Turkey is a tradition for Thanksgiving and other family festivities. What would your holiday table be without it? Just a spread of side dishes.
You can stuff your turkey, or not. You can bake it in the oven following the directions on the package. For something special this year, try smoking a turkey. Yes, you can smoke a whole turkey on a standard size grill. A little extra time and effort delivers a special taste sensation.
A turkey is a big bird. That usually means lots of people and lots of pressure. The turkey is the long lead item in almost any dinner, so start it first. Figure twenty minutes per pound cooking time in your meal planning. Once it’s started, you can move on to the rest of dinner, and just tend to the turkey once every half hour or so. Many turkeys come home from the grocery store frozen. Be sure yours is thoroughly defrosted before starting to cook it.
Smoke the bird on the grill, but monitor its temperature. If dinner is an hour away and the turkey doesn’t look like it will be ready, pop it in the oven at 350°F to finish cooking it. (I only had to do this one time—when it rained on the grill all afternoon.) You’ll get that great smoky flavor and aroma, and have it on your schedule.
1 turkey, defrosted if frozen
1/4 lb butter
1/4 cup white wine
garlic salt
black pepper
Soak two handfuls of wood chips or chunks in water. Apple, peach or mesquite work well with poultry. Prepare the grill for smoking.
Charcoal grill method
Smoking on a charcoal grill is traditional. It’s almost like smoking over a real wood fire. First, clean the grill. Light a charcoal pyramid with a six briquette by four briquette base.
While the fire is getting ready, lay the turkey breast side up on a board. Tuck the wing tips behind the neck. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the wine, the garlic salt and the pepper. Set aside.
When the coals are ashed over, about half an hour, use a shovel or a trowel to move the coals into two fires: one along each side of the grill. Top each of the fires with a half dozen new briquettes. Don’t use the easy light kind. Place an aluminum foil drip pan full of water between the two fires. Add about a 1/2” of water to the drip pan.
Scatter the soaked chips or chunks over the fires, lay the turkey in the center of the grill. If the bird is small enough you will be able to turn it in the middle of cooking, lay the turkey breast side down. If it’s too big, lay it breast side up, and cover the breast with foil. Baste the bird with the olive oil/wine mixture, and close the grill cover.
Soak more wood chips or chunks. Baste and add chips every half hour. Chunks will last an hour or more. Halfway through cooking, turn the bird over or remove the foil. Cook until an instant-read thermometer shows a temperature of 165°F for the thighs. Remove from the grill and let rest fifteen minutes.
Gas grill method
You can smoke your turkey with a gas grill. First, clean the grill, and then preheat it on high.
While the fire is getting ready, lay the turkey breast side up on a board. Tuck the wing tips behind the neck. Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Stir in the wine, the garlic salt and the pepper. Set aside.
If using wood chips, make a smoker pouch. Wrap them in heavy-duty aluminum foil, and poke a few holes in the top. Place the pouch directly over one of the outer burners and wait for it to begin smoking. Turn the middle burner—if you have three—off. Turn the front burner—if you have two—off. Lower the remaining burners to medium.
If using wood chunks, place the chunks directly on one of the outer burners and wait for it to begin smoking. Turn the middle burner—if you have three—off. Turn the front burner—if you have two—off. Lower the remaining burners to medium.
Place an aluminum foil drip pan under the area where you will cook the chicken. Add about a 1/2” of water.
Lay the turkey in the center not over one of the burners that are on. Scatter the soaked chips or chunks over the fires, lay the turkey in the center of the grill. If the bird is small enough you will be able to turn it in the middle of cooking, lay the turkey breast side down. If it’s too big, lay it breast side up, and cover the breast with foil. Baste the bird with the olive oil/wine mixture, and close the grill cover.
Soak more wood chips or chunks. Baste every half hour. Renew the smoker pouch or the chips when the smoke dies down. Halfway through cooking, turn the bird over or remove the foil. Cook until an instant-read thermometer shows a temperature of 165°F for the thighs. Remove from the grill and let rest fifteen minutes.
Woodrow Wilson is a Caltech PhD chemist who brings his creativity from the laboratory into the kitchen. He has created original recipes simple enough they are a joy to cook and tasty enough they are a joy to serve.
He is a research scientist, an author, a Toastmaster, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. Visit http://www.woodrow-wilson.com to learn more. As a special bonus, you’ll discover new recipes posted there every month or so.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/smoked-turkey-for-the-holidays-1420075.html
Filed under Recipe, Techniques by on Nov 5th, 2009. Comment. 
When it comes to barbecuing, what could be more fun than whipping up sumptuous food on the grill in the company of family and friends? The thing of course is finding the right place for grilling and barbecuing. One favorite spot among true barbecue aficionados would be their very own backyard or outdoor kitchen with their own brick barbecue pit. Actually, any outdoor area is a potential spot for a barbecue but truth be known, the best places for a barbecue are the safest ones.
Choose a location for your BBQ grill that is away from trees, leaves, brush and overhanging limbs. Do not setup your gill in a high traffic area where someone may accidentally brush up against the hot grill.
When barbecuing in your backyard, be sure that you’re 5 to 10 feet away from your house or any material that can potentially catch fire. Also, be sure the grill is stable and is away from children or pets that may bump into it. It would also be a good idea to have a water supply nearby like a garden hose.
If you live in an apartment building with a balcony or rooftop or any other outdoor space, be sure to consult with your building administrator (or in some instances, your local fire department) regarding specific restrictions. Generally, using charcoal and gas grills indoors or anywhere above the first storey is prohibited so you may want to consider electric grills instead for your barbecuing efforts.
Another great place to barbecue is in a campsite. Camping is such an exciting way to experience the great outdoors and barbecuing food over a campfire is definitely one of those practical yet cozy things you can do. Just be sure that you are at least 15 feet away from your tent and other camping gears.
Protect yourself by using the correct BBQ utensils such as oven mitts, thongs and a good spatula. Avoid wearing loose clothing while near the grill.
Always leave the lid to a gas grill open when lighting the fire so the gas does not build up under the cover. If the fire does not initially start, turn off the gas, leave the lid open and wait for at lest five minutes before trying again.
It is always a good idea to give your grill a checkup before using for the first time of the season and always store your tanks outside in a upright position where the temperature will never go over 125 degrees.
Of course, it’s not just the atmosphere of being outdoors that can make a barbecue fun and special. It’s also in the delicious barbecue dishes that you share with your loved ones. To make it all the more special, try a variety of BBQ rubs, marinades, salsas and BBQ sauce to capture the true taste of great outdoor barbecuing.
Learn about pear nutrition and pear wine at the Types Of Pears site.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/how-one-can-bbq-safely-1647469.html
Filed under Techniques by on Nov 9th, 2009. Comment.
The natural tenderizing process for sirloin steak as well as many others produces dry aged beef. Usually, the beef whether a sirloin tip roast or not, is aged from two weeks to just over three weeks in a very expensive process. But if you are a fan of dry aged beef, it is definitely worth every penny. And for those that are true lovers of this kind of aging process, they will travel far and wide to find a restaurant that serves this kind of beef. They will also scour the internet to discover the best beef aged with this process that they can find.
The cut of beef is placed in a temperature that is closely controlled along with the humidity. The moisture in the beef, whether it’s a sirloin steak, porterhouse or whatever, is evaporated which concentrates the flavor in the steak. When that happens, the sirloin tip roast or other cut of beef has natural enzymes that break the tissue down and creates a tenderer cut of meat. After the dry aged beef process is over, the butcher now has to trim the crust off the meat that has built up and that is why this smaller piece of meat is more expensive than a normally aged sirloin steak, T-bone or whatever.
Since dry aged beef has a much stronger flavor than wet aged, many people grow to love it so much that they refuse to eat anything but that. And the longer the meat is aged, the stronger the flavor will be. For example, a sirloin steak that is dry aged for 3 weeks will have a stronger beef flavor than one that is aged for two weeks. The same with sirloin tip roast or any other cut of beef. (10)
Amongst true steak lovers and those that will not eat anything but dry aged beef, there is no question that this method of aging is superior to anything else. But there is a debate. Many think that perhaps dry aged beef is over-rated and is actually much too gamey to the taste. Of course, if you’ve ever had this kind of sirloin steak, you might never go back and soon become a believer then you will also only want your steak aged in this fashion. Beef is definitely not all created equal.
For more resources regarding Sirloin Tip Steak or even about Filet Mignon Cut and especially about Buy New York Strip Steak please review these pages.
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/is-sirloin-steak-better-if-dry-aged-1282407.html
Filed under Source by on Nov 10th, 2009. Comment.
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