Home Made Sausage, Cured, and Smoked Meats

[Piobaire]

The al pastor turned out ******* awesome. Grilled some pineapple and then the cotija cheese, pickled cabbage and cilantro for toppings. Seriously mind blowing here. Don't neglect the pineapple if you do this as there's vinegar in the al pastor marinade and the pickled cabbage (although that has sugar too for balance.)

 

[jcman311]

Several folks have dropped pretty broad hints that if I make cassoulet they'll bring some killer wine.

If I bring the sausage, can you provide the wine?

 

[Piobaire]

If I bring the sausage, can you provide the wine?

Don't work that way, Holmes. In the Before Times, had two couples over and they brought about 5k of wine between them just to dine on my cassoulet.

 

[venividivicibj]

If I bring the sausage, can you provide the wine?

Only if your name is ‘Big Joe’ apparently

 

[esoxm]

10 hours of smoke (blend of hickory, cherry and apple), 36 hour brine, one of the better birds I’ve done.

 

[Gibonius]

Wet or dry brine?

I did a smoked turkey last year and it was...fine. The skin didn't come out great, which is usually something I really push for in a bird.

 

[Omega Male]

Like a dry brine for turkey. Really helps to crisp up the skin.

Aaron Franklin just posted a new video of how he does them. Short summary -- buy way more butter than you think you'll need!

 

[Gibonius]

Yeah I always dry brine mine and it's magical for roasting, but it didn't seem to give me the results I wanted for smoking.

I think you need a higher temperature stage at the right point in the cook to get crisp skin. I tend to get something chewy/gummy with smoking. I'm ok with that for chicken because the smoked meat is so good, but it's a shame to waste turkey skin.

Almost tempted to just pull the skin before cooking and fry it lol.

 

[edmorel]

Yeah I always dry brine mine and it's magical for roasting, but it didn't seem to give me the results I wanted for smoking.

I think you need a higher temperature stage at the right point in the cook to get crisp skin. I tend to get something chewy/gummy with smoking. I'm ok with that for chicken because the smoked meat is so good, but it's a shame to waste turkey skin.

Almost tempted to just pull the skin before cooking and fry it lol.

just treat it like fried chicken. Cut it into 8/16 manageable pieces. Buttermilk brine/marinade A light dusting of a seasoned flour mix, a big, ideally outdoor frier and you are good to go.

 

[jcman311]

Pre-brined, spatchcocked, injected, 1 hour at 225 and 90 minutes at 285. Best bird I’ve ever made. Pics dont do it justice.

 

[Gibonius]

just treat it like fried chicken. Cut it into 8/16 manageable pieces. Buttermilk brine/marinade A light dusting of a seasoned flour mix, a big, ideally outdoor frier and you are good to go.

I'm totally fine with cooking a turkey and getting great results (dry brine, spatchcock, roast has been my best results), it's just the smoking part has eluded me. I'm totally fine just never smoking another turkey, but if there's some secret there, I'd love to know it.

 

[esoxm]

Wet or dry brine?

I did a smoked turkey last year and it was...fine. The skin didn't come out great, which is usually something I really push for in a bird.

Simple wet brine, heavily rinsed after soaking, dried over night in the fridge before smoking, rubbed compound herb butter under and over the skin before firing, basted every hour or so during the cook. Last 1.5 hours of the cook I bumped the heat from 225 to 350 to help get it to temp in time for dinner - think that helped crisp up the skin nicely

 

[beargonefishing]

I was too lazy to take pictures, but I smoked 2 turkeys this year and think I learned one valuable lesson. I wet brined the first, dry brined the second. The second was much better and more moist, but I don't have enough information to say the brine had anything to do with it.

I smoked both on the pellet grill at 275. The first one I went 15 minutes past an internal temp in brest at 150 and the second one 15 minutes past an internal temp in brest at 141ish. Both cooked predator style, aka spatchcock. There was no competition. Pulling it after 15 minutes in low 140s produced an incredible, moist turkey.

I've done enough full chickens and turkeys at this point that I, personally, won't cook it much past a low 140 internal temperature. It still gets fully pasteurized, so I don't fret over food poisoning. I love predator method because I can get a 10-14 lbs bird done in under 3 hours.

 

[Piobaire]

Damn, wrong threak. Over to the General Cooking.

Your birds look awesome (TWSS!)

 

[jcman311]

I was too lazy to take pictures, but I smoked 2 turkeys this year and think I learned one valuable lesson. I wet brined the first, dry brined the second. The second was much better and more moist, but I don't have enough information to say the brine had anything to do with it.

I smoked both on the pellet grill at 275. The first one I went 15 minutes past an internal temp in brest at 150 and the second one 15 minutes past an internal temp in brest at 141ish. Both cooked predator style, aka spatchcock. There was no competition. Pulling it after 15 minutes in low 140s produced an incredible, moist turkey.

I've done enough full chickens and turkeys at this point that I, personally, won't cook it much past a low 140 internal temperature. It still gets fully pasteurized, so I don't fret over food poisoning. I love predator method because I can get a 10-14 lbs bird done in under 3 hours.

View attachment 1860652

I didn’t mind cheating and injecting the bird with butter, brown sugar, cajun seasoning and some dries Italian herbs. I really liked the juiciness but the hint of cajun and herbs was phenomenal.