Don't Put A Good Fire Out Too Early

thirdeye

<p />Around 3:30 I started up the large for a turkey breast I flavor brined all aftrnoon. By 4:15 the fire was right, so I added some wood and by the top of the hour I was in business. Two hours or so later the bird was resting. [p]Now, that fire was still perfect so I snuck a couple of sticks of hickory under the plate setter and thawed out some shanks from the freezer. Here we are two hours later, some great fixins for a pot of Great Northerns tomorrow, and too full of turkey to snack on the shanks![p]~thirdeye~

Hawkeye

thirdeye,
I would love the details on your brine, injection (I don't know if injection is used after a brine), rub and dome cooking temps. My family doesn't eat dark meat (I know, I know...)so when I fry turkeys it is only the breasts and cavity.[p]Thanks for any details.

thirdeye

Hawkeye,[p]Flavor brines are not injected. They are just a soaking liquid less powerful than brines used for curing and can be used on poultry white meat, pork chops and pork tenderloin to add some moisture, improve texture and add some flavor. Most will agree that 1 cup of salt to 1 gallon of water is a good ratio. (In my family this method was called koshering). What you add beyond that is optional. It can be used prior to baking, frying and roasting.[p]Click on the link below and check out the Bill Wise Cookbook. It can be downloaded in pdf format and is an excellent reference guide for ceramic cooking. It has a very well done section on brining.[p]If you want to see how I prepare a turkey breast you can http://playingwithfireandsmoke.blogspot.com then scroll down to the bottom of my homepage until you get to the turkey section.[p]Here is one for starters.[p]~thirdeye~[p]
BRINE FOR TURKEY[p]This brine is used when baking or barbecuing turkeys. It is not as strong as a brine used before smoking.[p]Brine:
1 cup salt
1 cup brown sugar
3 T black pepper (or peppercorns)
6 sprigs thyme (or any spices or herbs you like)
4 sprigs rosemary
10 cloves of crushed garlic (optional)[p]2 oranges, quartered (optional)
2 lemons, quartered (optional)
apple juice (optional)[p]
To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a non-reactive container (such as a clean bucket, ice chest, or a clean, heavy-duty, plastic garbage bag.) Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Let stand, refrigerated, at least 4 hours or overnight. Stir once or twice. Rinse well in cold water. Dry with paper towels[p]
[ul][li]Bill Wise[/ul]

thirdeye

<p />Here is a shot of the finished bean soup. A hambone from the freezer found it's way in there to keep the hocks company.[p]~thirdeye~