Well, not exactly. But we had to do something with the turkey in the freezer to make room for the next wave of frozen food. I won the free range 16 pound bird in a radio station contest a couple of months back and we decided that this was the weekend to put it in the smoker and pick the carcass clean, saving most of the meat for future use in soups, on sandwiches and even to stuff enchiladas.I’ve smoked plenty of chickens in the propane smoker but never something as large as this. And with the rule of thumb that states a half-hour for every pound at 250-degrees, I was looking at around an 8 hour endeavor. After preparing the rub and basting mixture the night before I started out at 8:30 in the morning.
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The Turkey in the "Tanning Booth"
I like to use a technique in which a ¾-filled beer can is inserted in the cavity of the bird throughout the smoke. This gives it a nice moist texture as well as a bit of extra flavor. And adding thyme and bay leaves to the brew certainly enhanced that.
Just above the flame at the bottom of the smoker is a cast iron bin that contains the wood chips or pellets. I happened to have some apple wood pellets on hand so that’s what I used. And directly above the pellet container sits a large bowl of water that becomes heated and produces a nice “sauna” effect.
Here’s the recipe. And by the way, it turned out great. Nice and moist with a fine smoky flavor.
The End Result: So Tender it Practically Falls Apart
* 16 oz beer plus 2 tablespoons
* 6 bay leaves
* 2 teaspoons thyme
* 4 tablespoons brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons ketchup
* 2 tablespoons white vinegar
* 2 teaspoons hot sauce
* 2 tablespoons paprika
* 1 tablespoon black pepper
* 1 tablespoon salt
* 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1 24 ounce beer can
Preparation:
Empty the beer can into another container. Cut the top of the can off and pour in 12 ounces of beer. Add bay leaves and thyme.
Set aside. Combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar with the paprika, salt and pepper. This is the rub for the turkey.
In another container combine 2 tablespoons brown sugar, ketchup, vinegar, 2 tablespoons of beer and hot sauce. This is your baste for the turkey while it cooks.
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Prepare smoker for an 8 hour smoke. Rub surface of the turkey with the spice rub. Try to get as much as you can under the skin, particularly over the breast meat. Stand beer can up on the smoker grate and gently set the turkey over the can so that the can is completely inside the cavity of the turkey. Make sure that the turkey stands easily and doesn't sway. The turkey needs to be stable. Once you have the turkey in the smoker let it cook for about 8 hours at a temperature around 250 degrees F. Check for an internal temperature in the thigh of about 165 degrees F. This is when the bird is done. Baste the turkey with the baste mixture every 2 hours.
10 comments:
Hey, you said your next post was going to address "patooties". OK, I guess shoving a beer can up the turkey's patootie qualifies, but it's a stretch...
Looks mighty good though!
And indeed it was a stretch to get that 24 ounce can in there!
That sounds so much better then my Tater tot casserole. I guess I didn't get the culinary gene. We're going to have to give your recipe a go.
Cheers!
Hey, Kristin, never sell a good tater tot casserole short. Tater tots are, after all, one of the major nutritional food groups (and are preferred cuisine at fine bowling establishments).
If you do try the smoked turkey (or chicken) let me know how it turned out. Last night, Bowlingwidow made some turkey soup and it had a nice smokey essence to it.
Sorry, I get easily confused, especially where beer is concerned. The recipe calls for 16 oz of beer, plus a 24 oz beer can. I presume you are supposed to drink the 8 oz difference? But then the instructions say to pour in 12 oz of beer. By my calculations, this leaves 4 oz unaccounted for (aside from the 2 tablespoons that go in the baste). What happens to this mysterious 4 oz?
I fondly recall a Thanksgiving in England when we got together with Yank friends to celebrate, and had gotten hold of a huge turkey. The ladies started basting the turkey with red wine (and drinking a little). After two or three times, they were lasting the burkey and drinking more wine. Before the bird was done, I think it was "bloody hell, why are we wasting good wine on a dead bird? Pour me another glass or I'll drink it out of the bottle!"
Joe, you're very astute in catching this. The original recipe called for using 12 oz. of beer in the can, although in reality I used 16 oz. I made the change in the ingredient listing but failed to do so in the text portion of the recipe.
Having said all of this, the brand of beer that I used was Rainier, something I haven't touched since college when it could be acquired for $4.99 a case.
So my response to your question is "who cares, as long as you don't actually drink the stuff".
cvow, your story reminds me a bit of the Christmas edition of the original Mr. Bean episode that concluded with Rowan Atkinson running helplessly around in his flat with a raw turkey covering his head.
They just don't make sitcoms like that anymore.
BowlingJoe, would you like your very own VHS copy of that Bean episode -- as well as many others? How about in PAL format -- I have those as well.
Time for the dustman to come...
I'll wait for the cvow garage sale to take place, but thanks for thinking of me.
Even the Brits are abandoning PAL completely in a few years...
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