Bogus Chezz Hawg
is Blowin Smoke!
Sorry, no pron. I usually remove my bird from the brine the morning of the cook, pat it dry, & air dry on the counter for about an hour until the cooker is preheated, then let it cook. Once the breast reaches an IT of 130 F, I would transfer the bird to a 400 F oven and finish to an IT of 165 F. This method crisps the skin and makes a great bird (and makes the house smell great). This year I tried a different method.
I didn't brine this year, instead I dry rubbed with an original, simple, salty rub...
3 parts sea salt
1 part freshly ground black pepper
1 part garlic powder
2 parts poultry seasoning
1 part = 1 tablespoon made enough rub for my 22.3 pound turkey.
This turkey was a "Honeysuckle White" brand which was packaged in an 8% solution during processing.
I removed the backbone, and pressed down on the breast side to break the breast bone. This flattened the bird, opened the cavity up wide (really eliminated the cavity), and allowed me to use the backbone to make a stock for the dressing. I loosened the skin from the breast & legs with my fingers. I heavily applied the rub under the skin and to the former cavity area. Then I lightly sprinkled more rub to all the exterior skin. I did not wrap in plastic at all. I placed the bird in the fridge uncovered/unwrapped for 24 hours. This was the 1st time I've ever done this. I was amazed at how dry the skin was when I took the bird out of the fridge. I left the bird on the counter for about 1 hour. Before placing the bird in the cooker I applied vegetable oil to the skin. I used apple wood, and my Lang cooker ran between 250 F - 275 F most of the time. It took about 4 hours for the breast to reach an IT of 167 F. I let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving. The skin was very crispy & had a nice deep golden brown color. It was not dark at all. My apple wood is well seasoned & burns clean. I didn't use charcoal, this was an all wood cook (I always cook with all wood).
To sum it up, I don't think I'll be brining turkeys any longer. This was probably the best turkey I've BBQed to date.
Thanks for reading,
I didn't brine this year, instead I dry rubbed with an original, simple, salty rub...
3 parts sea salt
1 part freshly ground black pepper
1 part garlic powder
2 parts poultry seasoning
1 part = 1 tablespoon made enough rub for my 22.3 pound turkey.
This turkey was a "Honeysuckle White" brand which was packaged in an 8% solution during processing.
I removed the backbone, and pressed down on the breast side to break the breast bone. This flattened the bird, opened the cavity up wide (really eliminated the cavity), and allowed me to use the backbone to make a stock for the dressing. I loosened the skin from the breast & legs with my fingers. I heavily applied the rub under the skin and to the former cavity area. Then I lightly sprinkled more rub to all the exterior skin. I did not wrap in plastic at all. I placed the bird in the fridge uncovered/unwrapped for 24 hours. This was the 1st time I've ever done this. I was amazed at how dry the skin was when I took the bird out of the fridge. I left the bird on the counter for about 1 hour. Before placing the bird in the cooker I applied vegetable oil to the skin. I used apple wood, and my Lang cooker ran between 250 F - 275 F most of the time. It took about 4 hours for the breast to reach an IT of 167 F. I let it rest for about 30 minutes before carving. The skin was very crispy & had a nice deep golden brown color. It was not dark at all. My apple wood is well seasoned & burns clean. I didn't use charcoal, this was an all wood cook (I always cook with all wood).
To sum it up, I don't think I'll be brining turkeys any longer. This was probably the best turkey I've BBQed to date.
Thanks for reading,
