Early Thanksgiving: WSM/OTG 26 - Bird, S-mashed Taters, Veggie Gravy,

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forluvofsmoke

Smoking Guru
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OTBS Member
Aug 27, 2008
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HEY ALL!!! Just got most everything underway here for our Thanksgiving feast and wanted to share some newer dishes...maybe you're in the market for some upgraded sides, gravy, etc. Nothing super-fancy, labor-intensive or complicated (at least not from my hands...LOL!!!)...just good eats...that's the plan for today.

I have a 12lb bird in the WSM 18 and a drip pan under it with veggies for a smoked veggie gravy. I have 10lbs of russets on the OTG 26 smoking for S-mashed Taters. I'm planning for a smoked mushroom and rice dish that will go into the OTG 26 in bit, and the larger russets ill then go beside the bird in the WSM to finish cooking.

Here's the start...I'll shut my pie-hole and let the pics do most of the talking.

Veggies for gravy: 1/2lb baby carrots, 1/2 stalk celery - chopped, 2 Tbsp minced fresh garlic, 1 med yellow onion - chopped, 3/4 cup water to help them start sweating/steaming:


Bird rubbed with a variant of my red bell pepper rub:





Into the WSM 18:drip pan with veggies on the bottom...dry water pan (Brinkmann SnG fire bowl) with 4lbs of washed pea-gravel under a double-foil liner:






I'm running the WSM @ 225-230* with apple and hickory over KBB. Started the fire with 3/4 chimney of mostly burning briquettes, poured over 3/4 ring full.

S-mashed Taters candidates:


Prepping the OTG 26 for indirect with KBB, apple and hickory...firing about a dozen briqs in the chimney to get each basket rolling (with 6 each):


Left side with apple:


Right side with hickory


OTG 26 grate loaded up...kinda...could use another !3lbs, but I need to pull the bigger ones out and set them beside the bird in my WSM when I toss the mushroom/rice dish in to smoke:



Baffle/drip pan is a 12" x18" aluminum baking pan...just big enough that it helps direct the intake air towards the fire, as well as not make a mess in the fire bowl when smoking meats:



And, my first OH $%IT of the day...
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...hauled this kettle over to my daughter's this morning on the receiver hitch cargo carrier (WSM broke-down and inside, riding in padded comfort. I secured the OTG really well, like always...but...this is it's last round trip on these three legs. She's seen her last trip, period, without doing some serious mods, 'cuz I can't even imagin what a TITA it would be to chip away all othe porcelain enamal away from those spot weld to for a redo...not to mention having to spray some ugly high-temp paint for rust prevention...nah, don't wanna go down that road to hell with this cooker...gotta treat her right. Now, I'll have to build that stand/cart that I've been thinking about for the past 6 months or so. Never was a big fan of the wobbly-three legged design, anyway...good for one thing: easy to level on uneven ground...that's it:


So, with my 2-1/2 legged kettle about to upset and dump our dinner on the driveway, it's time for a quick down & dirty temporary fix...hope the handle doesn't break off now...



So, I'm off to the low & slow races. One 11lb stuffed bird in the "O", one 12lb bird in the smoke...taters, mushroom/rice in the OTG 26...more sides, snack trays and desserts will be built by the family throughout the day...gonna be a helluva meal!!!

Catch ya on the flip-side with updates and the finally, ASAP.

Thanks for peekin'!!!

Eric
 
You're gonna be eatin' good, what time should I be over?
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That RBP rub is gonna be mighty tasty on that bird. I might have to do a bird now since I worked through our thanksgiving
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Sorry about your luck with your kettle. If you get a chance to weld it, it wouldn't be a huge project and probably need to paint a small area. No one looks under there anyways!
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You're gonna be eatin' good, what time should I be over?
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That RBP rub is gonna be mighty tasty on that bird. I might have to do a bird now since I worked through our thanksgiving
welder.gif


Sorry about your luck with your kettle. If you get a chance to weld it, it wouldn't be a huge project and probably need to paint a small area. No one looks under there anyways!
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Ooooooooooooh, man, I'm stuffed like the oven-roasted bird!!! Come on down, we're still waiting on some late arrivals here, so anytime until about 8:00pm will work!!!

Yeah, I might have to look at the OTG 26 a little closer when I get a chance. I'll leave it here tonight, so I don't have to fight breaking it down in the dark, by flashlight and entry light. Thing is, with the extra weight of these26" kettles on those hap-hazard legs, it's not very stable or sturdy. I may just limp it home after work and get my design for a cart drawn-up and built. That way transport days like today won't be so touchy about trying not to damage the cooking gear. My 18 OTG handles road trips just fine, but the 26 is a beast.

Tasty vittles we had tonight. I'm sorting pics right now to toss out for your drooling pleasure. Don't forget to cover your keyboard when the next post comes up...LOL!!!

Eric
 
What a FEAST!!!

Turkey is about 169* in the thigh here..I need to get my veggies out to start the gravy, so...I decided to run the WSM low & slow today@ ~230*...started the bird a little early, just in case it went in about 9:30am and came out about 4:30, so, 7 hours to hit the lower 170* I/T range:





Drippings did nicely for the veggies:


Taters came of the OTG 26, I restoked the fire with more KBB and a couple hickory chunks for the button mushrooms:



Last of the smoked taters...first ones that came out are already being peeled and smashed by my oldest daughter...she did the hard part on these:


Giblets from both birds were simmering since the birds went into cookers before 10:00am:


Gave 'em a rough chop...why didn't I mince? Because I have a Ninja 1,000 watt!!!



This bad boy made puree out of the veggies and giblets in about 30 seconds...after I remembered that the lid has to be put on correctly before it will run...
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...thought the darn thing was dead...nope, just an operator who was dumber then the device...:


All done...that's the base for the gravy:


Time for the buttons to come out and play with a blade:




These buttons had tons of juices in them...they were just partially cooked...I wanted aldente and a lot of smoke, so with the kettle pounding around 300* it worked out for a 30-40 minute smoke:



And the base for the Smoked Mushroom and Rice:


Bird is done...170* in the breast and 173*+ in the thighs:





Stuffed roasted bird:



Cranberry Jelly:


Vegetable tray:


Smoked Mushrooms and Rice, with a little kick from the Rotels, seasoned with the red bell pepper rub used on the smoked bird:



The Smoked Turkey Gravy...thickened with starch, 1/2 stick of butter, some drippings from the roasted bird and a couple Tbls of canola oi. And, yes, that spoon is resting on the gravy, not sinking..nice and thick:


One breast removed:



My gut-buster...everything that had smoked ingredients had smoke flavor. Smoked Taters, Smoked Gravy, Smoke Mushrooms & Rice, Smoked Turkey, Roasted Turkey with Stuffing, Green Bean Casserole (forgot to get a solo pic)...that's a lotta smoke and a lotta food...all of it good. The only thing that was a bit labor intensive was the s-mashed taters (hand-mashed, then run through wire mixer heads for a bit...we kept them a bit lumpy due to not cooking into oblivian and it was nice to have that texture...what can I say, I'm a lumpy taters kinda guy. The gravy needs a large and rather solid blender, unless you mince and dice everything smaller, and run multiple runs due the batch size...this was 4qts when finished...
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:



Dessert...Pumpkin, Cherry...:




No-Bake Pumpkin (frozen):



So, we're just milling around nearly in food-coma...late arrivals just finished eating.

Need some face-time with the family now, before we all go on life-support...LOL!!!

Oh, just edited for a bit, and now it's time for pie!!!!!
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Later!!!

Have a great smoke and a Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Eric
 
Great Day in the Morning ! ! !What a meal ! Thanks for the look at your meal .

The Wife and I are doing a different Thanksgiving meal . Chicken Fried steak , mashed Taters and Gravy , Candied Yams (with Marshmallows and Redhots ) , Sweet Potato Pie and Whipped Topping ! A bit of Dressing because we like it :drool

Have a great day . . .
 
Man, great meal.

Points from me.

Great job as usual.
 
 
Dang, that's one heck of a feast!!

Your smoked bird and fixins look fastastic
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Thanks, brother!!! Kids are sitting around the living room playing a goofy card game, laughing their butts off. I'm just sinking slowing into the sofa wondering how the heck I'm gonna drag myself outside to get home...after helping taking care of leftovers...long day, but, rest assured, worth every minute of it for a meal like this to share with the family.

I forgot to mention it, but the smoked bird had pretty decent moisture in the breast meat (can see it in spot in the pics if you click & zoom), so it was a good target I/T for it. The probe I had in the oven bird musta lost it's friggin' mind somewhere along the way, because when I stabbed my pocket digital into it for a second opinion, I didn't even wait for temps to read stable in the breast...I ran for gloves to yank the pan out..187*F and still rising...probe was reading something like 172* and I wanted to check the thighs...did that (~178*), poked the breast and about crapped my pants. Was it dry? Uh-huh...thankful for the dark meat on this one, for sure. Time to find another spare meat probe...not sure, but it may have bad leads. I did a boil-check this morning, too, on all the temp probes used today (both for meat, the pit, and pocket).

Anyway, I expect every smoke to be a learning experience...this one did not let me down, either.

Eric
 
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Oh man... GREAT meal!

b

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Thank you, and thanks for the points!!!
 
 
Oh man... GREAT meal!

b

points.gif
Thanks for the points, but I didn't do anything
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Uh-oh...I don't care who you are...that's funny!!!
Great Day in the Morning ! ! !What a meal ! Thanks for the look at your meal .

The Wife and I are doing a different Thanksgiving meal . Chicken Fried steak , mashed Taters and Gravy , Candied Yams (with Marshmallows and Redhots ) , Sweet Potato Pie and Whipped Topping ! A bit of Dressing because we like it
drool.gif


Have a great day . . .
Thanks, brother. Always try to share when I crank out something new. Hey, if it's just the two of, yeah, a smoked bird would be overkill, unless you don't mind eating leftovers for a week....LOL!!! Sounds like a nontraditional, but customized menu fit for a king and his queen!!!
 
 
Thanks for the points, but I didn't do anything
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Whoops !  Corrected to points for Luv.  Don't be stealing points Duke! LOL
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Man, great meal.

Points from me.

Great job as usual.
Thanks!!! This a good learning tool for future runs with the WSM (and the kettle, too), and, like every run,  I had some fun along the way.

Eric
 
 
Looks amazing! 
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Thanks!!! Everything tasted every bit as good as it looks...
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Oh wow! Amazing job! Yeah, points, well deserved points!
Thank you!!! Been a fun ride for this meal.

Wifey did the prep on the roasting bird, daughter took the smoked russets and ran with 'em, and made the triple-layer no-bake pumpkin pies. A little bit of pies and other sides were brought by the rest of the family. I watched the roasting bird, the smoker, the grill running indirect for smoke. I've smoked mushrooms before, but never made this particular dish before...just an idea a few days ago that soon became a reality. I originally intended to smoke that entire dish in the kettle, but time was against me waiting for the mushrooms to be delivered, so I boiled the rice and just smoked the mushrooms, but that smoke flavor carried over into the sauce nicely when it was combined and reheated to simmering temps.

Definitely one to do again (if I ever get around to it...always trying new things), even if I changed-up the process and could smoke it all (mushrooms as done here, everything else in a pan in the smoke, then combined), and/or changed some of the ingredients. This isn't one of those dishes with a "must follow" recipe...I didn't really even measure anything, except for the rice and water for boiling...speaking of that: 2 cups white long grain, 4 cups water (for slightly aldente @ 5,000 ft elevation), then the rice finished to a more tender kernel when all ingredients were combined and simmered slowly for about 10 minutes. Just some pointers for those who want to dive in and hit that dish full speed ahead and add their own twist. That's the best part about shared recipes...customizing it to your liking. I had extra rice for the size of the pot...wet goes in first, then ALL of the mushrooms, then top it off with rice. The extra rice can be used later on for another dish.

Oh, and the S-mashed taters? There's a relatively new eatery in our area that offers smoked mashed potatoes in a creamier version. They're good, but maybe a bit too much the smoke...they have a stick-burner out back, but I've never spoken to their pit-master, and couldn't tell for sure what smoke wood they use...possibly oak, because it seemed heavy, not sharp like hickory. Of course, they could be using a cold smoke generator and introducing the smoke into a covered mixer while blending up the potatoes...doesn't take more than a few seconds of exposure when it's being blended into the food. Just ask Mr T about that trick...he's done it...smoked butter comes to mind.

Oh, for those new to smoked potatoes, if you really want to find out how the smoke works with potatoes, just treat them like cheese. Toss a couple in a baggie or tightly covered container in the fridge and let them age for a couple days. The smoke mellows and soaks much deeper into the flesh of the potato. If you eat smoked potatoes fresh out of the smoker, the skin holds most of the smoke, so you want a hard-core heavy smoke if you'll eat them right away. Lighter smoke when aged will be more appropriate...unless you like to burp smoke after dinner...!!! It WILL be strong with heavy smoke and aging, however, if used for mashed potatoes and the smoke is too strong, you could blend the smoked with boiled or baked...problem solved.

Eric
 
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Fellas, any chance I can get a suggestion or two? I use he Masterbuilt Sportsman Elite 40" Vertical propane smoker and was wondering if I needed to increase the time if smoking much more meat than normal. I need to smoke 4-17lb birds at once. Typically, this takes 4-5 hours at 275*F.
 
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