Cooking time.......

[Loquitur]

Hi T Rex!!

I thought the picture of your bird was in this thread and was referring to it in my "those birds look great" comment - yours and Amphoran's. I'll bet you were sooo proud to bring that picture perfect turkey in from the KK and put it on the counter for Mrs. T Rex.

The glaze on my ham was mustard, honey and black cherry bourbon I'm a vodka girl myself and have no idea where that bourbon came from but I had a small airplane sized bottle hanging my house around for a long time. The glaze was a perfect use for it.

I started the glaze when the ham was at 120 deg and pulled it at 135 deg. Next time, I'll put the glaze on a little earlier and increase the heat a little for the last hour to brown it more.

One of the things I love most about the KK is that it makes preparing special occasion food for family and friends so easy. Pre KK, I was always thinking about new hors d'oeuvres or new side dishes I could do that would be well received and it took a lot of time and effort. Now, I just volunteer the main course, get a good piece of meat or poultry or seafood and let the KK/Stoker do it for me!!!

Susan

[T Rex]

Hi T Rex!!

I thought the picture of your bird was in this thread and was referring to it in my "those birds look great" comment - yours and Amphoran's. I'll bet you were sooo proud to bring that picture perfect turkey in from the KK and put it on the counter for Mrs. T Rex.

The glaze on my ham was mustard, honey and black cherry bourbon I'm a vodka girl myself and have no idea where that bourbon came from but I had a small airplane sized bottle hanging my house around for a long time. The glaze was a perfect use for it.

I started the glaze when the ham was at 120 deg and pulled it at 135 deg. Next time, I'll put the glaze on a little earlier and increase the heat a little for the last hour to brown it more.

One of the things I love most about the KK is that it makes preparing special occasion food for family and friends so easy. Pre KK, I was always thinking about new hors d'oeuvres or new side dishes I could do that would be well received and it took a lot of time and effort. Now, I just volunteer the main course, get a good piece of meat or poultry or seafood and let the KK/Stoker do it for me!!!

Thanks Susan, the glaze sounds great! I think that one of the things I enjoy the most, besides the outstanding food the KK makes, is the conversation it generates when friends and neighbors come over. Makes for a great conversation piece and as you stated, the KK/Guru (in my case) does all the work...........

Kind of reminds me of the Rice Krispies Square commercial where the cook sprinkles a little flower on her face & apron to make it look "like they were hard to make".

T Rex

Susan

[Amphoran]

Susan,

You nailed the description of texture - "silky". That is what the thighs and legs of the turky were like, and to me that texture is the attraction of smoking. I've had a professionally smoked turkey before, and the breast had that character, too - something missing in my first attempt. Hopefully cooking one breast down will help get there.

Cheers,

Mike

[DennisLinkletter]

Chris Lilly tip.. VERY firmly compress the breast

breast was slightly dry but nicely smoky (and well received);

This was a a first try; next time I'll try cooking it breast down to see if that keeps them moister, then one in the roti.

Chris Lilly tip..

I remember Chris telling me that you can take the palm of your hand on the breast and VERY firmly compress the breast of a chicken or turkey..

This compression will slow down the cooking of the breast..

and then of course is the good old pre-icing of the breast..

[Amphoran]

I just made (imaginary) sandwiches with the leftover breast, and it has moistened up considerably on cooling and sitting in the fridge overnight.

Maybe that is a compression effect, but the texture is now much closer to what I was expecting.

Maybe the secret is to make it a day ahead!

[Loquitur]

I've noticed that the charcoal and smoke flavors intensify in the KK foods that I've refrigerated for a period of time. I've wondered if its because a person becomes acclimated to the smoky aromas while cooking and serving so that they desensitize themselves and don't notice it as much or if the flavors actually deepen over time in the frig. The abiity to prepare something as special as your smoked turkey a day ahead? How good is that!!

Susan