin-side up.  Pop the lid on that bad-boy and let 'er cook for a couple of hours!

After ~2 hours, I decided to check on things.  I inserted our "instant-read/remote/blah-blah fancy thermometer" into a thick part of the meat and NOT touching a bone (or "open space").  I plan to leave the sensor in the meat for the duration of cooking...  You'll want to cook it to an internal temperature of at least 180* (or even 190* - the idea being to overcook it to the point where the meat is shreddable).  Now I noticed that the outside of the meat was looking kinda dry ("Ohhhh nnnnnoooooo!!!!"), so I quickly consulted Google and determined that this is where I needed to apply a "mop!"

QT's Cheater Quickie-Mop "On the Fly!"(closest thing to a "recipe" that you'll find today!)

• 1/4 cup of some kinda sweetish/generic/smoky/whatever pre-packageded BBQ sauce (I think I used some K.C. Masterpiece something-or-other)
• 1/4 cup of Sweet Baby Rays "Sweet 'n Spicy" BBQ sauce (this stuff is my absolute FAVE!)
• 1/4-1/2 cup (+/-) Apple Juice or Cider
• 1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1-2 TBS of Applewood Smoke Rub seasoning

Now the KC Masterpiece was a nearly-empty bottle.  I smushed as much as I could into a 16 oz. red plastic party cup (b/c I hate clean-up!).  Then I poured some apple juice into the BBQ sauce bottle so I could shake-it-up and pour out the last of the sauce.  I basically filled the Party-Cup appx 3/4 full with a mixture of the above ingredients.  Then I brought the cup outside and, using a silicone BBQ brush, I slathered the "mop" onto the top of the roast.  Popped the lid back on and let it cook for another 30 minutes...

Then I came back half-an-hour later, flipped the roast over (so now the fat is resting on the cooking grate and the meat-side is "up"), and brushed/mopped the hell out of it again...

Hint:  Stand UP-wind of the smoker before you open it to gloop on the meat!  That is, unless you enjoy harking-up a lung!!!

I plan to continue the "slather goop" ritual - every 30 minutes - until the roast reaches an internal temperature of 180*.  Not sure if I'll turn it again (maybe once more?), we'll see how it looks!

And it if seems to be drying TOO much, I may take it out and wrap it in foil..........  Hopefully the "mop" will keep it moist enough!

I shall update this post later - including pictures! - once it's all done.  I think I put the roast into the smoker around 2:30 (maybe 3:00?) this afternoon.  It's 5:45pm now and it's only up to ~150*.  We'll see how this goes!!!

Anyhooooo...  The yard smells like an AWESOME BBQ joint right now.  I hope this comes out tasty!!!

About 5 hours into cooking with a fresh slathering
of "mop" sauce and a new rosemary sprig 

(it's up to ~170* now)

Smells AMAZING!!!

Aack!  It's 8:30pm, getting dark (AND chilly!) out here, and the roast still isn't done (~173*)!  So, umm, bear that in mind!  I'm going to leave it in the smoker 'til it hits 180* - but I might have to "finish" it in the crock-pot tomorrow (it's definitely not shreddable yet).

:::sigh:::

Okay: Note to self: "Start this sh*t earlier!!!"  It's, like, 10:00pm (and downright COLD outside!), and the meat is only up to 182*.  Yeah, I think I'll be finishing this in the crock-pot tomorrow.....

:::BIG SIGH:::

Post-Script:  I ended up putting the roast into my crock-pot at appx 9:00am, along with maybe 1/2 cup of apple-juice (to keep it moist)...  

3 hours later, the skin/fat-cap did peel off fairly easily (with a little help from a sharp knife). 

But the meat still wasn't "shreddable" and it was still pretty-well attached to the bone.  Hmmm...  Added a little more apple-juice and glopped some BBQ sauce on the roast.

Another hour passed and hubs was getting hungry.  I pulled the roast out of the crock-pot and "shreddable status" had not yet been achieved.  I decided, at that point, that he could have a *sliced* pork sandwich!.  I also sliced-off a hunk for myself and decided that it was on-the-verge of becoming "dry" (and that would just be WRONG!!!)

Hubs had a sandwich and potato salad.  I had a good-sized hunk of pork roast with Sweet Corn Apple Relish (have you figured out that I freaking LOVE this relish?!!  Gonna need to make another batch or two!).

Flavor: Fantastic!  Love-Love-Love the smoky-spiciness! I would definitely stick with the same "mop" and seasoning mixes.

Texture:  Not quite "dry" - but not quite the "fall-off-the-bone" "shred-easily-with-a-fork" texture that I was hoping for.  As far as sliced, smoked pork goes - it was great!  But I really was hoping for "Pulled-Pork" so more experimentation is needed before I call this recipe a Success!

What I'll do differently, next time:  

• Hmmmm...  I *might* consider removing the fat-cap and skin the night before (although I'd be worried about losing some juiciness if too much fat was removed).  I definitely like the "crusty outside" of the meat - and I lost a lot of that when I removed the fat+skin after cooking.
• I would definitely do the night-before prep-work (and I *might* even do the mustard-coating...  Mmmmmaybe!!!).  Definitely spice it up, wrap-it in Saran Wrap and refrigerate overnight. Heck, I might even add a step before that and soak the roast in apple juice for 24-hours, THEN do the spice-coating, saran-wrapping bit, overnight... 
• I'd still take it out the next day and let it sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours (like I did this time).  
• Annnnd...  I think, next time, I'll start applying the "mop" earlier on in the smoking process.  Maybe start at the 1-hour mark and re-apply every 30 minutes.

Anyway, it was a good experiment.  Definitely tasty - no doubt about it - but it requires more experimentation before I'll post this as a bona-fide, successful recipe!

Recipe: Smoked Boneless Skinless Turkey Breast

So - other than the dog getting stuck under the shed - I managed to survive my Hubbie-less Week just fine.  "Survive" being the operative word here.  It was a bummer week for me - health-wise - but I'm not gonna p*ss and moan about that..........

I'll just remain eternally grateful that I have the Ultimate Telecommuting Gig that allows me to work productively WITHOUT going into an office (Freaking YAY!); I have Awesome Friends and Neighbors that I know I can count on (Double-YAY!); And I live in an area where damn-near anything can be ordered on the internet and delivered to my door! (YAY Pizza Delivery!  Double-YAY Grocery Delivery!) (And Triple-YAY to the job that pays me enough that I can AFFORD Grocery Delivery 'cuz it ain't cheap!!!)

So I went online to Safeway.com and did all my grocery shopping earlier this week.  At the time, I noticed they had turkey breasts on sale in the meat dept.  I was feeling delusional and thought I might tackle smoking another turkey breast since the last one came out so awesome (That, BTW, was a 3-day/4-post ordeal - which started here).  But I knew I could cut it down to under 24 hours (1 evening for brining, the next day for smoking).

Anyway, I ordered a turkey breast, and added a note that I would prefer "fresh" to "frozen." (I hate waiting for frozen-solid birds to thaw!)

Well, where last year I had cooked an 8# "almost-a-whole-turkey," what got delivered truly was just the breast.  Boneless and skinless even.  And it only weighed 3#.  Hmmm...

What the hell, let's try it anyway...  And THIS TIME I am going to condense everything into *one* post (with minimal rambling - ???  HA!!  Hope springs eternal!!!).

So the breast sat in the fridge for a couple of days.  I think it was "mostly fresh - but partially frozen."  By Friday night, it was fully thawed and ready to go.

Since the breast was soooo tiny (compared to last year's "quadriplegic bird"), I was able to get by with a 1-gallon ziplock baggie and a much smaller quantity of brine...

Anyway, here is the recipe - such as it is.  You might want to modify quantities based on the size of your bird.  Also, illustrations will be minimal (go to my "Turkey Saga" link posted above if you want lots of pictures!)

QT's Cranberry Turkey Brine
Enough for a 3-4 lb breast (adjust quantities accordingly - you want the meat fully submerged)

• 4 cups cranberry juice (I used what I happened to have in the fridge: 2 cups of totally unsweetened cranberry juice and 2 cups of "regular" cranberry-apple sweetened with sugar - "No high-fructose corn syrup!")
• 3 cups water
• 1/2 cup Splenda Brown Sugar Blend
• 1/2 cup fine sea salt
• 1 tsp poultry seasoning blend (no clue what brand it is, but it's pre-packaged generic "poultry seasoning" in the spice aisle of the store)
• 2 TBS McCormick Grill-Mates Applewood rub

Dump all of the ingredients into a 1 gallon zip-lock baggie.  Mix well, then place the turkey breast in the brine.  Seal it up and let it soak in the fridge overnight.  Hint: Not all Zip-lock baggies are totally water-tight, so it helps to put the bag in a large pot before you toss it in the fridge.  That way, if it leaks, you'll "contain" the mess!

Add'l Note: The turkey did come wrapped in a heat-shrink plastic wrapper (which, obv, you need to remove).  Then, inside of that, the breast was cinched-up in some kind of netting.  I had left the breast in the netting for the duration of brining and wasn't sure if I should remove it for smoking.  I did remove it - but it turns out that wasn't necessary based on what I found on this site. In a way, I kinda wished I'd left the netting on (We'll see what happens! LOL)

Okay...  Onto the next day!

About an hour before cooking, you'll want to start soaking your smoker-wood-chunks.  I used hickory this time around (ran out of fruitwoods).  Just fill a disposable aluminum 8" cake pan with warm water and toss the wood chunks in.  Let 'em soak for about an hour.  Turn them, if necessary, to make sure they soak-up the water evenly (you want smoke - not fire!)

Pull the turkey out of the brining bag.  Reserve the brine mix so you can pour it into the water-pan of your smoker (Normally I'd say "toss it" but since the water-pan liquid does nothing more than steam and add aroma to the meat, I think it's safe to re-use it for this purpose).

Place the turkey in a larger disposable aluminum pan (Lasagna sized?  Roaster sized? Whatever you have on-hand and, no, these don't have to be disposable!  I just hate clean-up!).  Tamp it dry with paper towels.  Spray it lightly with olive oil, then apply a seasoning rub.

Here's The Rub:

(I cheated again and bought a pre-packaged McCormick's "Apple-Sage Pork" mix.  I know it's cheesy, but I load-up on 'em when they're on sale 'cuz they're super-easy!)

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic (dried - ICK!)
• 1 tsp Thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Paprika

Rub the breast well.  Top and bottom (and, like I said, I wished I'd left the netting on - removing it meant I couldn't really wiggle-and-roll it around too much!).

I rubbed my breast! (Shhhh!)

Right about now, you'll want to wrap up your wet wood chunks in heavy-duty aluminum foil.  Make little fist-sized packets, well-wrapped, and poke holes all-around.  Then place your wet-wood packets in the bottom of your smoker.  I used a smoker-box on top of the heating element and tucked the other packets between the loops of the heating element (I'm pretty sure you don't want aluminum foil *touching* the element).

BTW- I am using a cheap-and-cheesy Brinkmann "Gourmet" Electric Water Smoker and it suits me just fine for the amount of smoking I do.  BBQ purists would roll their collective eyes at me, I'm sure.  Found mine, on-sale for $69, at Home Depot last year.  You could probably find 'em for much less at Yard Sales or on Craigs List.  It's definitely not the best, but it does the job (and if it craps out - as mine did last year - it's quick and cheap to replace!).

Anyhoooo...  You've got your wet-wood packets on the bottom level of the smoker, so put the middle-section on top of that.  Place the water pan in position and dump your leftover brine in there.  Then add your grates (helps to spray them with olive oil.  Less skank to scrub later!).  

Okay, NOW put your temperature probe on the top grate, add the lid and plug the unit in.  It'll take appx 20 mins to pre-heat.

All this time, the breast is sitting on the countertop in the kitchen.  Not quite getting down to room temp, but not chilling either.  I don't think any grody bacteria-monsters are gonna take-hold in that time - although most Smoker-Sites seem to recommend leaving the bird in the fridge 'til the last possible minute (do what YOU feel comfortable with!).

Okay, once the smoker reaches appx 250*, you're ready to start cookin'!  Take your probe and sink it into the thickest part of the breast.  Note: If you left the netting on, the breast *seems* to be in two pieces, so you'll want to make sure the end of the probe isn't in the "in between" section.  Since I removed the netting, I could clearly see where the "in-between" section was, so I stuck my probe off to the side, in the middle of a thick hunk of breast-meat.  Then pop the top on the smoker and pour yourself a margarita!!!

We're cookin' now!

Smoker won't start smoking immediately at this point.  But, if you've soaked your wood pretty-well, it will start smoking about an hour into it.  And the smoke should be low-n-slow - which imparts a very nice flavor to the meat.

Approximately 2-1/2 hours later, the internal temp of the breast should reach 165* and you're ALMOST done!  Remove the breast from the smoker, wrap it in aluminum foil, then a towel, and put it back in the lasagna pan and let it rest for appx 30 minutes.  I'm assuming (but not confirming!) that the internal temperature will continue to rise...

The thing that surprised me (and I'm not sure why I'm surprised) was that there was almost no shrinkage during cooking.  When I saw how small the turkey breast was (it sure looked small!  Especially compared to last year's turkey-breast experiment), I was worried that we'd end up with almost NO edible meat.  Probably because I am more accustomed to slow-cooking pork (which usually nets about 50% of what you started with!).  I was actually debating going to the grocery store this morning and picking up a pork roast so that I could "maximize my productivity" and cook up TWO hunks of meat at once (something that could be easily accomplished, actually).  But I was too lazy to go to the store ;-)

Honestly, if I did this again, I'd probably cook-up TWO turkey breasts and freeze one for slicing later...

All Done!

Smells - and TASTES - delicious (although compared to last year's "quadriplegic bird," this one was not *quite* as moist.  And I could definitely detect the cranberry-brine this time.  It's still very tasty though)!  Hubs wants Open-Faced Turkey Sandwiches for dinner tonight.  I think I can accommodate that request!

All told, not a bad way to burn a lazy Saturday afternoon.........

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Done!

She is DONE!!!

Well, the thermometer beeped, anyway!

It looks and smells positively HEAVENLY!!! I hope it tastes HALF as good as it looks and smells, right?!!

I have wrapped the turkey in heavy-duty aluminum foil. It didn't *quite* fit into the pot I'd set-aside, so I wrapped it up in a towel and plopped it into an aluminum pan, and inverted a second aluminum pan on top of that (to help retain the heat and let the Goodness soak-throughout...).

We'll slice into it a bit later....

Jeez... Smoking a Turkey Breast turned into a 3-day ordeal! I sure hope it's worth it!!!

Although - in the meantime - this did end up being a semi-productive day. I ended up mixing up a batch of Kiln-Wash and applying it to the floor of my kiln, as well as 3 kiln shelves. And I did another "test firing" (empty-kiln firing) to help "set" the kiln wash.

Idea behind kiln-wash is that it protects the kiln floor and shelves in the (hopefully unlikely) event that glaze-ware breaks/falls over during firing. Kiln wash will prevent the glaze-ware from fusing to the kiln and/or shelves. Of course, the piece will still be ruined - but the kiln will be protected!

So, while the turkey was smoking, I mixed up the "wash" and brushed it on the shelves per Sheffield Pottery's instructions. I probably could have gone straight to a bisque-firing - but I was worried because I've got underglaze on "both sides" of all of my greenware - and don't want to risk "stickage!" So I did a Fast-Glaze, Cone 018 Firing Profile (appx 1200* F). That should be enough to get the kiln-wash to adhere to the shelves, then I'll feel more comfortable about adding coat #2, and greenware, for a bisque-firing...

All Told: I think that today was Semi-Productive! Hopefully, tomorrow will be as well. I want to get out in the "original" shed - purge it, then re-load it in a semi-organized fashion, so we've got "space" to store all of our "Summer Furniture!"

One year, we actually rented a storage locker for the Summer Furniture. All-told, it cost MORE to store our sh*t than it would have to just Freecycle (or Donate) it, and buy NEW the following year (Ooooops!). Oh, well!

Anyhooooooooo.... Whenever we hack-into the Turkey Breast, I'm sure I'll post more pictures and commentary! Stay tuned.........................

* * * * *

Post-cooking Aftermath: Appx 1 hour later... The turkey breast is freaking orgasmically delicious!!! Seriously! I wouldn't change A THING!!! It is moist and tender and delectably delicious! I am actually surprised that the "final product" isn't pinkish - nor does it taste cranberry-y. It is just plain tasty!!! I am stunned and amazed - but it was TOTALLY worth all of the effort!!!

So - if you've got an Electric Smoker, just go-right-ahead and make this recipe, verbatim! You probably don't have to "stretch it out" to a full 3-days (like I did!) - 2-days oughtta suffice! - but I can most-definitely HIGHLY RECOMMEND this recipe. It really-and-truly *is* delicious!!!

Salud!!!

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Day #3 (Or: "Is there a Conspiracy???")

As I type this... We are in the Final Stages of Smoking! But it wasn't easy "getting here!"

So... Where we left off yesterday - I was soaking Apple-Wood Chips in an aluminum pan:

They kinda ended up soaking for over 24 hours :::sigh:::

Not sure if that's gonna be Good or Bad!

I wrapped up the wood-chunks in aluminum foil and poked holes in the foil. Put one big Foil-Chunk in the Smoker box, on top of the heating element, then stuck the others "between" the elements (I'm pretty sure aluminum foil *on* an electric heating element is probably a Bad Idea).

Foil-wrapped wood-chunks, in the base of the smoker...

I went to plug it in so it could pre-heat. Stuck a nekkid Meat Thermometer on the top-rack to see how it was doing.

Well, ummm, it didn't do *squat!*

WTF????

Well, upon further investigation, I determined that the electric heating element was - for lack of a better word - "Toast!" Every time I plugged it in to the GFCI outlet, it tripped the breaker. Boo! I tried a more heavy-duty extension cord, and got the same result. Double-Boo!

Yes, I could order a replacement element, online, for appx $40 (with shipping). But I've got a ready-to-smoke Turkey Breast in the fridge RIGHT NOW!

So, off to Home Depot I went...

And I immediately encountered THIS:

Eeeeeek!!!! NNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thoroughly traumatized, I pressed ahead... Made my way to the Grill Aisle - hoping to find "just" replacement parts.

No such luck :-(

I ended up buying a completely new Smoker Unit for $69.95 - just so I could use the heating element in my OLD smoker. Sh*t!

So now I have a Brandy-New Smoker (although I stuck with the OLD smoker for this endeavor - just popped-in the new element). "Hello Freecycle!!!"

Finally managed to get the thing pre-heated!

(and actually, I'm surprised it heats this high!)

And *finally* managed to get Da Boyd into the Smoker (Yayyy!!!)

I put minimal liquid in the "water-pan" (appx 4-5 oz of cranberry/pomegranate juice + 4-5 oz of water). I did leave the water-pan in it's "normal" position (about 2/3 of the way "down" in the Smoker).

All told: It took just-over 3 hours to cook the breast to an internal temperature of 165*. We are hovering right around 163* now and I probably *could* remove it- but I'm gonna leave it in 'til the electronic thermometer beeps. I did "sneak a peek" at it and it looks positively luscious!

Once I hear the beeps, I'll pull the breast out, wrap it in foil, toss it in a pot with a lid and let it "set" for appx 1 hour (to continue heating up and juicify all of the Goodness!).

Mmmm, boy! I hope it tastes good enough to warrant all of this freaking WORK!!!

Stay tuned for updates........................

Credit Where Credit Is Due...

These are the websites where I got my "inspiration" for the Electric-Smoked, Cranberry Turkey Breast:

Good info on Electric Smoking of Turkey here.

Good "General Info" on smoking Turkey Breasts here.

A specific Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Recipe here.

And a Quirky Turkey Rub (that I didn't try - but it sounds damned interesting!) here.

As usual, I ended up "smushing together" info from various websites to come-up with My Creation (which may, or may not, turn out Fan-Freaking-Tastic!).

Just wanted to share!

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast - Day #2

I *did* say I was posting this in damn-near Real-Time, didn't I?!

Well, my plans for Turkey-Breast-Smoking got a little Bufoobalized when DH awoke with severe back / kidney pain this morning. We made a quick trip to the E/R (which ended up taking ~5 hours). No specific diagnosis, unfortunately (it wasn't kidney stones, anyway). But it seems it's not gonna be Fatal!

Anyway, it blew a big ol' honkin' hole in my day! As we drove home, I figured I was gonna just take the *entire* day off (we can take sick-days for tending to sickly family members), but somebody scheduled me for an afternoon meeting (and I had a veritable boatload of emails when I got back!). So I ended up working almost a full day...

I did manage to sneak out for about 20 minutes to dig-out and clean-up the smoker...

Looks like crap on the outside - but the bugs/spiderwebs/old, charred wood-chunks got cleared out of the inside!

The Turkey was supposed to "brine" for appx 12 hours. Ended up being a helluva lot longer than that!!!

Nevertheless, when we got home, I removed and "flipped" the breast over (since it was wanting to float in the brine, and the top-portion wasn't getting saturated adequately!). I let it soak for another hour-ish while I prepped the wood-chunks (details below)...

On the Plus Side: It *did* thaw out! (in fact, I moved it from the garage to the fridge before we left for the hospital).

On the Down Side: When you over-brine a turkey by soaking it in cranberry-juice, it tends to turn a bit pink!!!

So, when it was all said and done, I took the breast out of the Zip-Lock Baggie, rinsed it off in the sink then tamped it dry. Then I spritzed it with Spray-On Canola Oil and hit it with a dry-rub...

Coated with dry-rub... Looks a bit better!

Dry Rub:

• 2 TBS McCormick Grill-Mates Chicken Rub, to which I added:
• 1-1/2 tsp Rubbed Sage
• 1 tsp Minced Garlic (dried - ICK!)
• 1 tsp Thyme leaves
• 1/2 tsp ground Allspice
• 1/2 tsp Paprika

(I totally cheated with the "add-ons!" This was actually a McCormick "Recipe Inspirations" package for "Apple and Sage Pork Chops" that was on-sale at the grocery store).

Prior to rubbing the bird, I grabbed a few chunks of Apple Smoker-Wood and tossed 'em in a large aluminum pan, filled with water. I wanted 'em to get nice and wet so they'd smoke like crazy... The wood should soak for appx 20 minutes. Then you wrap the wood-chunks in heavy-duty aluminum foil; poke some holes in the foil; toss the foil-wrapped wood-packets into a smoker box (Metal box with holes in it - you could just as easily use a disposable aluminum-foil pan); then put the woodsy stuff directly on top of the electric burner in the smoker.

Anyway, The Plan was to pre-heat the smoker to "as high as it would get" (evidently, my Brinkmann Model is notoriously under-powered - but whatEVER!), then plunk the wood and turkey breast into the smoker for appx 3-4 hours (with a meat thermometer - duh!).

The Reality was: My Afternoon Meeting, while very productive, took waaaaaaay longer than anticipated. So No Turkeys were Smoked today. Boo!!!

Sooooo... Turkey Breast got bagged in a new Ziplock Baggie, and tossed in the fridge. I think I'll be firing up the smoker (and - hell! - maybe even the KILN!) tomorrow...

Stay tuned................................

Recipe: Cranberry-Smoked Turkey Breast

Okay... This post is gonna be in "almost-real-time!"

With Thanksgiving coming, I figured I wanted to start "Messing with Turkeys!"

A couple-three years ago, I bought a Brinkmann Electric Smoker and - to be perfectly honest - it hasn't seen *nearly* enough use! So I figured I'd futz around with a Turkey Breast - just to see how it comes out!

For ACTUAL Thanksgiving, I will probably drag out my propane "Oil-less Turkey Fryer" (aka "The Big Easy" - which, to be honest, I really like it a LOT). It is actually more like a convection oven - but is still WAAAAAY the hell easier/cleaner than traditional roasting! And yes, I will post my T-Giving Preparations this year!

Anyway - in the meantime - I've decided I want to play around with the Brinkman Electric Smoker. It's GREAT for ribs and pork roasts - but I've yet to attempt poultry in it...

Tomorrow, all that's gonna change! I am smoking a turkey-breast, by golly!!!

Sooooo.... This evening, I ran over to the grocery store and procured a small-ish (~8#) turkey breast. Frozen-solid, unfortunately:

It does include the bones and also has a built in, pop-up, meat-thermometer (which I will be removing prior to cooking). It has also been "injected" with some kinda brine... But I hope to offset that with my OWN brine!

Here is the brine-bag:

Turkey-Breast Brine:

• 2 gallon Zip-Lock Baggie, filled with:
• 8 cups of water
• 8 cups of "Natural" Cranberry-Pomegranate Juice (sweetened w/Stevia - *not* High Fructose Corn Syrup!)
• 1 cup of Sea Salt
• appx 1 cup of Splenda "Brown-Sugar Blend" (50/50 Splenda + Brown Sugar)
• 2 TBS of McCormick Grill-Mates "Chicken Rub."

The primary ingreeeediments!

Nekkid, Frozen-Solid Turkey Breast (Hide the Children!!!)

I mixed up the liquids + spices and salt in a large Zip-Lock Baggie. Made sure that the salt and Sugar-Blend-Stuff was thoroughly mixed-in with the liquid. Then I plopped the Turkey Breast in the bag...

Like thus!

Now, since the breast is frozen solid (it actually came with a gravy packet - but it is "iced-in" - inside the bird!!! Nights/Early mornings around here are now in the low 40's, so I decided to stick the whole thing (bird, bag, pot and all!) in the garage. Hopefully, overnight, it will be able to thaw (but not give us food-poisoning - I hope!!!).

Tomorrow morning, I will rinse the bird off and fire-up the smoker.... I will post subsequent updates, as they occur (tomorrow!!!)...