Talkin' turkey

J Appledog · November 2001

As promised, here are the details that made me Turkey Queen for a day.[p]Wednesday P.M.:
· Picked up turkey at Lubber’s (organic) farm
· Shopped for ingredients for brine[p]Thursday A.M.:
· made brine recipe & put in refrigerator to chill
Thursday P.M.:
· shopped for frozen game hen to put into brine to
a. keep brine cold
b. thaw slowly
· put birds into cold brine
· Inspired by raconteur and famous chicken painter, Roy Egg, of West Pawlett, VT, made up story about the “tiny tom” from the islands of Lake Champlain to post on BGE forum[p]Friday:
· Gathered necessary equipment, mini BGE and “secret” ingredients to take to Rockford[p]Saturday morning I got up early and drained the brine off the birds, patted them dry and allowed them to air dry. I seasoned the cavities with salt & Grains of Desire* pepper blend, then trimmed off the neck fat and tails. The small bird I rubbed with Santa Fe Seasons Holy Trinity Grill Rub*, trussed it and brushed it with melted butter & oil. The large bird was “stuffed” with apple halves and an orange that had some holes poked in it. I then trussed it and greased it up. I wrapped both with parchment paper & foil & put them in a cooler.[p]Neighbor/teammate Nancy & I loaded up truck and headed for Rockford.[p]On site I set up BGEs for indirect cooking with plate setter and a drip pan. I put some cherry juice in the pan for no good reason except that I didn’t have apple juice. (Normally I don’t put anything in the pan). I soaked sugar maple & pecan that was there at the store and put in the BGEs just before the birds went on. Both birds were cooked around 325 until thermometer read 165. (I had thermometer problems with the large bird and would have liked to have had it rest for a half an hour before the judging). Both birds were glazed during the last half hour of cooking. I used the contents of a jar of Santa Fe Seasons Cranberry Especiál* pureed with a shot of Myers’s rum. I heated it up before brushing it onto the turkey, which ended up being a picture-perfect mahogany color. Fortunately it tasted as good as it looked![p]I was doing really well with my “tiny tom” hoax until Chef RD showed up and called my bluff.[p]Yesterday I tossed the remains of the big bird into a pot and made soup. The “tiny tom” was carved up for the soup and I’ve got to tell you, that little bird was just about the best thing that I have EVER tasted that came off a BGE. The turkey & wild rice soup was pretty unbelievable as well.[p]The event was a fun learning experience, and JR, as usual, did a great job.[p]* All items marked by an asterisk are items that I have for sale at Mrs. Dog’s JCA

Unknown · November 2001

J Appledog,
Is there a website for Mrs. Dog's JCA or a snail mail catalog?

Painter · November 2001

GrillGirl, Here it is
Painter

[ul][li]julies site[/ul]

Talkin' turkey

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