Kinda cryptic, huh?! lol! Actually what it is that I'm doing a double - two 16 lb. turkeys - with 1/3rd the salt from my 'normal' recipe... lo-salt turkey pickling!
We're taking a cruise this coming weekend, a 5-day to Cozumel and western Caribbean aboard the final voyage of the cruise ship Ecstasy from it's home port of Galveston (6 hours away from us). We've been planning it since June of '10. The ship isn't getting retired or anything, it's moving to the west coast after this sail. The Ecstasy was the ship my son and his wife got married on in '04 and he took the whole wedding party on the cruise with him (30 of us!) at his expense. So, my son and his wife, his two kids, his wife's parents and us are going on its final cruise out of Galveston port to celebrate (which, of course, is just any good reason to go on a cruise, lol!). It should be great fun!
But, while gone, I'm getting some rewards too - I dragged out 2 - 16 lb. turkeys from the freezer last Saturday and put in the refrigerated part for 5 days to unthaw (these were purchased before Thanksgiving at 28¢ lb. - I couldn't afford not to buy them - still have two more too!). I experimented with lo-salt pickling once before:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/98333/lo-salt-cured-and-smoked-turkey
at half the salt mixture; this time I'm cutting it down to a third vs. half; 1/3 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 tbsp. of DQ Curing salt per 1 gallon of water; took 2 gallons of brine in a 5 gal. bucket to sufficiently cover each bird, plus I pumped the breasts also.
So, when we get back in Thursday night I still have one day left (have to return to work Saturday) and will smoke the birds early that Friday morning! I'll let you know how they come out!
here's a pic of breast-pumping:
We're taking a cruise this coming weekend, a 5-day to Cozumel and western Caribbean aboard the final voyage of the cruise ship Ecstasy from it's home port of Galveston (6 hours away from us). We've been planning it since June of '10. The ship isn't getting retired or anything, it's moving to the west coast after this sail. The Ecstasy was the ship my son and his wife got married on in '04 and he took the whole wedding party on the cruise with him (30 of us!) at his expense. So, my son and his wife, his two kids, his wife's parents and us are going on its final cruise out of Galveston port to celebrate (which, of course, is just any good reason to go on a cruise, lol!). It should be great fun!
But, while gone, I'm getting some rewards too - I dragged out 2 - 16 lb. turkeys from the freezer last Saturday and put in the refrigerated part for 5 days to unthaw (these were purchased before Thanksgiving at 28¢ lb. - I couldn't afford not to buy them - still have two more too!). I experimented with lo-salt pickling once before:
http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/forum/thread/98333/lo-salt-cured-and-smoked-turkey
at half the salt mixture; this time I'm cutting it down to a third vs. half; 1/3 cup salt, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup brown sugar, and 1 tbsp. of DQ Curing salt per 1 gallon of water; took 2 gallons of brine in a 5 gal. bucket to sufficiently cover each bird, plus I pumped the breasts also.
So, when we get back in Thursday night I still have one day left (have to return to work Saturday) and will smoke the birds early that Friday morning! I'll let you know how they come out!
here's a pic of breast-pumping:
