playing with some turkey

[in. pred]

found a sale so i jumped on one for fun. i took it apart and saved the breasts for sunday dinner for the wife. she not a fan of dark meat or smoked stuff so...... all mine!!! well my son will probably stop by for a chew later too. i seasoned up the dark meat chunks good earlier today. i just tossed them on the smoker with some applewood chunks. she running about 275 at the start here. i havent played with turkey much but ive done lots of awesome smoked ducks! so i hope my first try isnt too far off. id also rather have brined it in my duck brine for 48hrs but time didnt allow. so we see. time to start up a fire and set awhile as sun goes down on my hick RR town.

 

[Inscrutable]

Have one thawed to cook tomorrow. Usually spatchcock and do hot and fast. Skin to die for.

 

[in. pred]

flipped it over after an hour. she wants to run around 250 and thats fine with me. im going for very smoky end result.

contemplating what to glaze it with. the struggle between salt n sweet. lol maybe the teriyaki ginger sauce in fridge with some red pepper flakes in it?

 

[in. pred]

well it turned out good. would have been better brined im sure but still a very enjoyable chew. the wings and drumettes naturally came off first so i taste tested. ended up eating a wing and a drumette and was full. lol the quarters stayed in the smoke sauna 2:45hrs and reached 165*. i kicked up the smoke with some mesquite half way through also. i really love the flavor of mesquite for some reason. maybe that LaGrange TX blood line? leftovers for brunch today, not waiting for lunch.

 

[BrianGSDTexoma]

Looks pretty good. Give curing turnkey a try.

 

[in. pred]

my ducks are pretty much "cured". i soak in salt heavy brine 48hrs no cure powders though.

i cooked up an injectable brine for the breasts this morning. injectable just means less salt than i normally use. same seasonings simmered and cooled for the needle. plan is to roast them tomorrow. 2 breasts deboned ,still attached.

 

[JLinza]

Lookin good from here

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Mighty fine looking cook on them bird parts. They look top notch!

For what it’s worth, this has become my go to brine for turkey. It makes for a very tasty and moist bird… or bird parts!

Tip's Slaughterhouse Recipes- Brine, Injection, and Spritz recipes

Some of you may still be looking for some of these and Tip's are very good many of us around here use them Slaughterhouse Poultry Brine By Tip Piper of Hillbilly Vittles 1 ½ Gal Water ½ C Salt - Kosher ½ C Dark Brown Sugar 2 tsp Garlic Powder 2 tsp Onion Powder 2 tsp Cajun Spice (Louisiana...

www.smokingmeatforums.com

 

[chopsaw]

Nice color on that turkey . Good job .

cooked up an injectable brine for the breasts this morning. injectable just means less salt than i normally use. same seasonings simmered and cooled for the needle. plan is to roast them tomorrow. 2 breasts deboned ,still attached.

1 breast , 2 halves ? Or two breast ? I'm thinking you have 2 breast halves , one full breast .
This is one breast deboned . Both halves rolled and tied together , then smoked .

Great texture and flavor .

I use Pop's brine .
1 gallon water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbl cure 1 .
1 tsp lemon or orange extract .
Inject and soak 24 hours .
It won't be fully cured , so cook as such .
Comes out fantastic .

 

[Rafter H BBQ]

Nice color on that turkey . Good job .

1 breast , 2 halves ? Or two breast ? I'm thinking you have 2 breast halves , one full breast .
This is one breast deboned . Both halves rolled and tied together , then smoked .
View attachment 719687
Great texture and flavor .
View attachment 719688
I use Pop's brine .
1 gallon water
1/2 cup salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 Tbl cure 1 .
1 tsp lemon or orange extract .
Inject and soak 24 hours .
It won't be fully cured , so cook as such .
Comes out fantastic .

Can’t argue with those results Rich, those look top notch bud! And Pop’s brine will forever be a fav in this house.

 

[texomakid]

That turkey looks tasty and I'm book marking that brine. Too many of y'all brag on Pop's brine so that's fixing to happen at this property. Thanks for reposting chopsaw

 

[Inscrutable]

That turkey looks tasty and I'm book marking that brine. Too many of y'all brag on Pop's brine so that's fixing to happen at this property. Thanks for reposting chopsaw

Yes, I use Pops brine for curing for buckboard bacon.
But for non-curing I inject something else … sometimes homemade, sometimes Tony Chachere’s

 

[in. pred]

since we tossing it out there, this is the brine i cooked this time. i always use a variation of this in one way or another.

6cups water, 3 TBLS salt(non iodide), half hand full sugar, couple TBLS soy sauce, TBLS each- crushed rosemary, thyme, basil, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, oldbay, poultry seasoning mix. (if i wasnt injecting there would be more like a hand full of salt and 2 sugars)

i simmer that for 20 min. with lid then let set to cool. that infuses the liquid with those seasoning flavors nicely. i dont make much up because i use bags to brine in and squeeze all the air out. it takes way less liquid to brine that way.

just roll it over twice a day.

 

[in. pred]

man that turned out good! me and the wife almost ate one entire breast. lol i also made mashed taters n gravy to go with.
roasted the two breasts skin up laid out flat. salt n pepper on top. other than that it was all brine flavor. ( speaking of that when i bit into that first bite i remembered i put poultry seasoning in the brine too. ill edit that list above because thats what made it for me. without that it mite not have been as good.) oven set at 425* it took around an hour to reach 165*internal. i also placed foil over the top after the first 30min. to keep skin from burning.

after a 15min. rest the juices were still flowing when sliced. unbelievably moist and full of flavor! i mite just do thanks giving bird this way. dismember and smoke the dark and roast the breasts.


didnt snap any pics last night. its was so good we dove in like hyenas. and we were strapped for time, as wife had a legion meeting. i snapped one this morning when i snacked on it for breakfast. again that poultry seasoning mix, in the brine, hit it out of the park. it brought out that deep turkey flavor.

the cold next day slices dont show the glory of the fresh product. it was turkey nirvana fresh n hot. wife would disagree but i think smoking it would be even better.