mguerra

Re: Thanksgiving 2011 I have bird number two on the KK right now, for a big family blow out tomorrow. Exact same procedure as number one. Because of time issues I have to do it a day ahead, so after I rest it a while, I'll carve/pull it tonight and refrigerate. Then we will either eat it cold or rewarm it. Here's a link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alto ... index.html Only thing different I did was ice the breast. And used a KK. And coffee wood.

Re: Thanksgiving 2011 The Alton Brown/ Dennis Linkletter turkey was the best ever. The combo of brine and coffee wood smoke was over the top. I also iced the breast and cooked it hot and fast. The result was the juiciest breast meat we have ever experienced. "Dry" is not a word that you would apply to this white meat!!! My plan was to cook at 500 for the first half hour and then back down to 350. Well, it was more like a 450 plus or minus for about two plus hours. When the deep breast meat was 161, I pulled it off the fire, foiled, toweled and coolered. I never measured the deep thigh, contrary to most suggestions. Did the long rest in the cooler add to the tenderizing? Maybe. It rested about six hours, and was piping hot when I broke it out, too hot to handle, really. Partly that's due to the Yeti cooler. We aren't skin eaters, so I did not do a prolonged air dry. The dark meat just fell off the bone, it was so well cooked. So pulling it at breast temp 161 did not result in under done dark meat. All in all the best turkey we have ever had.The coffee wood smoke is hard to describe, aromatic, mild, flavorful; you just have to try it.

Re: Happy Thanksgiving Happy Thanksgiving to all! And thanks for the KK, Dennis. Coffee smoked turkey just off the grill, foiled, wrapped in towels and snugly ensconced in a Yeti. Down to San Antonio for a nice meal in 2-1/2 hours.

Re: Thanksgiving 2011 I just fired up the KK at a low smolder to pre-heat for an early AM cook.

Re: Thanksgiving 2011 Empty 12 gauge shell and use as a "shot" glass for your favorite sipping spirit. Send someone to store to buy turkey. Sip your spirit and build fire. Install turkey. Give thanks. Commune with family and friends.

Re: Thanksgiving 2011 I don't mind giving out medical info, as long as it relates to Ophthalmology! I'm not sure what the final level of salt is in a brined bird, but I know if they TASTE too salty, people wouldn't eat them.

Re: Thanksgiving 2011 My birds are thawed and the brine is chilled; I'll start brining at noon. We are going to find out just what a coffee wood smoked turkey tastes like! Not paying attention, I bought 8% solution enhanced turkeys. I believe it is recommended not to brine enhanced birds. I'm doing it anyway, but I cut the salt in half for the brine. I used one of Alton's brine recipes: A gallon of vegetable broth, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup(not the 1 cup called for) kosher salt, allspice berries, peppercorns, and candied ginger. Instead of using a gallon of ice water I'll use a gallon of iced apple cider! One bird for mini Thanksgiving on Thursday and one for the super jumbo family party on Saturday.

Re: Waxed for the Winter Pas, don't worry about the vague sexual implications on this forum! This bunch is pretty cerebral, not gratuitous! It's all plays on words and double entendres around here. High brow humor more so than crude raunchiness. Probably even at a level a pastor could chuckle at. Hardly ever comes up anyway...

Re: Freebie Coffee wood. Chunks of tree. For smoke wood.

Dennis sent me a freebie, unannounced. I found a box of KK charcoal and a box of coffee wood sitting on my porch a few minutes ago!!! Thanks, bro. No other company I buy products from ever sent me such a lagniappe. Those of you wondering about the quality of the product, or paying sight unseen, and so on... Don't worry about it.

Re: Goat: Cabrito So are you cooking a cut, or a whole animal? It's really popular here in Texas, I have never cooked it.

Re: Brisket using the new coconut charcoal from Dennis I might try one anyway just to see how it compares to other pork.

Re: Brisket using the new coconut charcoal from Dennis We talked at some length before about humane pork. I thought I would try the Snake River Farms product. $60.00 for the 14 pound shoulder and $69.00 shipping. I think I will stick with having the local high schoolers raising me a pig or two a year!

Starting a thread for all this years Turkey Day posts... I'm going to try Alton Brown's method of doing the turkey for the first thirty minutes at 500 degrees, then back down to 350 for the remainder. They replayed his Thanksgiving show last night.

Re: KK is here and first cook pics! First cook two pork shoulders. Now THAT'S a first cook!!! Super looking results.

Re: Assembling the rotisserie basket Voice over guy? Just have Siri do it!

Re: Anxiously awaiting my new kk These forums have thousands of comments, tips and advice! Welcome. Cook a pork butt first.

Re: Indirect/Water? If you are talking about cooking a big piece of meat low and slow in the KK, I believe only a minority of our forum members use a water pan. For indirect cooking we use the heat deflector supplied; it looks like a huge thick pizza stone. The KK retains moisture very well because of the very low airflow required. I do know at least one guy here has advocated for the water pan, though. You will quickly learn by experience if you need or want it! You probably won't.

Re: Hall's Hill It's pretty obvious from past discussions; you are going to get requests for both! With carefully thought out rationales. But why bother using an exotic wood, at least exotic from a barbecuers perspective, to make clean flavorless smoke? If we are going to buy coffee charcoal we might as well get a unique flavor from it. Something to talk about and brag about at the party or cook off. You can get clean flavorless heat from propane, and then add the smokewood of your choice for the flavor. So why sub coffee charcoal for propane? Let the "coffeeness" come through in the final product. There's my "carefully thought out rationale".

Re: Turkey Hash Time Again! I had some smoked mullet dip in Carrabelle, Florida in July. Heavenly.

Re: Hall's Hill S...

They seem to have vanished. I asked to be notified when the next batch of hickory will be available, but their website is goners.

Re: Bronze Behemoth Game On! 2 The pork butt came out indistinguishable from a 225 cook. Unlike the hot fast brisket, there was no foil involved, and it did not come out juicier. Of course we don't get dried out pork butts on a low and slow anyway. And I was not specifically trying to do a hot fast. I just cooked a pork butt with a leftover grilling fire that could only get down to 315 degrees. And it turned out fine! If you are in a hurry, or just curious to see how it comes out, cook one at 300 degrees.

Re: Bronze Behemoth Game On! 2 It's old school here in Kerrville. I go home for lunch. Kinda like Mayberry. It's a 14 minute drive down a Texas Farm Road. I sit out on the back porch, look out across the Texas Hill Country, with the pack of Coonhounds, eat lunch and listen to Rush. No Aunt Bea, though.

Re: Bronze Behemoth Game On! 2 Hot fast pork butt. Last night I cooked a couple of ribeyes and then decided to throw a pork butt on the fire. After having a grilling fire going, there is no way to ever get it down and stabilized at 225. So I just figured I'll crack the vents to the tiniest opening possible and cook the pork butt at whatever temp that gets me. Turns out that temp was about 315 degrees. The 5 lb pork butt cooked in about 5 hours to 190 internal and I pulled it off the fire, foiled, wrapped in towels, and went to bed. At lunch today I am going to pull it and see how it came out...