Breast In Show
I've been a cooking monster the last 3 days. After creating a delicious Beef Barley Soup (it's moist) on Friday, I spent Saturday smoking a family favorite and Sunday trying something new.
The family favorite was baby back ribs. Last month I found them on sale and literally bought out that section of the meat aisle (12 half racks @ 2.38 per lb). It's nice to have those puppies available when you know your going to be hanging around the house on a Saturday afternoon. The something new for Sunday was a turkey breast. Mrs. T picked up a frozen breast a week or so ago. Even though it was my year to follow my daughter around for Trick-or-Treat, (Last year it rained and I never heard the end of it), I figured I'd volunteer to smoke the breast and have a nice hot meal ready when they returned around six. (Rule #1: A Moist Heat Man Tends His Own Fire)
I rubbed the breast with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some rosemary early Sunday planning for a 2 and 1/2 to 3 hour smoke to start just before 3pm. I decided to use both of my small coal side trays for indirect heat (they only hold about 23 brickettes) and use apple and maple chips for the smoke. With the bottom vent of my kettle grill completely closed, my temperature stayed very steady at 255 degrees. With my daughter jumping around waiting to make her rounds, I put her and my son to work peeling spuds to mash for supper.
The end result was an extremely tender and juicy breast. The most compliments I've gotten next to my ribs. Since my family mostly likes white meat, I'm torn between doing two or three breasts versus a whole turkey this Thanksgiving. If I do a turkey, my grandmother (rest her soul) would insist on using the carcass to make real turkey soup (a hassle in my book).
Any leads on a wood chunk source? Just using chips was a bit of a hassle. They go so quickly. Hickory chunks are easy to come by but I haven't really had any luck finding fruit wood chunks.
The family favorite was baby back ribs. Last month I found them on sale and literally bought out that section of the meat aisle (12 half racks @ 2.38 per lb). It's nice to have those puppies available when you know your going to be hanging around the house on a Saturday afternoon. The something new for Sunday was a turkey breast. Mrs. T picked up a frozen breast a week or so ago. Even though it was my year to follow my daughter around for Trick-or-Treat, (Last year it rained and I never heard the end of it), I figured I'd volunteer to smoke the breast and have a nice hot meal ready when they returned around six. (Rule #1: A Moist Heat Man Tends His Own Fire)
I rubbed the breast with olive oil, salt, pepper, and some rosemary early Sunday planning for a 2 and 1/2 to 3 hour smoke to start just before 3pm. I decided to use both of my small coal side trays for indirect heat (they only hold about 23 brickettes) and use apple and maple chips for the smoke. With the bottom vent of my kettle grill completely closed, my temperature stayed very steady at 255 degrees. With my daughter jumping around waiting to make her rounds, I put her and my son to work peeling spuds to mash for supper.
The end result was an extremely tender and juicy breast. The most compliments I've gotten next to my ribs. Since my family mostly likes white meat, I'm torn between doing two or three breasts versus a whole turkey this Thanksgiving. If I do a turkey, my grandmother (rest her soul) would insist on using the carcass to make real turkey soup (a hassle in my book).
Any leads on a wood chunk source? Just using chips was a bit of a hassle. They go so quickly. Hickory chunks are easy to come by but I haven't really had any luck finding fruit wood chunks.
3 Comments:
At 10/30/2006 5:52 PM, Andakin said…
Here are two wood websites that I recently came across. I have not ordered from them so I don't know if they are any good:
http://www.smokinlicious.com/index.php?home
http://www.barbecuewood.com/StoreFront.bok
At 10/30/2006 8:30 PM, Joe-Be-Wan said…
Turkey breast is good and cheap. I recommend the maple glazed recipe off BBQU.net.
At 10/31/2006 8:04 AM, Flamb_Ed said…
Good lookin' breast t-bone, congratulations on keeping it moist.
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