I just had my 30th birthday and we went turkey shooting. It’s what I wanted to do, so we went.
Kelly Clarkson
Today is my M-I-Law’s birthday! Happy Birthday J
She is not here though lol This is the first year in a long time we can celebrate together and she is in Winnipeg lol For good reason of course… my gorgeous little nephew!
So, my F-I-Law got back yesterday and came over for dinner tonight. In honor of my M-I-Law we are had a not-so-traditional turkey dinner.
The reason for this is… we just had turkey lol Oh Man, if that’s all I have to complain about, I am doing pretty well lol
Remember, for Christmas we had a delicious traditional turkey, I thought, I am not going near that, no way it will taste as good! So tonight we are going to try smoking it on the BBQ. Mom and I did this a few years back for my birthday lol It was hilarious!!!!
Yes, that is snow… in April!!! That day we got every season and ended up having a beautiful sunny dinner LOL See I didn’t even blog then and still took pictures of cooking! LOL
I was going to spice things up and make stuffing waffles… Ninja and I saw it on the Food Network the other night… late at night, and thought hey, we should totally try that! In the light of day… I’m not so sure lol
We decided on more traditional sides like, steamed peas and carrots, sage and thyme stuffing and roasted “BBQ” potatoes.
Funny… apparently we are doing this in the snow… again lol Mom is pissing herself up there LOL.
The turkey recipe originally calls for homemade BBQ sauce. I have made my own BBQ sauce plenty of times before… but this time I am trying something different.
At the Farmer’s Market Dad and I always get this AH-mazing BBQ sauce. We buy bottles throughout the summer and stock up with a big pail for the winter J
Last year the guy who makes it wasn’t at the market L BUT Dad found it at this local café and bought us each a bottle to put in our stockings!!!! YAY Dad!
Some of the ingredients are: vinegar, tomato paste, green peppers, brown sugar, jalapeno peppers, molasses, anchovies, tamarind, onions, garlic, salt, pepper and spices.
Jack Daniels Smoked BBQ Turkey
Brine:
1 cup Kosher salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons coriander
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger
1 cup Kosher salt
3/4 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons coriander
1 (2-inch) piece fresh ginger
2 bay leaves
1 gallon ice
1 (16 to 18-pound) turkey, cleaned and gizzards removed
1 gallon ice
1 (16 to 18-pound) turkey, cleaned and gizzards removed
Turkey:
Bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce (or make your own!)
Kosher salt
2 celery stalks, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 onion, quartered
4 sprigs fresh parsley
Kosher salt
2 celery stalks, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 onion, quartered
4 sprigs fresh parsley
4 cups wood chips, such as hickory or mesquite, soaked in water for 30 minutes and drained
*We used Jack Daniel smoking pellets in our Weber smoker… don’t be a hater J Dad loves his BBQ, actually, we all love that thing lol it is part of the family, just like Mike was (our first microwave LOL)*
For the brine:
In a large stockpot, bring 6 quarts water, brown sugar, coriander, ginger, and bay leaves to a boil.
Lower the heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the salt and sugar are dissolved.
While the brine is simmering, fill a bucket (or pot) big enough to hold a turkey with the ice.
Pour the brine over the ice.
When the brine has cooled, add the turkey.
Place a heavy object like a plate or lid on top of the turkey to keep it submerged in the liquid.
Brine in the refrigerator overnight.
For the turkey:
We put the bird on a rack over a tin roaster.
Sprinkle the cavity of the turkey with salt and stuff with the celery, lemons, onions, and parsley, then tie the legs.
Get your chips ready.
Take the weight of the turkey and multiply it times 12 minutes per pound and divide by 3. Therefore my 17 pound turkey would calculate as follows: 17 lbs x 12 min./lb = 204 minutes divided by 3 = 68 minutes per rotation.
Start out by preheating your grill to 350.
On the side of the grill that is not on, place the turkey on its side so the wings and thighs are facing down and the legs are pointing to the back of the grill.
Cook for 68 minutes but be sure to monitor the grill temperature so it doesn’t get too hot or too cool.
After the initial 68 minutes, begin basting the turkey every 20 minutes with your BBQ sauce. (Keep the grill covered between basting.)
When this is done, flip the bird over so the other wings and thighs are facing down with the legs now pointing to the front of the grill. Allow this to cook for another 68 minutes.
Flip the bird so it’s on its back with the breast facing up and the legs facing the back of the grill. In this position you will cook the bird for half the amount of time or 34 minutes.
Rotate the bird so its legs are facing the front of the oven and grill for approximately 34 more minutes. I say approximately because we want to start checking the bird with our instant thermometers and continue grilling until the breast meat reaches 165 degrees F.
Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 15 minutes before carving.
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| It looks darker than it was… all that is heated BBQ molasses Mmmmmm |
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| So juicy and smokey and delicious! |
Gravy
Adapted from Canadian Living
2 cups chicken broth, (approx)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon marjoram
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
Because I used a cheap tin pan, I added the vinegar to the hot pan and scraped off the bits first. Pour pan drippings into strainer over large measuring cup; skim off fat, reserving 1/4 cup. Add enough of the stock to the large measuring cup to make 4 cups liquid.
Pour reserved fat into a saucepan and bring to boil.
Using wooden spoon, stir in flour, marjoram and pepper; stir over medium heat for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in stock mixture. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until thickened. Strain into warmed gravy boat.
“BBQ” Potatoes
Adapted from Key Ingredient
1.5 lbs potatoes, peeled
1 cup homemade turkey stock (you can use boxed or whatever you have)
2 tablespoons butter, cubed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, pressed
2 tablespoons parsley, chopped
2 tablespoons Parmesan Cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350. (Convection)
Use an ovenproof dish and place the peeled and washed (even-sized) potatoes in there and make sure they fit snuggly together. If they are large cut them in half.
Add the garlic to the broth and heat it for a minute in the microwave to get the flavors going.
Pour hot broth in there until there’s about 1 inch of broth in the dish.
Place a tiny slice of butter on top of each potato and season with salt and pepper.
Place the dish in your oven and give them 40 minutes.
Rotate them and season with salt and pepper and put back in the oven for 45 minutes.
Check to see if they are fork tender and then sprinkle with parsley and squeeze some lemon juice on top.
Outside the Bird Dressing
Adapted from Pass the Sushi
1 loaf hearty country white bread, cut into 1/2″ cubes
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon marjoram
4 cups homemade turkey broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cups heavy cream (I used half homo and half heavy cream)
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
Adjust the racks in your oven to the middle top and middle bottom position.
Preheat the oven to 325 CONVECTION.
Arrange the bread cubes on two baking sheets in even layers. Bake for 30 minutes, until golden.
Stir the bread halfway through baking and rotate the pans.
Set aside to cool. Meanwhile, grease a 9 x 13″ pan and set aside.
In a large skillet, melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and cook for 10 minutes, until starting to softened and turn golden. Add the garlic, thyme, sage and marjoram. Cook, stirring, for 30 seconds.
Stir in the broth and soy sauce. Simmer until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Let cool 10 minutes.
Whisk the eggs, heavy cream, and parsley in a large bowl.
Slowly whisk in the broth mixture.
Fold in all of the breadcrumbs, making sure to coat all. Let sit for 20 minutes until bread is soaked with the liquid mixture.
Pour the bread mix into the prepared pan. Melt the remaining butter and drizzle over the stuffing. Bake on lower middle rack for 50 minutes, until top is crispy. Serve warm.
*The oven was at 350 for the potatoes… I kept it there for the dressing too*
Everything was super good! The turkey was smokey, flavorful and super juicy. The dressing was like a savory bread pudding it was good, not as good as my M-I-Law’s, but still really good. These potatoes were divine! They were chewy crispy on the outside and fluffy on the inside and they had lots of flavor J
Today HBear got her school newsletter this is an excerpt from it…
60 Minute Kids’ Club Champion Participants!
Our first term champion participants were announced in December, and recognized for their wonderful participation in the 60 Minute Kids’ Club.
The following students were the ‘top 10’:
Kyra, Marquez, David, Alice, Brendan, Rowyn Maier, Sam, Colby, Daniel, and Sierra. It is great to see students from kindergarten through grade five participating in this program at home as well as at school!
She even got a blue ribbon!!!
I am so proud of you HoneyBear! Keep up the wonderful work J
And SBean. Ohhhhh Beaner. She is almost walking now, she takes about 4 steps and then falls lol. She is trying to run before she walks lol
She is also LOUD! I mean she yells at everything and everyone… all day lol She says Daddy! Everything is Daddy. Very loudly DADDY! LOL Break my heart she is too cute J
And on a completely different note… OMG Abby and EJ.
Don’t judge, I’ve been watching it since the womb.
Lol
But I say again… OMG Abby and EJ.
And now I am watching the Biggest Loser in the background and I want to yell,
“Sammy! EJ cheated on you with your ex-sister in law’s daughter, YOUR ex-niece, at your Aunt’s cottage while trying to help your gay son’s Baby Mama! You know, the one you and your ex-Mother In Law helped cover up Nick’s murder, the guy who just got out of jail for trying to kill your future brother in law’s ex-fiance!! The same future Brother in law that just got dumped by Abby, who is also the cousin of the guy you guys just killed, yeah that girl she is in bed with your fiance!!!!!!”
Don’t judge.
J
