Let's Talk Turkey

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Yeah, we've got one of those, but I don't use it on the grill, so I usually just use one of those disposable aluminum ones. Saves a lot of scrubbing.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Yeah, I forgot you do yours on the grill. That's about the only thing I don't have, a really good smoker.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Here is the Serious Eats argument for dry brining.

Anyhow, this is why we go that route. Husband and I like their approach to food.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Try out the Traegers, they're pretty solid. Or, you can move up to the Green Mountains, but you'll drop some cheddar on one of those bad boys. I'll be doing this year's turkey on a Traeger.

Heh heh, I've 'only' got (5) smokers...so I'm always in the market! LOL!

ETA - If you ever decide to get a good smoker give me a head's up before you buy anything. I can give you some good guidance on the pros and cons and things to consider / look out for.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
Try out the Traegers, they're pretty solid. Or, you can move up to the Green Mountains, but you'll drop some cheddar on one of those bad boys. I'll be doing this year's turkey on a Traeger.

I'll check them out, I have no issue spending on a good piece of equipment that'll use regularly.

ETA - If you ever decide to get a good smoker give me a head's up before you buy anything. I can give you some good guidance on the pros and cons and things to consider / look out for.

Will do, thanks.

a reply to: Boadicea

Before:



Forgot to mention I do a simple truss which you can see part of.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Do you have a faucet above your stove? Can't wait to see after.

a reply to: FauxMulder

Yeah, it's a pot filler. Makes filling my 4 gallon pasta cooker real simple.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

One very important question: How do you flip it when it's time????

I am quite the klutz... I can only imagine how fast I'd screw that up!!!

ETA: Visions too -- I'm impressed! After cast iron, my favorite cookware.

a reply to: Boadicea

Paper towels, it's only around 140-150* so it's not super hot.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Okay... picturing that now... I think I can do that!

a reply to: Boadicea

I have faith in you, picture the turkey flipped and it will be so.

That's actually All Clad. Same as I used professionally.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

We have 1 All Clad pan we got as a gift from my father in law. He's a private chef for some very rich folk. I use that shiz for everything. I would buy more but they are expensive as hell.

Turkey's out, and once again it came out fabulous! Haven't tasted it yet (it's still cooling), but the Butter/Maple/Cajun basting and injection smells divine! You can really smell the maple.

Did you know a full quart of 100% pure Maple Syrup fetches quite the price these days! Holy Cow! I probably spent as much on the Maple Syrup as I did on the dang turkey! Fortunately, I way overestimated how much I'd need, so now I have a big jug of it left. Bring on the French Toast!!

I'm not going to post any pics just yet because this was a new "experimental" turkey, so I don't want to count my chickens (or turkeys, as it were) before they "hatch". It looks priceless, but I want to taste it first.

I think it turned out well from the IT temps I took. Maybe a bit lower than I would have liked in some spots, but I'm hoping for some residual cooking. Covered in foil now and resting.

I will report back.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus
a reply to: Boadicea

That's actually All Clad. Same as I used professionally.

LOL -- I stand corrected!

And even more impressed

After Action Report - Turkey turned out 'okay' (in my book). For all the additional work, the wife and I both agreed the turkeys I've just thrown on the simple Weber kettle grill in the past were just as good if not better. Don't get me wrong, it came out really well, and was moist, but for all the additional steps it certainly wasn't miles better as I had hoped it would be. It'll make good sammiches though.

So what was the winner of the Thanksgiving culinary adventure? Well, it turned out to be a dish I forgot to even mention in my initial post about what we were having. The wife made this beet terrine dish which was just so far out in front of any other contender it wasn't even close. It was absolutely fantastic. The dish was basically a layered fresh beet and goat cheese terrine, and the goat cheese had minced green onion, garlic and thyme as well as other spices blended in. Served chilled and sliced so you could see the layering. Absolutely off-the-charts dish!! 11 out of 10 (on a scale of 1 to 10) in my opinion.

We don't really do a 'competition', it's more just a fun thing. We always try to do some adventurous stuff and then we like to compare notes later on the pros and cons. Oh sure we do a lot of the conventional stuff too, but we'll usually make at least a couple dishes which are different and/or exotic.

The lobster appetizer was really good too, but the beet terrine was out of this world. I knew that one was going to be tough to 'beet' (get it?) when I tried a sample during the prep. I still had hopes I could pull it out with the turkey, but there was really no contest in the end. Honestly, I didn't even feel I got 2nd place, maybe honorable mention. My bride is some tough competition!

So that's about it for my report back.

ETA - Oh, and I will probably skip the injection steps next time. Not only did it not add that much, I think it may have detracted from the end product, not to mention it makes one hell of a messy cleanup.

a reply to: Boadicea



Perfect.

originally posted by: FauxMulder
We have 1 All Clad pan we got as a gift from my father in law. He's a private chef for some very rich folk. I use that shiz for everything. I would buy more but they are expensive as hell.

If you enjoy cooking it's worth the investment, I have pieces that are over 20 years old.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Its a 12 inch fry pan with a lid so I can use it for a lot of stuff. I usually make dinner on Fridays and its my go to. We have a crap ton of other cheap pots and pans. One day I'll get the itch to through them all away and get a whole set.

a reply to: FauxMulder

This is a good starter set. You can do pretty much everything with these.

The issue with poorly constructed pans is warpage due to thermal shock which makes hot-spotting and even bigger issue than when they were new. Take your older ones and put a straight edge to the bottoms, if they're bowled they aren't cooking your food properly. With pieces like All Clad the plied bonding helps prevent hotspots and thermal shock.