Smoked Turkey

Waiting for everyone to arrive

The first weekend of August on Wolfe Island is epic – This is when kids, grandchildren, cousins, sisters, fathers, grandmothers, brothers, mothers come home for the weekend to play in the Family Baseball Tournament.  We usually have 4 generations carrying the team through the weekend –playing,  score-keeping, cheering ,heckling, filming,  supplying water and feeding the masses.  This year, it was all about the younger generation, thank goodness.  Maddy finally turned 16 and was able to play -  we had high expectations of her, and she didn't disappoint us.

Maddy hits a home run!

Food seems to seamlessly flow in and out of the refrigerator all weekend long – it is truly amazing. We rely on some old favorites to pull this off, you know, the usual burgers, corn on the cob, pulled pork, big garden salads!  We always like to do something a little special as well, so this year we decided to do a turkey on the smoker. Once we had raided the garden at both the cottage and the Smith/Horne house, we ended up with a fantastic feast.

We set aside some of the meat from the smoked turkey and prepared  Vietnamese Style Smoked Turkey Vermicelli Salads the next day. The rice noodles made it the perfect supper when serving people who are on gluten free diets. It was fantastic.

  

Andy came down from Montreal

Rachel and Ubayda both get home

After 4 games, everyone is anxious to get home for a swim and dinner.

 

Turkey on the Smoker

20 lb turkey – rinse and pat dry with paper towels

Mop:

1 can beer

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Combine in a spray bottle and shake.

 

Paste:

Flesh of 1 orange

5 cloves garlic

2 tbsp chipotle peppers in adobo

4 tbsp canola oil

3 tbsp black pepper

3 tbsp salt

Combine all of the above in a blender. Puree into a smooth paste.

Rub turkey all over with paste and let rest in refrigerator overnight.

 Set up the Broil King Keg for smoking.

Rinse the turkey inside and out and pat it dry with paper towels. 

Light the smoker and set it to 225-250°F.  Scatter soaked apple wood chips over the coals, and fill the diffuser pan with warm water. 

Place the turkey on the smoker and close lid. Begin spraying with mop every 30 minutes after 3 hours of being on the smoker. Check that the diffuser pan is always full of water, beer or fruit juice.

Waiting for the turkey to rest

Smoke for about 6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F. Increase internal temperature of the smoker to 325°F and cook for another 45 minutes.  Let rest ½ hour before carving. 

Leslie and Julia entertain the team!

 

 

Vietnamese Style Smoked Turkey Vermicelli Salad

Salad:

1 package rice  vermicelli noodles, prepared as directed on package

5 cups smoked turkey, shredded

3 medium carrots, shredded

2 cobs of roasted corn, cut the niblets off the cob

1 red pepper, julienned

1 english cucumber, julienned

5 green onions, chopped

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

¼ cup thai basil, chopped

¼ cup fresh mint, chopped

Cool and refreshing salad

1 head romaine lettuce

1 cup chopped peanuts

2 limes, sliced into wedges

Dressing:

1/3 cup canola oil

1/3 cup rice vinegar

¼ cup fish sauce

3 tbsp honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp sirachi sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp sesame oil

Combine dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake to blend.

Combine cooled vermicelli noodles in a large bowl. Add smoked turkey, carrots, cucumber, red pepper, corn, green onions, mint, cilantro and  thai basil. Toss with dressing. Serve on top of shredded romaine lettuce  and garnish with chopped peanuts and lime wedges.

Leslie added some Portobello  mushrooms to the Keg for some more smokey goodness

Charu and Abby made the salads

So patient.