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Beautiful turkeys Pop........ Its a shame the hospitals can not used smoked meats. It would certainly improve the food for dietary restricted patients. Maybe you should start a company!
Hello Pops. Great looking birds! Also when you start adding up 8lbs. per gallon plus salt/sugar in brine I don't think I would want to handle that by myself anymore. Glad you had the help. Also shows you two raised 'em right. Good for him for helping ( and bringing over good Tex-Mex )! I am sure you are PROUD AS PUNCH of all of them. Keep Smokin!
As the group is sponsored by the hospital, Texas Health, no photos were allowed (Hippa laws), but it was a beautiful day, close to 80°, and beautiful scenery right next to the soccer fields on Colonial Parkway opposite the golf course (where the Byron Nelson is Being held) off S. University Drive, near TCU and just past Fort Worth Zoo. There is a big covered pavilion with picnic tables, fire pits and portajohnnies (surprisingly clean and well maintained!), a nice breeze and swingsets and play equipment (we weren't allowed on them, too much chance of breaking a hip). We got a pleasant surprise that a veteran doctor joined us, a long time member who had a debilitating stroke to his whole left side right after giving a presentation to his fellow colleagues on the awareness of strokes. He'd had Botox treatments to successfuly help unclench his left hand and arm from the stroke. He is such a nice man and very respected doctor, too! But he partied hearty with us and asked many questions of how I did the turkeys and was fascinated with the process.
The turkeys were a big success! No one had ever tasted such 'cured and smoked' turkey, and were totally surprised at how moist and juicy even the breast slices were, as well as the thigh chunks! The drumsticks went too; we brought home just enough for a sandwich apiece and some drummettes and wingettes to munch on. I was surprised how fast the thigh meat went; it was pink and juicy and everyone just raved about it!
Plus others brought fruits, salads, desserts (a jello and coolwhip dish that was excellent!) and so on, even a huge chest of ice for drinks, sweet and unsweetened tea jugs by the gallon. A spaghetti salad I couldn't get enough of and of course - seedless watermelons!
Out of the two huge serving pans (these were commercial pans from Bassham's) there was about a pound of breast meat and a couple wingettes and drummettes left, that was all, and tons of compliments from everyone! Already was told that if I was alive next year, I'd have the opportunity to do it again! (ya never know in this group!, lol)
Brine can become frothy (ropy). It has both salt and sugar in it. It also is inputting curing ingredients into the meat and oozing out blood and plasma. Just dump the brine and make up fresh and continue curing should that happen. Make sure you keep it at 38° - 40°.
Weigh down meat into curing brine with half-filled ziploc bags of water on top.
No further mixing or stirring required, let it cure until done. Meats will come out of the brine wish a distinct grayish look. This is normal.
Computing equivalency, for 100 gallons of curing brine, you add 24 lbs. of curing salt to 100 gallons of water and mix.
That is .24 lbs, or 3.84 oz. of curing salt to 1 gallon of water maximum.
My recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of curing salt to 1 gallon of water. A level tablespoon is .88 of an ounce. Heaping is approx. 1 ounce. Either is fine. Neither comes close to the maximum amount allowed, but just enough to do the job. Curing at Maximum, plus with injection, requires 48 hours of cure time maximum. This process uses less than one third the curing salt and a longer curing time to tenderize and flavor the meat.
You must cover the product until it floats off the bottom of the container, then weight it down to stay submersed in the brine, leaving no area to be exposed to air. You must keep at 38° to 40° until curing time is over. Remove from brine, put or hang in smokehouse or smoker. I personally go from refrigeration to heat with no wait time myself. There is different thoughts, whether to allow a pellicle to form or not.
A pellicle is mainly, to my knowledge, allowed to form on fish prior to smoking. We were only 30 miles from Salmon River in Pulaski, NY, a very well known salmon run. We had many bring us their salmon to process and usually allowed a pellicle to form But, pork and beef are not tender like fish.
Anything I have left out or any questions, be sure to PM me! Don't hesitate!