Smoking Meat (13 page)

Smoke the turkey for another five and a half hours or until the thermometer reads 165°
F
. Remove the turkey from the smoker and allow it to rest for 30 minutes before carving. If you want to crispen the skin, see my tip in the introduction to the
Poultry
chapter.

Smoked Fried Turkey

In the southern United States—and, I’m sure, in other areas—turkeys are deep-fried and delicious. I really like a smoked turkey as well, so this recipe attempts to achieve a turkey nirvana of sorts. The method may not be for everyone, since it requires a turkey fryer, but if you have one or know of someone who will lend you one, it is well worth your time to try this out.

1 whole turkey (about 12 lb)

3 to 5 gallons peanut oil (or other deep-frying oil)

PREPARATION

Before you remove the bird from its package, drop it into your empty turkey fryer so you can determine how much oil you will need for the deep-frying step. Simply pour cold water into the fryer until the bird is covered, then remove the turkey and measure the amount of water you have used.

Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Brine the bird if desired (see the section on Brining in the
Smokeology
chapter).

Set the turkey aside to bring it up to room temperature while you set up your smoker.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a gas, an electric, or a charcoal smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce about one and a half hours of smoke.

Once the smoker is ready, place the turkey directly on the grate breast side up and smoke cook it for one and a half hours.

While the bird is smoking, set up the turkey fryer by following the manufacturer’s directions.
important:
Follow the instructions carefully—turkey fryers are extremely dangerous and many fires and injuries are caused every year.

Once the oil has been added and the turkey fryer is ready, and the turkey has smoke cooked for one and a half hours, lower the turkey very slowly and carefully into the hot oil (normally heated to 375°
F
), and deep-fry it for about two to two and a half minutes per pound. A 12-pound bird should take about 30 minutes to reach 165°
F
(be sure to use a thermometer to verify that the turkey has reached this temperature).

Remove the turkey from the fryer and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.

Smoked Turkey Breast

Smoked turkey breast is my personal favorite, and this is very strange considering I never used to like turkey much, let alone the white meat. Several years ago, though, I started experimenting with brining, and it has changed my entire attitude about this bird. I now enjoy turkey, and what’s more, I prefer the breast over any other part.

1 bone-in turkey breast, skin on (about 5 to 7 lb)

2 Tbsp kosher salt

2 Tbsp coarsely ground black pepper

1 medium onion, quartered

1 cup apple juice or
Apple Butter Mop

PREPARATION

Rinse the turkey breast under cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. If you want to brine the turkey overnight (which I highly recommend), follow the instructions on brining in the
Smokeology
chapter. The brining process produces a much juicier and more flavorful turkey breast.

After brining and/or before smoking, sprinkle the turkey breast with the salt and pepper. Place the quartered onion into the cavity of the turkey breast. Set the meat aside on the counter for about 30 to 45 minutes to come up to room temperature while you set up your smoker.

Note: If you choose to use skinless turkey, you will need to replace the protection that the skin provides so the meat does not dry out in the smoker. To do this, wrap the entire breast in cheesecloth, then rub 1 cup (2 sticks) of cold butter onto the cloth to help keep the turkey moist during the first part of the cooking session. Sprinkle on some additional salt and pepper for good measure.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a gas, an electric, or a charcoal smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks on hand to produce smoke for at least three hours.

Place the turkey breast directly on the smoker grate and insert a digital probe meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Baste the turkey every 45 minutes with the apple juice or Apple Butter Mop to keep the meat moist and tasty.

Smoke the turkey breast for four to six hours or until it reaches 165°
F
. Remove it from the smoker and set it on the counter tented with foil to rest for 20 minutes prior to carving. If you want to crispen the skin, see my tip in the introduction to the
Poultry
chapter.

Smoked Turkey Legs

I have fond memories of going to the fair as a youngster and eating deliciously smoked turkey legs wrapped in foil. They were steaming hot when you opened the foil. The taste, as I remember it, was pretty unbelievable. My version of this special treat is about as good as it gets.

6 large turkey legs

1 gallon
Jeff’s Turkey Leg Brine
, or enough to cover the meat

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

½ cup maple syrup

PREPARATION

Rinse the turkey legs in cold water and place them in Jeff’s Turkey Leg Brine for three to four hours. Once they are finished brining, rinse them again in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Let the turkey legs sit on the counter for 30 to 45 minutes to bring them up to room temperature while you set up your smoker.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, make sure you have enough wood chips or chunks to produce about two hours of smoke.

Once the smoker is ready, place the turkey legs on the grate, leaving about 1 inch between the pieces for maximum exposure to the smoke. Insert a digital probe meat thermometer into the thickest part of one of the turkey legs so you can monitor the temperature of the meat as it cooks.

Combine the butter and maple syrup, and use this to baste the legs every 45 minutes, making sure to get the mixture on all sides. A silicone brush will help with this process.

Once the legs reach 140°
F
, increase the heat of the smoker to around 275°
F
to crispen the skin and caramelize the maple syrup.

Continue smoking the legs until they reach an internal temperature of 165°
F
, about four hours in total. Remove them from the smoker and allow them to rest for about 20 minutes before eating. For a true fair-like experience, wrap them in foil as soon as they come off the smoker.

Smoked Duck with Wine Butter Sauce

Duck may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but I implore you to try it smoked and you might just change your mind about this feathered friend. A few hours with some nice sweet smoke does something magical to duck, and I find myself picking the carcass clean every single time. This particular version with wine sauce comes to us from CycleTrash at
www.smokingmeatforums.com
.

3 whole ducks

1½ gallons buttermilk

½ cup
All-Purpose Rub

3 apples

3 onions, quartered

1 recipe Wine Butter Sauce (below)

PREPARATION

Soak the ducks in the buttermilk overnight (12 to 24 hours) to remove any gamey taste in the meat.

Rinse the ducks in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Season inside and out with the All-Purpose Rub. Place a whole unpeeled apple and a quartered onion inside the cavity of each duck. Let the ducks sit to bring them up to room temperature, while you set up your smoker.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks to produce smoke for at least two hours.

Once the smoker is ready, place the ducks breast side up on the smoker grate. Insert a digital probe meat thermometer in the thickest part of one breast to monitor the internal temperature of the meat. Baste the ducks every hour with the Wine Butter Sauce.

Smoke cook the ducks for about four hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165°
F
. To crispen the skin, see my tip in the introduction to the
Poultry
chapter.

Wine Butter Sauce

This recipe works best with smoked duck (above), but it also complements other poultry.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1½ cups red wine (not cooking wine)

2 Tbsp minced garlic

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Mix well and simmer until the sauce reduces by half.

Smoked Hot Wings

Is there anything better than hot wings? My wife, Abi, always cooks my favorite meal on my birthday, and I always ask for hot wings. She does a fantastic job, but what makes these delicious morsels of goodness even better is to add a little smoked flavor to the mix. This recipe will show you how that’s done. (In case you were wondering, I do the smoking and she still does the coating and frying parts of the recipe.)

4 lb chicken wings or drumettes

3 cups vegetable oil (approx)

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, melted

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups wing sauce (I like Frank’s RedHot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce, but other brands will work, or you can make your own using the recipes on the next page)

PREPARATION

Rinse the chicken wings or drumettes in cold water and pat dry with a paper towel. Set the chicken aside for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow it to come up to room temperature while you set up your smoker.

SMOKING

Prepare your smoker for cooking at 225°
F
to 240°
F
. If you are using a charcoal, an electric, or a gas smoker, be sure to have enough wood chips or chunks to produce smoke for about two hours.

Place the chicken pieces on the grate and smoke cook for about two hours, or until the chicken is close to being done (about 150°
F
; the small size of these pieces of chicken makes it difficult to measure the temperature, so insert a thermometer as well as you can into the thickest part of a drumette). I don’t worry about cooking these wings completely in the smoker, since the frying step cooks them further. However, if you decide not to fry them, make sure that the chicken pieces are 165°
F
before removing them from the smoker.