Easter Turkey - Injected and Smoked

I suppose you could call Sunday's turkey a bit of an experiment, only because I've not injected a turkey before, nor have I smoked an entire bird.  I will say, the results were quite tasty, and i'd do it again in a heartbeat.  An acquaintance of mine suggested trying Tony Chachere's injectable marinades, he thought they were pretty tasty and produced a moist flavorful bird.  So let's give credit where credit is due...here is the link for Tony Chachere's marinades:

Here's what I did:

1.  Rinse and pat dry a turkey.  I don't recommend going over 12-13 lbs for smoking, it will simply take too long.

2.  Using the injector, inject marinade in several spots in the breast meat, legs and thighs.  You will notice how the meat of the bird puffs up with the injection liquid.

3.  I used a BBQ rub over the entire bird, then let it sit for about an hour.  during that time, I got the smoker up to temp...around 225-250 degrees.  I used Apple Wood for this recipe.  I think it's a milder smoke and usually is my go to wood for poultry.

4.  My bird smoked for around 7 hours to get the deepest part of the breast meat up between 165-170.  I took it off and let it rest for about an hour while we made the other goodies to go along with the bird.

NOTES:  I think the bird came out very well.  The meat was amazingly tender and juicy with tons of flavor.  I think next time I will make my own marinade and try different flavor profiles.  The injection syringe is something that you can use over and over again, but for goodness sake, put it in a safe spot...the point is super sharp!    I recommend this method, it's fun and produced a great end product!

Eat Well!

Stuffed Pork Loin Chop

Inspired by my trip to the Farmers Market this week, I decided to make dinner for my folks Sunday evening.  Along with the greens that I posted in the previous entry, I also served Kohlrabi sautéed in garlic and olive oil and a tomato and mozzarrela salad with garlic oil, balsamic and saffron salt.  Stuffed chops are super easy, and can be assembled ahead of time to keep kitchen mess at a minimum.  This recipe requires brining the pork which is listed in a previous entry.

http://kevsculinarycreations.blogspot.com/2013/07/to-brine-or-not-to-brine.html

Stuffed Pork Loin Chop:

1.  Brine the pork as listed above.
2.  Make a mixture of diced ham and shredded cheese.  Use whatever cheese you like...no rules here.

3.  Make a pouch in the chop.  This is done by using a paring knife to carefully cut a cavity in the chop.  Then pack as much of the mixture in the cavity you just created.   See Pic

 






4.  Seal or close the pouch with a toothpick...just remember to remove the toothpick before you serve it!

At this point you can cover the chops, put them in the fridge and keep them ready for when you want to prepare them.  

Preparation:  

Salt and Pepper your chops.  In a pan, heat up a mixture of butter and olive oil and sear one side of the chops to a nice color.  Flip the chops and finish in a 400 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes.  You don't want to overcook these.  When done, let them rest and plate.  I served mine with a dark balsamic vinegar drizzled over it...it was fantastic.  The darkness of the balsamic almost makes the chop looked burnt...but trust...it wasn't!  

Be creative with your stuffings...I've used all kinds of cheese, spicy sausages, and even traditional surfing mixtures.  

Enjoy, and Eat Well!

Kale, a Great Side Dish

I love greens of all sorts, Kale being one of them.  It's such a hearty green that can stand up to long cooking times, and really takes on the flavor of the liquid you are cooking it in.  I will most likely post a few things today...goodness knows I need to do a bit of catch up on my blog.  Tonight I'm making stuffed pork chops, and this little green has been invited to the party.

How I like to prepare Kale is pretty simple.


1 Bunch of Kale
3 slices of bacon diced
About 1/4 of an onion diced
Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes
2-3 cups of water
Tablespoon of Chicken Base, or instead of water and chicken base, simply use chicken broth.
Salt to taste (be mindful of the chicken base...it's pretty salty!)
Vinegar of your choice to finish

Prepare your Kale.  Now, some people actually pull off just the leaves, and don't cook the stems.  I on the other hand like the texture and keep most of the stem on the plant.  In the pic above you will notice where the leaves start...cut the stems off below that...those are a bit rough.  Next wash and cut up the kale.  Keep in mind, your kale will shrink a LOT when cooked, so small cuts are not necessary.  I usually kind of chiffonade it like i do basil but in 1/2 inch strips.

In a sauce pan, sauté your bacon till almost crisp, then add in your diced onion and cook that for a few minutes.  When the onions are starting to cook add in your greens, red pepper flakes, water or broth and cook for a while.  Now, it's your choice how long to cook greens, I don't like them complete mush, so I check on them now and then till I find the texture I like.  Usually my favorite texture takes about 45 minutes  No rules at this point...it will just depend on your preference.  When I'm ready to serve, I slash some red wine vinegar into it to add a bit of brightness, taste for salt and serve it up.

Eat Well!