The Grill and BBQ thread

#6,851
#6,851
Has anyone ever smoked pheasants? I brought some back from a hunting trip and plan on smoking them on Saturday.
Most of the videos I have watched say to brine in saltwater or apple cider vinegar. Then wrap in bacon to smoke.
Any other tips would be appreciated.
 
#6,853
#6,853
give_him 6 said:
Due to the COVID restrictions, taking a smoked turkey down to my parents tomorrow.

View attachment 324911
Click to expand...

What steps did you take to smoke your turkey: Did you dry the skin and oil it to make it crispy? Did you pull the skin away from the breast by rubbing your hands underneath the skin? Did you add a rub? What smoker do you use and what temp did you smoke at?

I had to pull my turkey out of the Kamado Joe to finish in the oven because the skin was getting black and tearing everywhere. I was also afraid of the smoke from the charring drippings to flavor the turkey with too much smoke and ruin the taste of the turkey. I dried and oiled (olive) the skin after pulling the skin away from the breast to help smoke penetrate the meat. Smoked the Turkey @ 300°F until I pulled it out.

I was for sure thinking this bird was going to taste like crap and dry, buy everyone loved it and it was still very juicy (brined it for 18 hours). We used the juices to make a really good gravy that had a hint of smoke to it as well. I was so surprised the turkey turned out really good.
 
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#6,854
#6,854
zhangliao04 said:
What steps did you take to smoke your turkey: Did you dry the skin and oil it to make it crispy? Did you pull the skin away from the breast by rubbing your hands underneath the skin? Did you add a rub? What smoker do you use and what temp did you smoke at?

I had to pull my turkey out of the Kamado Joe to finish in the oven because the skin was getting black and tearing everywhere. I was also afraid of the smoke from the charring drippings to flavor the turkey with too much smoke and ruin the taste of the turkey. I dried and oiled (olive) the skin after pulling the skin away from the breast to help smoke penetrate the meat. Smoked the Turkey @ 300°F until I pulled it out.

I was for sure thinking this bird was going to taste like crap and dry, buy everyone loved it and it was still very juicy (brined it for 18 hours). We used the juices to make a really good gravy that had a hint of smoke to it as well. I was so surprised the turkey turned out really good.
Click to expand...

I actually smoked 4 turkeys this year for different family members, including one for ourselves. It was a bit exhausting trying to get it all done so that the turkeys were freshly smoked. Here are the steps that I took:

1. Wet Brine: I used Chef's Brine from Ace Hardware. I follow Chef Jason Morse and his Ace Hardware Grilling Videos (as well as Malcolm Reed). This was a very good brine for the money. I did not rinse the brine off following a 24-hour brining period. I did pat dry with some paper towels.

2. Injection: I injected the bird 6-7 times up and down each breast and in the thighs with a mix of chicken broth and a stick of salted butter. While it may be overkill to inject, I really prefer a moist turkey and several videos I followed recommended to inject. I don't usually inject for anything else that I smoke throughout the year.

3. Stuffing: I stuffed the cavity with white onion, garlic cloves, apple slices, celery, rosemary, thyme, and sage.

4. Rub: I lightly coated with olive oil for a binder and then gave it a light coating of Traeger Poultry Rub (Apple and Honey). I did not pull the skin back but I need to look into that next time.

5. The Smoke: I put it on my Traeger 34 Pro Series (Gen1) and used Alder wood pellets. The smoker was set to 300 degrees. I had watched a Malcolm Reed video and he would go out every 45 minutes to an hour and baste the turkey with a liquid butter to keep the skin golden. He didn't rub the butter on the turkey as he would just let it drop from the brush. He also rotated the turkey each time. So I followed these steps. When the turkey got to 145 degrees, I transferred it to a roasting pan and added to the roasting pan some of the chicken stock/butter that I had injected it with earlier. I did this to try to prevent it from getting crispy near the bottom areas of the turkey. I pulled the turkey once it got to the 165 to 170 temperature in the breast. I let it rest for about 40 minutes after bringing it inside before carving it up.
 
#6,855
#6,855
give_him 6 said:
I actually smoked 4 turkeys this year for different family members, including one for ourselves. It was a bit exhausting trying to get it all done so that the turkeys were freshly smoked. Here are the steps that I took:

1. Wet Brine: I used Chef's Brine from Ace Hardware. I follow Chef Jason Morse and his Ace Hardware Grilling Videos (as well as Malcolm Reed). This was a very good brine for the money. I did not rinse the brine off following a 24-hour brining period. I did pat dry with some paper towels.

2. Injection: I injected the bird 6-7 times up and down each breast and in the thighs with a mix of chicken broth and a stick of salted butter. While it may be overkill to inject, I really prefer a moist turkey and several videos I followed recommended to inject. I don't usually inject for anything else that I smoke throughout the year.

3. Stuffing: I stuffed the cavity with white onion, garlic cloves, apple slices, celery, rosemary, thyme, and sage.

4. Rub: I lightly coated with olive oil for a binder and then gave it a light coating of Traeger Poultry Rub (Apple and Honey). I did not pull the skin back but I need to look into that next time.

5. The Smoke: I put it on my Traeger 34 Pro Series (Gen1) and used Alder wood pellets. The smoker was set to 300 degrees. I had watched a Malcolm Reed video and he would go out every 45 minutes to an hour and baste the turkey with a liquid butter to keep the skin golden. He didn't rub the butter on the turkey as he would just let it drop from the brush. He also rotated the turkey each time. So I followed these steps. When the turkey got to 145 degrees, I transferred it to a roasting pan and added to the roasting pan some of the chicken stock/butter that I had injected it with earlier. I did this to try to prevent it from getting crispy near the bottom areas of the turkey. I pulled the turkey once it got to the 165 to 170 temperature in the breast. I let it rest for about 40 minutes after bringing it inside before carving it up.
Click to expand...

Hmm, I was following all of this to the "t" and my turkey's skin still came out with a burnt look. No idea why. Maybe because I used a Kamado Joe? I don't know, but even though the skin was blackened it was still stretchy. I too followed Malcolm's video where I sprayed the turkey with olive oil and then put an all-purpose seasoning of salt, black pepper, and garlic and then some Swine Life Mississippi Grind to give it a good taste and color.

Another thing is I had a drip pan and the drippings were just burning and creating a smoke that I didn't want penetrating and ruining the turkey. So next time I'm going to just sit the turkey in the drip pan and smoke it I guess.
 
#6,856
#6,856
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#6,865
#6,865
I don't have any pics to show, but I smoke my own slab of bacon a couple of weeks ago. Just tried it for the first time yesterday. It was really good! I may try to make this my main way of getting bacon.
 
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#6,868
#6,868
goldenvol said:
Did you have sugar in your rub
Click to expand...
Honey in the mop. I realized too late how it would char. I thought about taking it off around 150 and deli slicing it. Maybe next time. It’s at ~195 now so I’ll be pulling it soon to rest while the sides are prepped. It should have a nice crispy skin.

I’m also a rotisserie rookie but I’m working on it. I also got an eye of round roast to try.
 
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#6,869
#6,869
volmanbill said:
Honey in the mop. I realized too late how it would char. I thought about taking it off around 150 and deli slicing it. Maybe next time. It’s at ~195 now so I’ll be pulling it soon to rest while the sides are prepped. It should have a nice crispy skin.

I’m also a rotisserie rookie but I’m working on it. I also got an eye of round roast to try.
Click to expand...
I wasn't trying to say anything negative. I just noticed that sugar usually chars very quickly. I learned this the hard way. I'm a novice when it come to these matters. I usually just go with regular spices and smoke which are much easier.
 
#6,870
#6,870
goldenvol said:
I wasn't trying to say anything negative. I just noticed that sugar usually chars very quickly. I learned this the hard way. I'm a novice when it come to these matters. I usually just go with regular spices and smoke which are much easier.
Click to expand...
I didn’t take it that way. I had already told my wife that one edge was going to be charred because I forgot to turn the rotisserie on after adjusting it. Lol. BBQ’ing isn’t too serious unless it’s a holiday. Trial and error and try some more.
 
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#6,872
#6,872
Anybody got experience with an Oklahoma Joe smoker? I’m pretty sure it’s the Walmart house brand. Gonna try my hand at smoking, curious as to if this one is a good starter set.
 
#6,874
#6,874
I cooked my 1st tri-tip on Monday. I ordered it from Fresh Wagyu Beef Delivered To Your Doorstep | Wodagyu

It was on the small side, about 1.75 lbs. and I did a reverse sear on it. It's going into the rotation.

I have another order arriving from them today with 2 short ribs plates (5 lbs each), (6) 8oz. top sirloins, and a 1.25 lb. skirt steak.
 
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