[James]

It's becoming difficult to find some old time smoked meat or fish, even in delicatessens.
I haven't seen smoked turkey, gold eye's, or sturgeon for several years.

I decided to cure and smoke a turkey after picking up a fresh one in the the post Christmas sales.

I froze it and got it ready for curing on Monday.

I removed the legs(with thigh) and two breast pieces from the carcass.

-Rubbed with Instacure and turned daily, Mon-Fri., the meat stiffened and became slightly pink.
Instacure is similar to pink salt, but it is white.




These will be smoked in a Weber Kettle with chips later today or tomorrow when the weather permits.




(some skin insertions for better penetration)





I'm looking for suggestions for a final rub, before hot smoking.
I avoided all spicing and sugar in the cure, after trying a previous recipe
(#5 in this thread) which resulted in a blackened skin.

This post has been edited by James: 26 February 2010 - 10:35 AM

[Dana]

I hope Ron is peeping in - I think he's you man for this!!
For me, I'd keep it simple, black pepper, cayenne, thyme.

[James]

Dana, on 26 February 2010 - 11:33 AM, said:

I hope Ron is peeping in - I think he's you man for this!!
For me, I'd keep it simple, black pepper, cayenne, thyme.

That sounds good, Dana. A local BBQ expert, Buster Rhino, always coats in mustard before applying the rub, but that's pork or beef.

[ronbeaux]

Well you know what I would say. I really like "Slap Ya Mamma" cajun seasoning or even make your own Emerils' seasoning. OR, you could make a paste with butter and herbs and rub it down.

[James]

The brined and cured turkey parts hit the coals yesterday, after 5 days with the nitrite rub.
I ended up rubbing with Montreal Chicken spice, which I would leave out another time.
I used a Weber kettle with lump charcoal and chunks of maple. I don't have the Weber Smoky Mountain set up in the winter, but
the kettle is adequate for a fairly quick smoke, if I watch it carefully.

Here is the result after 2 hrs. at 225 F:



Internal temperature reached 155 F.

A turkey breast, opened up



Slices, ready for rye bread and mustard



This is really good, and worth doing again.
The cumin in the rub is a distraction; I prefer the blend of smoke, mild saltiness, and a refined turkey taste, without the extra spicing. Maybe something hot will work in the next rub.

A bonus is the fresh turkey carcass with neck and wings for a rich, gelled stock.

[Dana]

Looks like some fine sandwiches at your house this week, James!!
With regard to the 'Slap yo' Mamma' seasoning, I made the shrimp dip they printed on the side of the can (jar, whatever), and it's pretty darn good. I didn't use the canned shrimp, just sauteed some shrimp and chopped them up. Be sure to let it sit in the fridge as directed - much better after sitting.

[Corgi Man]

Slap Ya Mama spices, etc. are not available where I live. I'll do some web searching. The first place I tried the shipping was way more than what I was going to buy. like $20 for $15 of stuff.

[Lancastermike]

I often smoke turkey, but not cured like yours is. That looks lovely and I can confirm that the smoked carcass makes great tasting stock

[Madge]

That smoked turkey looks fantastic James.

[snowangel]

James, I'm late to this party, but I do have a turkey in the freezer which I'm thinking is worthy of some smoke.

A coupla questions -- how did this turkey differ from a regular smoked turkey (without the instacure)? If I go this route, could I use pink salt (which I have on hand)? If so, how much pink salt?

[James]

snowangel, on 04 March 2010 - 09:57 AM, said:

James, I'm late to this party, but I do have a turkey in the freezer which I'm thinking is worthy of some smoke.

A coupla questions -- how did this turkey differ from a regular smoked turkey (without the instacure)? If I go this route, could I use pink salt (which I have on hand)? If so, how much pink salt?

Pink salt will be fine.
My Instacure, or Readycure, is similar, without the color (not allowed here.) The amount was 2lb per 100 meat, and I ended up using 8 oz for 12 lb meat, a little high, but needed to complete the rub, The excess fell off. If doing it again, I would add 1/3 brown sugar, and use 4-6 oz cure.

I had two boneless breasts, and two leg/thighs. That left a carcass, with wings and a neck for stock.
The meat was pierced and rubbed on a Monday, turned and rubbed on Wednesday, and smoked on the following Saturday. The cure drew water from the meat,making it somewhat dense.