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I normally smoke a whole turkey for Thanksgiving but this year there will just be 4 of us so I decided I'd smoke a bacon-wrapped stuffed turkey breast. I know the day of the meal is NOT the time to be trying anything new so I took the opportunity of doing a test cook a couple of weeks ago. The only thing I'll do differently is to use thin sliced bacon instead of thick -- making the bacon weave out of thick bacon was just too thick.
So does everyone have your turkey plans ready?
Looks good...and I don't even like turkey.
So you split the breast and rolled your stuffing inside then tied it into that perfect roll? Man that looks good! Since we live in the same town - come February- do you know where I can buy a load of hickory? My boys have been looking but say its hard to find near BA. My renter apparently burned up all of mine, rendering my 8' trailer smoker useless . The third thing I plan to do when I get home after eating rice for 18 months is to load my smoker with pig parts and hickory. Somehow the smoked pork belly available here doesn't quite satisfy my Okie palate!
I think I know where you can get some hickory? I have several hickory tops blown out from last Decembers ice storm....... just sayin.
C2 I can get you a load of hickory when you come over to fish!! Do you have a preference on which hickory you want?
Toon, That looks like it should be on a food show! I bet that eats good, or rather ate good! LOL
That's looking pretty tasty.
General George- I think I like Redge's offer better! Less work with a fishing trip thrown in to boot!
Redge- So far a never met a hickory I didn't like; should I have a preference?
C2 I don't think it makes a difference. However I learn something new every day, whether I want to or not. Had a hickory fall on one of the pastures. Yield over 4 ricks of wood.
Toon what kind of smoker are you using?
C2, I don't tie it up after it's rolled. When you lay out the bacon weave on cling wrap, I use the cling wrap to help roll it all up. Leave it in the cling wrap in the fridge for about an hour (or even overnight), and the roll will set up and not fall apart. Then just remove it from the wrap before putting it in the smoker.Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie ciller
Redge, for this cook, I just used my electric Masterbuilt smoker with hickory wood chips for smoke. When I do whole birds or other big meats, I use my big competition pit that is a clone of a Stumps gravity fed smoker.Quote:
Originally Posted by Redge
Looks nice. I did something similar last year with two pork tenderloins wrapped in bacon and they came out pretty good. Yesterday just smoked a small turkey in my cheepo wet smoker. Still beats a deep fried one or a baked one.
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Good looking bird you got there.
I have to agree about a smoked bird is the best kind of bird.
X 2 on the smoky bird!
Question: How do I prevent my smoked turkey from becoming black? Using an electric smoker with thermostat and meat probe, use wet chips for the smoke, and usually a temp or around 225 and cook the meat until I reach an internal temp of 160. It taste great, but looks horrible and the skin leaves an after taste of greasy smoke in your mouth. Need some feedback soon, have to make a choice between now and tomorrow evening on whether to smoke it or bake it, thanks.
My guess is too much smoke caused either by adding more chips or saturating the ones you start with. Most of the smoke flavor penetrates the meat early in the process so keeping the smoke going past say the first hour coupled with the incomplete combustion of saturated chips creates that sooty product. When I used a bullet smoker with charcoal I started with wet chunks and never added any after that. Perfect mahogany colored turkey every time- smoky to the bone even tho I never saw smoke coming from the unit after the first hour. I smoke with wood now and have to wrap the bird in foil once it reaches that mahogany look- before it blackens. Hope this helps. I imagine there are many who use an electric who will have maybe more specific advice . Good luck Stink and for goodness sake don't panic and go over to the dark side- I mean the oven!
Thanks ciller, I will try that.......... lol at the dark side, that's funny.
Good luck. Let us know how it goes. I will be frying up some beef tenderloin smothered in garlic and onions for the big day. Here, in a land starving for more protein, we see several turkeys running loose- all pets apparently. But the good news is that tenderloin costs the same as any other cut of beef. Bad news is that it's all grass fed so you gotta cook it low and slow or it's gonna be tough AND dry.
Now remember...I don't like turkey...but I have smoked several in my electric smoker that other people really liked. Stuff it with two apples and one sweet onion (quartered). 225°, fresh or brined turkey 35 min per pound, basted unbrined turkey (Butterball or Honeysuckle White) 45 minutes per pound, 2-4 ounces dry wood (preferably hickory) that ain't much!!! I use about 3 ounces. If it starts going past golden cover it with foil. Check it with a thermometer, if you want. Throw away stuffing.
Floyd
This is the smoker I used to have.
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Reaper - What time did you say dinner was tomorrow? I missed that in your post.
Ideally you want a light blue smoke for adding great flavor. But in an electric smoker that isn't possible since the wood chips are smoldering instead of burning so C2 is dead on in that you don't wan too much wood at any time - just a few chips at a time and then wait 30 - 45 minutes before adding anymore. As you can see, I didn't do that which caused the outside to turn really dark. But due to my short cooking time, I had to add a bit more chips and more often - just something I was willing to accept.
If you are doing a whole bird, cook it in a disposable pan so you can cover it with foil when the outside gets to the color you are looking for. But put a cooling rack in the bottom of the pan so the bird isn't sitting down in the grease.
Another thing, I don't soak my wood chips when using the electric smoker - that makes them smolder longer. Smoldering wood creates creosote which is what causes the numbing sensation on your lips when you eat the smoked meat.
Reaper, that's some fantastic looking meat...... thanks for sharing the photos. I've decided to smoke this bird, will take a little of all your advice and use less wood chips, none after a couple of hours, will cover with foil once it turns the right color, and will sip on a Heineken along the way.
OK Toon...do you have a picture of your big smoker...sounds interesting.....dave
Toon, that looks fantastic. I'm going to do that in a couple weeks for sure. Is the stuffing pre-cooked?
How did it turn out Stinky? Are you still licking your fingers?
X2!Quote:
Originally Posted by Crappie ciller
Anyone on here besides me use pecan and peach?
Heck yeah! Anytime I come across free wood from any fruit or nut tree I smoke with it tho I still almost always mix it with hickory. To me hickory smells like good BBQ even before you put the meat on. I am a certified Kansas City BBQ Society judge and meet cookers who shun hickory for pecan or use Apple wood for chicken etc. Peach is hard to come by tho- it just sounds like it would make tasty smoke! I did use nectarine once. Here is an odd factoid for you. Here in the Philippines meat open smoked over green peeled sticks is the most popular and delicious street food and they use absolutely any kind of random wood they can find to cook with. Hardly ever seasoned so it produces great clouds of smoke and has to be hand fanned constantly or the fire will go out. Random jungle wood with no bark and the meat is kind of wonderful every time- except for the chicken intestines etc., I couldn't tell you about that!
Acquiring peach is easy enough. Livesey Orchard will let you haul it out by the truck load. My pecan comes from a family friends pecan groove. In a pinch, I'll use oak. From all the dead oaks I have, getting that is no problem. Like toon I don't soak my wood. A lighter smoke is obtained. Also, I don't fully wrap my bird (s) once I get the color I'm after, but I do blanket it with foil or butter soaked cheese cloth to keep it from blackening and add richness.
Pecan is real good with fowl! Hickory the rest of the time, just because that's what I was raised on!!
Fresh cut green hickory works for me.
We usually use seasoned hickory, less bitterness. However I have a lot to learn about smoking, may be doing it wrong!!
[QUOTE=Redge
s. However I have a lot to learn about smoking, may be doing it wrong!![/QUOTE]
X2! Like wrapping a bird in " butter soaked cheesecloth" ! I could maybe start eating starlings if I tried that- pure genius.
Okay, that explains why you have the knowledge you have when it comes to BBQ. I got certified when we first started competing, so I'd know what judges are looking for at competitions. And after 5 years of competing, I still don't know what the hell the judges are looking for. :RoflQuote:
Originally Posted by Crappie ciller
I'm sorry guys, I could have sworn I responded with the results of my smoked turkey. After brining the bird for six hours, I began smoking it at 250 degrees using mesquite wood chips at 8pm Wednesday night. I was surprised to find the internal temp rose quickly and after 2 hours had hit 160 degrees, my target temp. But I knew that the turkey wasn't tender, so I turned the heat down to 160 degrees and left the bird in the oven all night. Took it out at 10am the next morning and it was a golden brown, tender, and looked beautiful. My family loved it and there was very little left at the end of the day. I appreciate everyone's input because it really helped me provide some good eats to my family.Quote:
Originally Posted by Redge
Toon- I have probably tasted your cooking then! What is the name of your team? The judging is so subjective according to individual tastes but really some of these guys have no business judging BBQ. I give something a 9 and look at the scorecard next to me and its a 5 . Why. And the guy says "I don't think they should use white meat" or " he sliced his brisket too thin." I think most days it's just the luck of the draw / which table judges your ribs may be the difference between winning or coming in last. Good luck- hope to join you on the cooks side one day. Chicken is my weak point!
You did respond Stink. http://www.crappie.com/crappie/oklah...sgiving-2.html
George, our competition team name is Bedlam BBQ but we haven't competed in a couple of years and probably won't be since we sold our travel trailer and now have a lake place. We figure the $500 we budget for a competition could be better enjoyed with several tanks of gas for the boat.
Not to get off track but that's been my experience with ICS. Some don't need to be cookin and some don't need to be judgin.
Summed it up well Papa.
Toon- that is a great team name but I think you got your priorities straight.