Everything you need to know about Pomegrantates, Citrines, Uncooked Eggs and Turkeys!

[cowpuc]

I dont cook much and never have been much of one either.. I do like to torture stuff with my smoker occasionally though.. Salmon, Venison, Turkey, Chicken, Pork or anything that happens to be laying unmarked in the bottom of the freezer are all prime candidates for my little smoker.. The more of an adventure the better!!

Many years ago an old geezer stopped by at my shop to pick up a 69 Honda CT-90 I had sold him.. I had an old gas stove that I had converted to a smoker sitting there puffing away on the slab out back ,, stuffed with salmon as I recall.. As Rich, one of the guys who worked for me, was helping him load the bike up I could hear them yakking about the smoker..

I walked out back and the old man asked if I had brined the fish properly.. I gave him the look I always offer up when I have no clue of what someone is talking about.. Told em I never did brine nuttin.. He explained to me his method of properly brining meats in preparation for smoking...

He taught me to "float" an egg in what ever juice I was using as brine.. The trick being to get just enough salt mixed into the juice to get the egg to suspend lightly - "you dont want er floating like a bobber" he said,,, "ya want it suspended so it hangs like the worm that is attached to the bobber".. Never forgot it!! He also got me started using Apple Juice for brine!!

Over time I have experimented with a variety of juices to add flavor to what ever is going into the smoker.. Tippy and I came across a really good deal on some Pomegrantates at the store earlier today.. They also had some last minute deals on bags of Citrines (really sweet little Oranges).. Tip has been trying to talk me into smoking up a turkey for Thanksgiving,, the :lightbulb:came on as we walked past the deal on the Pomegrantates and Citrines.. Other than hearing that Pomegrantates were suppose to be juicy and sweet I have never met one.. After getting them home I think I discovered why these critters were only 10 cents each,,, they are not the friendliest fruit on the planet - THEY ARE GOOD THOUGH!! The mix coming out of the blender between the them and the Citrines sure taste like something that is gonna make for some yummy good smoked turkey!!

It has to brine now for a couple days,, than into the smoker (will snap some shots of that too) for a day,,,, hopefully it turns out ok so we dont get stuck eating Peanut Butter sandwiches.... Hmmmm,, now there's something I havent tried to smoke yet!!

 

Happy Early Thanksgiving Ya'll!!

Puc

Edited November 24, 2014 by cowpuc

[saddlebum]

Hey Puc .........just to clear up any confusion :confused::confused:

 

 

Which one is the Turkey

 

 

 

 

:rotf:

[cowpuc]

Kinda had me going there for a second Bum,, I thought ya had lost it or something... I thought to myself,, "that Saddlebum,, he's kinda different,, how could anyone not know the difference between a human bean and big ol turkey?".. Yea,, ok,,, kids use to tease me back in my school days and, among other things, would mistake me for a turkey but, what the heck,, that was back before I grew my beard and started wearing a Harley hat...

Then it dawned on me Bum,,,, ok,, maybe not all turkeys I have seen have had beards but indeed, most of them were wearing Harley hats,,,

 

 

TAKES ONE TA KNOW ONE YA LOP EARED, TROUBLE MAKIN VARMINT!!!

[naturbar]

Looks yummy....I think I have a blender just like that buried in my kitchen somewhere..good luck on the turkey

[mrsteve]

Back in 1971 I had a roommate that tried to smoke a peanut butter sandwich. He said it "tasted really bad" and then barffed.

[Eck]

Now you have my mind trying to picture the egg floating...........Next time you float one post a pic of it, I'd like to see that and a pic of your old gas stove.

 

Oh, I have to ask, does one also need to use a knife (like yours) with rust on it to add some extra flavor and texture too?

[Marcarl]

Maybe something else else you can put in your pipe to smoke, and don't listen to Bum, he runs mostly on lack of sleep so the particles on top are not always working as they should.

How to get smoke into,,,,, well,,, anything,,,,. The science: In order to anything to enter the (in this case, turkey, thought I better lay that out for you) there can be nothing coming out of said bird,,,,, yep! it's a one way street. So, if you put the birdie, ( and I would have chosen a full grown one, not such a little cutie) in a warm spot, what is it going to do??? well it's going to evaporate of course and seeing as it's a one-way street, while the water is coming off and out, no smoke can go in, neither will heat for that matter. Kind of a real bummer actually this cooking, smoking business, for the more you heat, the more evaporation, and seeing as evaporation takes heat, the more cooling of the piece takes place. Now I have you confused,,, good, for that separates koeks from cooks. So I will try to help you and make everybody think you are a guru, a real winner,,, somebody who knows what he is doing. The trick is to stop the bird from evaporating,,, so it needs to be DRY and WARM. So after you brine that poor little yungun, dry it off well, inside and out, and allow it to come up to room temp. Then in the smoker it goes, to heat up some more, but not to put a skin on it, don't bake it in other words,,,,, you want about 110 to 120*. Once you have it dried then add the smoke,,, it only takes about 30 minutes to do a good job. Once that is done, cook the sucker!

If you want a demonstration then walk through some smoke just before you go to bed and listen to what Tippy will tell you.

[cowpuc]

Maybe something else else you can put in your pipe to smoke, and don't listen to Bum, he runs mostly on lack of sleep so the particles on top are not always working as they should.

How to get smoke into,,,,, well,,, anything,,,,. The science: In order to anything to enter the (in this case, turkey, thought I better lay that out for you) there can be nothing coming out of said bird,,,,, yep! it's a one way street. So, if you put the birdie, ( and I would have chosen a full grown one, not such a little cutie) in a warm spot, what is it going to do??? well it's going to evaporate of course and seeing as it's a one-way street, while the water is coming off and out, no smoke can go in, neither will heat for that matter. Kind of a real bummer actually this cooking, smoking business, for the more you heat, the more evaporation, and seeing as evaporation takes heat, the more cooling of the piece takes place. Now I have you confused,,, good, for that separates koeks from cooks. So I will try to help you and make everybody think you are a guru, a real winner,,, somebody who knows what he is doing. The trick is to stop the bird from evaporating,,, so it needs to be DRY and WARM. So after you brine that poor little yungun, dry it off well, inside and out, and allow it to come up to room temp. Then in the smoker it goes, to heat up some more, but not to put a skin on it, don't bake it in other words,,,,, you want about 110 to 120*. Once you have it dried then add the smoke,,, it only takes about 30 minutes to do a good job. Once that is done, cook the sucker!

If you want a demonstration then walk through some smoke just before you go to bed and listen to what Tippy will tell you.

 

Following right along with ya Carl!! Another thing I learned thru the years, having to do with what you are talking about, is what I do with Salmon.. After brining, rinse it off with cool water, dab it dry with a towel (being careful not to use one of my garage towels that is covered with brake fluid or fork oil - although WD40 aint that bad), let the fish set at room temp until it forms a actual glazed cover over the meat (someone once told me what that covering is called but I could never pronounce it).. Smoke at 160 till the inner meat just reaches 160 degrees,, OUTSTANDING STUFF!! Do the same with poultry - I found out the hard way that I was ALWAYS over cooking stuff.. NOT NO MORE - now even turkey is still wet inside!!

 

PS - Tippy LOVES the smell of yours truly after sitting around a camp fire, cookin hot dogs and yappin with friends... She is a true,, outdoors kinda girl,, with a slight twist of leaning toward the craziness of chasing the front wheel and living off the land... My kinda lady!!!

[djh3]

I have a BGE (Big Green Egg) Its a ceramic cooker/smoker shaped like an egg. Expensive beggar but man does it do some killer ribs and pulled pork. I cook probably 5 times a week on it, grilled chicken, pork chops, burgers and it smoke great too.

So our family has decided to meet at a camp ground about 85 miles from my house. WE rented a cabin they have my BIL has a camper he is bringing etc. So part of our dilemma is how we going to have turkey. He usually smokes up a bird and we eat at their place. Wed is the meeting date and he wont get in until 6 pm or so and dont have time to smoke the bird before time. SO I offered up to do it. I elected to get a breast, and thighs and legs separate. I put them all in a pan and injected it with some herb and garlic marinade and same dry spices on the outside. Well it just came off the smoker about 530pm. MMMM does it smell good. Pinched a piece and its purty tasty too. Now Thursday will just have to pop in an oven at cabin for an hour or so I guess to warm it up.

[cowpuc]

Now you have my mind trying to picture the egg floating...........Next time you float one post a pic of it, I'd like to see that and a pic of your old gas stove.

 

Oh, I have to ask, does one also need to use a knife (like yours) with rust on it to add some extra flavor and texture too?

 

Will do on the egg floating routine Eck,,, the old gas stove smoker is longggg gone - turned city slicker when we moved here and picked up a regular little smoker..

 

That aint rust your seeing on the knife Eckster,,, its a flavor adding concoction made of deer fat, salmon skin and bones, sassy frass limb juice from cutting hot dog sticks, burned on marshmellows from using the knife as a somemore tool.... I broke the handle off it trying to teach my son how to throw knives up in the deer woods one time, have cut my finger a number of times with it as a result so there may even be some human blood mixed into that concoction... Hmmmmm,,, looking back at those pictures,, I see what cha mean,,, that does look rusty,,, guess I better go kill a deer and add some more deer tallow to that concoction to keep er from getting any worse.. Thank ya for pointing that out,, hate to see any of our thanksgiving guests get sick from eating something cut with a rusty knife!!!

[cowpuc]

Looks yummy....I think I have a blender just like that buried in my kitchen somewhere..good luck on the turkey

 

Hey Natty,, funny you should mention that blender,, Tip and I got that as a wedding gift 34 years ago!! If you have one like it ya best hang onto it - it HAS to be worth a fortune on the antique road show!!!! THEY DONT MAKE EM LIKE THAT ANYMORE - TOUGH AS NAILS!!!

[Marcarl]

Hey Natty,, funny you should mention that blender,, Tip and I got that as a wedding gift 34 years ago!! If you have one like it ya best hang onto it - it HAS to be worth a fortune on the antique road show!!!! THEY DONT MAKE EM LIKE THAT ANYMORE - TOUGH AS NAILS!!!

 

We had one of those,,, until Marca went out and spent the inheritance on a Vitamix,,, now one of our kids has their share already..... hope the Vitamix lasts as long.

[Huggy]

You know Puc it's not a turkey unless it weighs 20 lbs. Anything less is just a healthy chicken!!!!!