Pecan/Apple Smoke Turkey Breast & Growlers
Picked up a growler of Amber yesterday from my local brewery (man does not live by Jim Beam alone) and needed something to smoke with it. Decided on a turkey breast since that would take longer and give me ample time to put a dent in the growler 
What the hell is a growler? We’re not talking about the USS Growler, a small iceberg, a four-wheeled hansom cab from England, a sexual offender or any of the other slang phrases associated with the word – there are many. We’re talking about that which carries fresh beer from a brewery to your house. Growlers are filled straight from the tap, sealed with a twist-cap. Almost all brewpubs sell growlers these days, as do many breweries. And regardless of its true origin the growler is a great way to take home some fresh brew from a local brewery or brewpub.
Here’s the growler and the breast rubbed with a little Roasted Garlic EVOO and some spice
PID set to 250º, vent wide open, 3 hours of smoke (1 to 1 pecan/apple)
Turkey breast was only 6.4 lbs and took 3 hours to reach IT of 162º
Since it only took 3 hours, my bad, wound up with a 3 hour FTC instead of my preferred 1.5 to 2 hours.
Here’s the growler minus a couple of pints and the breast after FTC.
The $$$$ shot … plated with some steamed tatters, green beans, gravy and washed down with a pint of Amber
This is fun!!! I should pick up another growler
Here’s a shot of the growlers I collected this summer while visiting British Columbia, Yukon Territory, and Alaska.
Best part is all that great beer I got to taste before getting one filled and then drinking the one I chose
Share this with your friends:
Yoshida Smoked Chicken Drumsticks
Decided to try something new with Yoshida’s Original Gourmet Sweet & Savory Marinade & Cooking Sauce that I pick up at Costco. Over the years I have marinated among other things, pork chops and boneless chicken breasts overnight and then grilled them with great success. Was wondering what it would taste like if I marinaded some drumsticks before smoking. I was happy with the results and so decided to share
Marinated drumsticks overnight with Yoshida and 2 teaspoons of chopped garlic
PID/OBS @ 250º, vent wide open, and 2 hours of Special Blend smoke
Here are the drumsticks after 4 hours
Served with rice and pinto beans … note: skin looked great but was still rubbery
Share this with your friends:
Apple Cold Smoked Cheeses
As an avid lover of cheeses I have been biding my time till the weather cools here in Central California. Decided to just go for it and used the advise of various Forum member posts. Purchased and setup a smoke adapter and used ice in the bottom of the OBS.
Bought some cheese at Costco for the 1st smoke
Top rack: Kirkland Sharp Cheddar, Cabot Pepper Jack, and Yancey’s Fancy Horseradish Cheddar
2nd rack from top: Kirkland Monterey Jack and Costco Gouda
3rd rack from top: Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar (aged 3 years) and Jarlsberg Swiss
Cheese sat at room temperature for an hour. Placed in OBS @ 8:45 PM with an ambient temperature of 70º. Maverick temp measured below top rack was 67º with a tray of ice on the bottom. Applied 2 hours of Apple smoke
Was surprised at the amount of smoke generated. No wonder they say it tastes like an ashtray when first removed
After an hour the ambient temp dropped to 67º but the internal OBS temp rose to 78º
After 2 hours the ambient temp dropped to 65º and the internal OBS temp reached 81º
Here’s what it looked like
Let the cheese rest for an hour on the counter. It really reeked of smoke – like an ashtray. I know what an ashtray smells like cause I smoked for 30 years but quit 10+ years ago 
Was smart enough not to taste it, even though I kind of wanted to, cause everyone has said how bad it tastes
Vacuum packed and labeled for storage in the fridge for 3 to 4 weeks … Finished and hit the sack around 1 AM but it was worth it
Used 2 hours of Apple for the 1st smoke cause that seemed to be the most common postings. Only time will tell but I think the cheese will turn out great. The cheese will be a great hit at Thanksgiving along with some smoked turkey breast. Will report back in 3 to 4 weeks. Want to thank everyone that has shared their experiences with smoked cheese. It made my first cheese smoke easy. Thinking that an OBS temp of 81º should not have harmed to process.
Share this with your friends:
Oak Smoked Tri-Tip
Got the Tri-Tip ready for tomorrow with an initial rub of Annie’s Roasted Garlic EVOO and then with a mix of 50% Montreal Steak Seasoning and 50% Johnnies Garlic Spread & Seasoning. Never used this rub before but it should be good.
Here is the Tri-Tip ready to go in the fridge overnight. Had to rub my innards too Used a little JB Black to commemorate the use of Jim Beam bisquettes tomorrow. One can’t be too careful!!
OBS at 250º. Applied 7 bisquettes of Jim Beam.
Here is the tip after 3 hours … pulled at 140º IT
Sliced open after 45 minute FTC
The money $hot … served with some sauteed mushrooms/onions, beans, and grilled taters
Share this with your friends:
Cherry Smoked Cornish Game Hens
As I continue my learning curve I decided to smoke a couple of Rock Cornish Game Hens. A little $pricey$ @ $3.34 a lb considering what you can get chickens for but what the heck, I’ve always wanted to smoke a couple of these and after all, need to add to my repertoire
Here are the little guys ready for processing
Did some research on line and chose to remove the backbone for easier smoking
Rubbed each one with some Roasted Garlic EVOO and some Poultry Seasoning. Ready to go in
Preheated to 250ºF and using 2 hours of Cherry. Put em in 45 minutes ago. The ambient temp was 70ºF with a light breeze. The IT of the hens when inserted was 57ºF. Going to pull them at 170ºF and FTC them for 30 minutes.
Finished and devoured the Cornish Hens
Pulled them when the IT hit 170º and FTC for 20 minutes. Took 4 hours and 20 minutes to reach IT of 170º. Controlled the OBS with my Auber PID at a temp of 250º. Don’t know how or why I ever smoked without my PID!!!
Here they are before FTC. The skin was actually eatable
The money shot … A little rice and salad … Enjoy
Lessons learned:
First time I used Cherry bisquettes. Found them to be rather mild. Maybe cause there was only 2 hours of smoke. Either longer smoke or different bisquettes. Guess I’m becoming a smoke eater
At least now I can better plan dinner knowing that I need about 5 hours
