My Favorite Holiday!

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. When I was a kid it might have had something to do with the fact that my Birthday fell on Thanksgiving once every seven years. I'm not sure. But as an adult, I like it because it centers around food, family, gratitude(thanks) and food. It hasn't been commercialized like the other major holidays (except for maybe the turkey companies and stove-top stuffing makers). And thanks or as I prefer gratitude, knows no boundaries. It isn't particular to any one religious belief or even belief in a God at all. One can feel gratitude and feel thankful without directing it at any specific point in the universe, natural or supernatural. So whether you give thanks to a supreme being, count your blessings or just feel appreciative for what you have, a belated Happy Thanksgiving!

Now on to the details...

One 12lb turkey injected with maple sherry butter of my own concoction, stuffed with a quartered orange, apple, onion and lemon. Any leftover injection fluid was smeared all over the outside to help brown the skin.



Smoke it for about three hours at 325 degrees and there you have it.




Even the boys -- picky eaters that they are -- wolfed down some turkey!



The only negative note was that turkey was all the boys ate. They didn't eat stuffing, mashed potatoes, or anything else. Just turkey! Do I get mad and have a fit since they are missing out on the best meal of the year?(A very big shout-out to Mrs. SpecialEd for another wonderful Thanksgiving meal! You're the best!) Yes at first I do. Then I take a deep breath, smile, remember that I can't force them to like something and the important thing is they are happy and healthy and I am very thankful for that!

Turkey Time

Yesterday I smoked a turkey breast. Now that might sound fairly basic and it is how I got my smoke-cooking start about 25 years ago, but I haven’t smoke-cooked a turkey in probably 15 or more years. Actually until I got my Grilldome cooker this past July, I hadn’t smoke-cooked anything in at least 15 years.

That all changed, obviously, when I bought my cooker this past summer and started making up for lost time. Even though I went at it like a man possessed, I never got around to doing turkey, especially since they are not always readily available in the summer months. I have cooked lots of pork,(shoulders and loins), chickens, (whole, spatchcocked, drumsticks and breasts), a couple briskets, burgers and even smoked some BBQed baked beans. But no turkey.

This past week my FIL brought over a turkey breast he got free from racking up points/dollars at his supermarket. My wife probably won’t let me cook the Thanksgiving bird on the Grilldome so I jumped on this opportunity to finally get back in the turkey game.

Back in the old days, I knew nothing of rubs, injections or brining. I just threw the bird on the grill heaped on the wood chips and let it go. I always enjoyed the results but these days I am trying to take things to a new level. So, for the first time ever I have soaked this bird overnight in a brine solution; Kosher salt, brown sugar, maple syrup, garlic, and a few other dry seasonings. I put it on the grill after stabilizing the temperature at 300 degrees. That’s a bit high for normal smoking but a good temperature for a turkey breast. Three hours and 15 minutes later, the breast was done at a temperature of 170 degrees. Very moist, no dry spots, a hint of sweetness and a good smoke flavor. I think I will be doing some more experiments with brine solutions in the coming weeks.