Kroger had whole fryers on sale for $.96 a pound. At this writing this is 10/25/13. Seemed like a good chance to experiment with a few different types of wood before I tried my pre-Thanksgiving smoke/trial. Chicken was cheap. Whole birds was easy.
You know the basis on the scientific method is to change ONE variable at a time. So if I was testing wood flavor, I should have varied that and that alone. Is that what I did? NOT!
Yesterday, I was more disciplined. I cooked two birds with EVOO, salt and pepper.
Must say as good as pecan smelled in the smoker, I was under-whelmed by the taste (maybe I have been working with Hickory too long). Wife loved it. Delightful light smoked flavor. (The chicken, not the wife.)
Today (two days off in a row!) I set out to do the same thing but used Sugar Maple wood instead. But here is where I loose the Nobel prize. Multiple variables. One done with my brown sugar chili pepper rub; one with EVOO, salt , pepper and oregano. Also I injected the latter with Turkey Supreme.
Prepared them by washing them down, and getting rid of all the "goodies" inside, then I had them dance in my homebrew refrigerator for a few hours to dry them off:
Then I spiced them and put them in my MES 30 (old school):
My trusty Pit-mate, Scout, was with me the whole time.
Came out of the smoker after spending 4 hours at 275. With an IT of 170^.
And of course Scout did not get any until Mama (Chef Alison)
gets a cutting. I'll report on taste tonight, but I must tell you that I
was blown away about the aroma of Sugar Maple.
Now to see if I can tell Sugar Maple after all those other changes.
Next weekend. The trial Turkey, smoked with ??????.
(BTW - what wood do you use with YOUR turkeys? Any great
brine recipes?)
Phil
You know the basis on the scientific method is to change ONE variable at a time. So if I was testing wood flavor, I should have varied that and that alone. Is that what I did? NOT!
Yesterday, I was more disciplined. I cooked two birds with EVOO, salt and pepper.
Must say as good as pecan smelled in the smoker, I was under-whelmed by the taste (maybe I have been working with Hickory too long). Wife loved it. Delightful light smoked flavor. (The chicken, not the wife.)
Today (two days off in a row!) I set out to do the same thing but used Sugar Maple wood instead. But here is where I loose the Nobel prize. Multiple variables. One done with my brown sugar chili pepper rub; one with EVOO, salt , pepper and oregano. Also I injected the latter with Turkey Supreme.
Prepared them by washing them down, and getting rid of all the "goodies" inside, then I had them dance in my homebrew refrigerator for a few hours to dry them off:
Then I spiced them and put them in my MES 30 (old school):
My trusty Pit-mate, Scout, was with me the whole time.
Came out of the smoker after spending 4 hours at 275. With an IT of 170^.
And of course Scout did not get any until Mama (Chef Alison)
gets a cutting. I'll report on taste tonight, but I must tell you that I
was blown away about the aroma of Sugar Maple.
Now to see if I can tell Sugar Maple after all those other changes.
Next weekend. The trial Turkey, smoked with ??????.
(BTW - what wood do you use with YOUR turkeys? Any great
brine recipes?)
Phil