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.

Smoked Turkey and Pumpkin Pie

Johnston's Cranberry Marsh

 As usual, Thanksgiving weekend was spent up at the cottage, enjoying our children and all of the energy that they bring along with them. Much of the time was spent getting things organized for the winter- tidying up the garden, organizing firewood and bringing in outdoor furniture. Once all of that busy work was accomplished, we were able to settle in to the tasks related to getting our meals organized.  A side trip the Johnston's Cranberry Marsh in Bala set the mood for the holidays:  we now have 10 pounds of berries ready for Christmas!

Meanwhile in England, Charlie was celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving in England with his brother-in-law, Brian and his rowdy friends. We are looking forward to a full report, including photos and recipes, as soon as they recover from the festivities!

Turkey on the Broil King Keg

1  15-pound turkey

1 handful fresh sage leaves

1 bunch parsley

2 sprigs rosemary

1 small handful thyme

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

3 tablespoons melted bacon fat

Smoked paprika

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

Light the smoker and set it to 275°F.  Scatter soaked apple wood chips over the coals, and fill the diffuser pan with warm water. 

Finely chop the fresh herbs and garlic, and mix them with the olive oil, salt and pepper in a small bowl.  Gently massage and loosen the skin on the breast of the turkey, and spread ½ the herb and garlic mixture under the skin.   Fill the cavity with the remaining herb mixture and the chopped onion.

Place the turkey on the smoker, brush it with the bacon fat (or olive oil, or melted butter if you prefer) and sprinkle with smoked paprika.

Smoke for about 6 hours, or until the internal temperature reaches 170°F.  Let rest ½ hour before carving. 

Cranberry Sauce

4 cups fresh cranberries

1 orange, zest and juice

1 ½ cup sugar

Enough water to cover the berries

Bring all the ingredients to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Reduce heat and stir until the berries begin to pop, about 10 minutes.

Pumpkin Pie

For the Pastry:

2 cups unbleached all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

¾ cup vegetable shortening, divided

¼ cup cold water

For the Pumpkin Filling

 2 cups canned pumpkin

1 ½ cups whipping cream

¼ cup brown sugar

½ cup white sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

 2 eggs -- slightly beaten

For the Garnish

  1 cup sweetened whipped cream

Preheat oven to 425 F.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt.  Using a pastry blender,

cut in 1/2 cup shortening, and continue blending until the crumbs are

the size of coarse meal.  Add the remaining shortening, and continue to

blend and cut in until it resembles large peas.

Sprinkle water over the flour mixture, and toss lightly with a fork.

Gather the dough into a ball, and divide into two.  Shape into disks, and

freeze one half for later, if desired.

Roll the other disk on a lightly floured surface.  Lay a 9" pie plate over

the rolled dough and cut a 1" border around the edge.  Remove pie plate,

gently lift one corner of the dough, and carefully fold loosely in half,

without breaking it in the centre.  Lift and place the pastry in the pie

plate, trying not to stretch it to fit.  Crimp the edges decoratively with

your fingers.

Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl, and pour into the pie

shell.  Bake 15 minutes at 425, then reduce heat to 350 and bake about 45

minutes longer.  Cool on a wire rack.

Garnish with whipped cream.

Living Under a Rainbow