Dry Brined Spatchcock Smoked Turkey

For this year's Thanksgiving turkey, I decided to try something different and spatchcock or butterfly our bird.  Once that decision was made, it was then time to find a suitable recipe and I chose Alton Brown's Dry Brined Turkey.  His recipe calls for the turkey to be dry brined and sit uncovered in the refrigerator for 4 days before cooking.  I decided to only let my bird sit for 2 days due to space constraints.  I also chose to leave the Allspice out of the dry brine recipe.

On Thanksgiving day, I took the turkey out and allowed it to sit for about an hour while I prepped the smoker.  While the smoker was coming up to temperature, I took the opportunity to rub softened herb butter between the skin and the meat of the turkey. 

Once the smoker's temperature stabilized I smoked the turkey until the breast reached 165.  Once it was finished I placed it in a foil pan so I could easily transport it to our dinner destination.  The turkey was tender, juicy and very tasty.  I will definitely make this recipe again!

Photo Disclaimer:  Due to the hectic nature of Thanksgiving meal preparation, I did not get a money shot of the Turkey.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
3 ½ Tbsps. kosher salt
1 ½ tsp. sage
1 ½ tsp. thyme
1 ¼ tsp. black pepper
6 Tbsp. herb butter, softened
13 to 14 pound whole turkey, neck and giblets removed

Directions
Combine all spices in a small bowl and set aside.

Set the turkey, breast-side down, on a large cutting board. Use an electric knife or heavy-duty kitchen shears to cut along  one side of the backbone. Turn the bird around and cut along the other side of the spine. Trim any fat pockets or excess skin found inside the turkey. Turn the turkey breast-side up and use the heel of your hands to press down on both breasts, until the bird has flattened slightly.

Apply the rub on both sides of the turkey. Place the turkey on a parchment paper lined half sheet pan, breast-side up with legs running with the long side of the pan. Store, uncovered, in the refrigerator for several days.

Once you are ready to cook, remove the turkey from the refrigerator and leave at room temperature for about an hour.  While you are waiting, carefully loosen the skin and rub herb butter directly on the turkey meat underneath the skin all over. Massage the skin from the outside until the butter is distributed in an even layer.

Heat smoker or oven to 425°F.

Place the turkey on a rack set into a half sheet pan. Cook for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F. Continue to smoke/roast the turkey until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165°F.  Remove from smoker/oven and allow to rest for about 30 minutes before carving.

Sweet Tea

You can't have Southern BBQ without an ice cold glass of sweet tea.  This post is for anyone who wants a quick and easy way to make iced tea.  Despite my Southern roots, I prefer a mild tea that is slightly sweetened vs a strong, syrupy sweet tea.  Feel free to adjust the amount of sugar to your taste or let the tea brew longer for a stronger flavor.

I use a 1 quart glass measuring cup to make my tea.  If you don't have one handy you can brew the tea in a saucepan on the stovetop. Just be careful not to bring it to a rolling boil.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups water

2 family-size tea bags

2/3 cup Sugar
Additional water to fill one gallon pitcher

Directions

Fill 1 quart glass measuring cup with 4 cups water.  Add tea bags, placing the strings outside the cup.

Place in microwave and heat for 5 minutes to brew.  After 2 minutes, I usually pause the microwave and dunk the tea bags a few times.  While tea is brewing, add sugar to one gallon pitcher.

After 5 minutes, carefully remove the measuring cup from the microwave.

Slowly pour brewed tea into the pitcher while holding onto the tea bag strings.  Refill measuring up, allowing water to run over the tea bags as you fill the cup.  Pour into the pitcher and repeat one more time.  Stir tea, then add additional water and/or ice to fill the pitcher.  Serve.

Teriyaki Beef Jerky

Today I decided to break out of my normal beef jerky routine and try a new recipe.  I found this one on a blog site and gave it a shot.  The results were a mild teriyaki flavor that was quite tasty.  I will definitely make this recipe again.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
½ cup soy sauce
¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil
½ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons ginger, peeled and minced
¼ cup scallions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 lbs. of lean beef

Directions
Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl or Ziploc bag and refrigerate while you prepare the beef.

Trim all the fat, gristle, and silver skin from the meat. Slice into thin strips (1/8" to 1/4" thick), against the grain. Add meat to the marinade and mix well. Store the meat in the fridge for about 12-24 hrs.

Preheat the smoker to 180°F  and allow to temperature to stabilize.  Remove the beef slices from the marinade and spread the strips in a single layer on a jerky rack. Make sure the beef strips don't overlap and have a little space between them to enable good air circulation.

Smoke the beef jerky for 3 to 5 hours or until preferred texture is achieved (Thicker strips may take longer).

Chicken with Cajun Cream Sauce

Let me start by saying this chicken is not spicy if prepared as the recipe is written.  With that said, you can definitely bump up the spice level by adding a little cayenne or adjusting the other spice amounts.  My goal was a nice balance in flavors and this recipe accomplishes that.  I served it with noodles (basically a spiced up Fettuccine Alfredo) but you can pair the chicken with the side of your choosing.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (pounded to equal thickness)
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
½ stick butter, divided
2 cups heavy cream

Directions
Combine salt, chili powder, onion powder, white pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl.  Sprinkle over both sides of chicken breasts. Reserve any unused spice mixture until later.

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté  pan, then cook the chicken breasts over medium heat about 7 to 8 minutes, turning them once. Pour the cream into the pan and reduce the heat to low.
Simmer for several minutes, stirring, until the sauce thickens, then fold in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and any remaining spice mixture.  Stir to blend and adjust taste as needed.  Serve hot.

Easy Apple Crisp

Several people have asked me for apple recipes so here is another recipe for Apple Crisp.  I must admit that I can't remember exactly who gave me this recipe, but it's not my own. This recipe is very easy to make and you probably have most of the ingredients on hand.  The crust has a nice buttery  and sweet flavor and it's perfect with a scoop of ice cream!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups apples-peeled, cored, & sliced.
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
½ cup butter, softened


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8-inch square baking dish. Arrange apple slices evenly in prepared baking dish. Sift flour, sugar, cinnamon, & salt in a bowl. Cut in butter using a fork until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal; sprinkle over apples.  Bake in preheated oven until topping is golden, 40 to 45 minutes. Cool slightly before serving.

Coconut Pecan Praline No Bake Cookies

Last week I happened to stop by a craft fair at a local church and couldn't pass up some of the yummy items at the baked good table.  I bought a small bag of coconut pecan pralines.  The bag contained two of the best tasting treats so, of course, I had to try to make them myself.

After searching the internet I happened upon a blog site which detailed these exact cookies.  The process reminds me of making chocolate oatmeal no bake cookies but using coconut and pecans.  They were quick and easy to make, but the hardest part was having to wait for them to cool and firm up.  Enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup evaporated milk
½ cup corn syrup
1 stick unsalted butter*
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt*
2 ½ cups pecans, chopped
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut

(*Note:  You can use salted butter and then omit the salt)

Directions
Combine coconut and pecans in a medium-sized bowl and set aside.  In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar, evaporated milk, corn syrup, and butter.  Cook until the mixture comes to a rolling boil, stirring constantly, and allow to cook for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, and coconut/pecan mixture.  Stir for 3-4 minutes as mixture starts to cool and thicken.  Drop by large spoonfuls onto parchment (or wax) paper.  Allow to cool completely, approximately 1 - 1½ hours.

Homemade Pork Tamales

For me, there are a few things that have been on my culinary bucket list for a while now and I have a deep desire to learn to cook them.  Tamales is one of those things.  This week I found myself with a day off for Veteran's day and since the kids were in school it was the perfect time to give these a try.  After watching several videos (Alton Brown's "Tamales Never Die" for one) and searching high and low for a recipe, I was ready to go.  The recipe I found (Traditional Tamales) made a rather large batch  so I decided to scale it down to fit my needs.  This variation made 32 tamales for me but your numbers may vary depending on how thick you spread the dough on the husks and how much filling you add to each tamale.  To me it was the perfect amount to have some to eat and some to freeze but not too many.  I will definitely make these again and experiment with different filling recipes.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 lbs pork shoulder or pork butt, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
6 cups water
½ medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsps. salt
2 cups red chili sauce (see recipe below)
⅓ cup lard or shortening
3 cups masa harina
¾ tsp baking powder
6 oz bag dried corn husks (You won't use the entire bag)
Kitchen Twine (optional)

Directions
In a 5 qt Dutch oven, bring pork, water, onion, garlic and 1 tsp salt to boil. Simmer covered, about 2 hours or until meat is very tender.

While you wait, make Red Sauce (see recipe below). Soak approx. 40 corn husks in warm water for at least 45 minutes; rinse to remove any corn silk and drain well.

When meat is done, remove meat from broth and allow both meat and broth to cool. Shred the meat using 2 forks, discarding fat. Strain the pork broth and reserve 3 cups.  In a large sauce pan, heat the red chili sauce and add meat; simmer, covered for 10 minutes.

To make dough, beat lard/shortening on medium speed in a large bowl for 1 minute.  In a separate bowl, stir together masa harina, baking powder and 1 teaspoons salt.  Alternately add masa harina mixture and reserved pork broth to shortening, beating well after each addition. (Add just enough broth to make a thick, creamy paste).

To assemble each tamale, spread 2 Tbsps. of the masa mixture on the center of the corn husk.  Place about 1 Tbsp. meat mixture in the middle of the masa. 

Fold in sides of husk and fold up the bottom.   Note: I used Alton Brown's suggestion to bundle the tamales in groups of three and tie with kitchen twine.

Place a mound of extra husks or a foil ball in the center of a steamer basket placed in a large steamer pot.  Lean the tamale bundles in the basket, open side up.  Add water to steamer pot just below the basket.  Bring water to boil and reduce heat to low.  Cover and steam until the dough is firm and pulls away easily from the husk, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.




Red Sauce

Ingredients
6 large dried chilies ( such as Ancho for mild or Anaheim for hotter sauce)
2 garlic cloves
1 teaspoons ground cumin
½ teaspoon salt

Directions
Remove stems and seeds from dried chili peppers.  Place peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast in 350°F oven for 2 to 5 minutes or until you smell a sweet roasted aroma, checking often to avoid burning. Remove from oven and soak in enough hot water to cover for about 30 minutes or until cool. Put peppers and 1 1/4 cups of the soaking water into a blender (save the remaining soaking water).  Add garlic, cumin and salt. Cover and blend until smooth.  If sauce appears too thick to blend add a little more soaking water.

Cilantro Lime Rice

My youngest loves Chipotle.  It's not because of their burritos, tacos, or quesadillas, it's because of their rice.  I think he could eat his body weight in it if we allowed him to do so.  He's not a huge fan of Mexican food so I make this side dish to help convince him to eat whatever the main course is that day.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked long-grain white rice
1 Tbsp. butter
1 cloves garlic, minced
2  tsps. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 cups chicken broth
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsps. granulated sugar
2 Tbsps. fresh chopped cilantro

Directions
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add rice and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the rice is nicely coated. Add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute. Add 2 tsps. of lime juice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook 20 minutes, or until rice is tender and all the broth is absorbed. Remove from heat. In a small bowl, whisk together additional 1 Tbsp. lime juice, sugar, and cilantro.  Pour over rice and stir to mix.

Teriyaki Boneless Chicken Breasts

Today was a very busy day at work so I decided to make another quick and easy meal on the grill.  This time it was teriyaki grilled chicken breasts for a light and delicious dinner.

I pregeated the grill to 325° and while I waited, I pounded the chicken breasts to ensure all were about the same thickness to make cook times faster.  Then I sprinkled both sides of the chicken with Simply Asia Sweet Ginger Garlic seasoning.  

Once the grill reached temperature, I put the chicken breasts on to cook.  I grilled for 10 minutes on the first side, then flipped and continued to cook until the chicken was cooked through.  Near the end of cooking, I brushed the teriyaki glaze onto each side.

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

4 Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 Tbsp Simply Asia Sweet Ginger Garlic seasoning

2 Tbsp. Kikkoman Teriyaki Baste and Glaze

Directions:

Preheat grill to 325°.  Sprinkle both sides of chicken with ginger garlic seasoning.  Grill chicken 8-10 minutes per side or until cooked through.  Brush with Teriyaki glaze the last 5-7 minutes.

White Chicken Chili

When the weather starts to turn cold, I immediately start thinking of warm bowls of soup and chili.  My family is not a huge fan of traditional chili, but they really enjoy this recipe.  You can adjust the spice level to please almost any crowd and it's a nice hearty meal when served with corn muffins.  I hope you enjoy!

Printable Recipe

Ingredients
2 (16-oz) cans navy beans, drained
1 onion, finely diced
1 stick butter
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 can chicken broth (low sodium)
2 cups half-n-half
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce
1 ½ tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. white pepper
1 (4-oz) can chopped green chilies, drained
2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Mexican Blend Cheese

Directions
In a Dutch oven, cook onion in melted butter until softened over low heat.  Adjust heat to medium and whisk in flour.  Cook roux for 3 minutes, whisking often.  Gradually add broth and half-n-half, whisking constantly.  Bring mixture to a boil and simmer, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until thickened.  Stir in Tabasco, chili powder, cumin, salt, and white pepper. Add beans, chilies, chicken, and cheese and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.