Lil Butterball

[pigsmoke]

Dang, Mr Hoss got me to fixatin on dat turykey, so now I gotta go and fix one my own self.

Last nite I went to... ahem, Walmart, and picked up a 9.5 lb Lil Butterball, its just like a giant chicken almost.
I brought it home and admired it for a minute.

Then I set about defrosting my little frozen dainty under running water, it would have taken too long to defrost in the fridge. Remember, this is the only safe way to defrost things quickly.

I put it in a brine overnite. This morning I rinsed the brine off, chopped some mirepoix and made a honey/butter/wine injection. The recipes for all these component are in the turkey thread started by Mr. Hoss.

Then... I stuffed her ass with the mirepoix, trussed up her legs and wings, injected her breasts with my potion and finally wiped her down with a little bit of cheap Italian salad dressing, just to help the skin get that nice golden brown wonderfulness.

I did all this right on the smoker rack, that-a-way I could just slide my little butterball directly into the machine.

...and now I'm off to play my guitar the rest of the day and wait for post-season baseball to come my way.
I'll follow up later this evening with the finished results. It's gonna be good.

mike...

 

[old sarge]

Looks like you're off to a great start.

 

[DivotMaker]

Looks great, Mike!  I was wondering how big we can go in our little #1s - great shot!  I was thinking around 10 lbs.  One question - I've always heard not to stuff the cavity for smoking...any thoughts on why people would recommend not stuffing?  I'm pretty sure the reference has always been to real "stuffing," not aromatics, but I'm not certain.    Can't wait to see the results! 

I think I'll go play my guitar, too, while I'm waiting!  ;D

 

[pigsmoke]

I put my lil butterball in the smoker at about 12:30 this afternoon.
I checked it at around 4:45 and it was up to 140F.
I went back inside to watch the Cardinals finish whooping the poor Pirates in game one of the NLDS.

so... here's how it looked at about 6:45pm.  It was up to 162F.
I turned the smoker off and went inside to have another beer.

at 7:30 I brought my little treasure inside and temp'd it one last time, a perfect 165F

and finally... disassembled for service
the first thing my wife said was "this is moist and tender".

For those following along at home, I DID NOT put any liquid in the smoker, nor did I baste the bird at any time.
For two reasons;
A) skin is an impervious membrane, it's meant to keep out moisture. Unlike fabricated beef and pork, you can actually cook a whole animal when it comes to poultry. It still has it's skin.
B) I brined the bird and injected it. That's really all you need to do with poultry.

My bird was 9.65 Lb according to the label
My bird was in the smoker for a total of 7 hours, about 6.5 of those with the heating element turned on
I used 1-7/8 oz of hickory wood

there you have it
mike...

 

[pigsmoke]

DivotMaker;  To answer your question I'm gonna quote myself, this came from an article I wrote a few years back about cooking turkeys...

<quote>
Ok, I have this argument every year with someone who insists that is it perfectly fine to cook a stuffing inside
the bird. This is one of the worst things you can do. Anything you stuff deep down inside the bird will be the very last thing that becomes fully cooked. This leaves an awfully long time for bacteria to fester in a nice, moist, warm environment while your waiting for your precious bird to reach its moment of perfection. Don't do it! Cook your stuffing outside the bird on the stovetop or in the oven in a seperate dish. No one will get sick. Remember, infants, small children, the elderly and people who are already in ill health are most susceptable to food borne illnesses. Don't put your guests at risk because you have some homey feeling about stuffing the bird the way grandma did it. 
It is perfectly ok however to stuff  your turkey with mirepoix and matignons, that is aromatic vegetables and flavorings. Make a simple mire poix by rough chopping equal parts onion, carrot and celery. Add some crushed garlic gloves if you like. Quarter some lemons and add them. You can also add some bouquet garni. Use dried or fresh rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, dill, marjoram, sage, tarragon. Don't over chef it. Use a few simple ingredients and then get out of their way. Stuffing the bird with mire poix and matignons will help flavor your meat, and make the drippings simply wonderful for producing a pan gravy to serve with your turkey. When your done cooking, and prior to slicing, remove this stuffing and discard it. 
</quote>

 

[DivotMaker]

Wow, Mike, that looks awesome!  I bet it tasted incredible, too!  Good advice on the stuffing; I never cook a turkey in the oven (or any other device) with stuffing in it - for the reasons you stated!  I'll try the mire poix route! (Thanks for broadening my vocabulary, too!)

 

[Smokster]

Mike, that turkey looks awesome and delicious.  I just picked up a butterball for a second attempt in the smoker.  You gave some nice food for thought.

 

[BIG BOB]

well done, i am gonna do a "trial run" on a large turkey breast before the pressure is on at Thanksgiving. - good work and great post.

the skin looked brown, did it have any crispiness?

 

[es1025]

Good stuff. I need to try a turkey before thanksgiving.

 

[old sarge]

That is one fine looking meal. 

 

[swthorpe]

Great job, pigsmoke!  I bet the turkey tasted even better than it looks.

 

[es1025]

Well done Mike.
I just purchased an 18 quart food grade container for $20.  Turkey will be happening in a couple of weeks.