Wood Pellet Grill Smoked Turkey
Just smoked my last frozen turkey lost leader that I picked up last Thanksgiving. Don't you just love it when your local grocery store practically gives the turkeys away just to get you in the door? It allows us to have some wood pellet grill smoked turkey every month or so for the rest of the year. But this year I didn't plan ahead well enough. Now the next turkey will be costing me around $1.50 or more per pound. It's still a great price when compared to other meats, poultry, and fish.
This time of year it's almost impossible to find a fresh young 13 to 15 pound turkey so I started with my last frozen turkey. Make sure to properly thaw out the gobbler in the refrigerator. This will take you about 3 to 4 days. Nowadays I don't do anything with the giblets anymore cause I don't make fresh gravy like the old days. I use a quick and easy mix.
Remove the neck and bags of giblets from the cavity. Rinse the turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Trim the excess fat & skin from the bird. I take time to peal back the skin of the breast and drumsticks while leaving it intact. Rub under the skin of the breast and drumsticks with [easyazon_link keywords="california olive ranch" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]roasted garlic extra virgin olive oil[/easyazon_link] (EVOO) before applying a medium dusting of Jan's Original Dry Rub. Lightly rub EVOO on the skin of the turkey and lightly dust with Jan's Original Dry Rub. Wrap the turkey in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours.
Hickory smoking a young 13 to 15 pound turkey is extremely simple on any wood pellet smoker-grill. My personal choice of grill is the MAK 2 Star General. Preheat your wood pellet smoker-grill with hickory wood pellets to 200ºF and smoke the turkey for 2 hours. After 2 hours of hickory smoke increase the grill pit temperature to 350ºF and roast until the [easyazon_link keywords="Maverick ET-735" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]internal temperature[/easyazon_link] at the thickest part of the breast reaches 170ºF. Should take a total time of about 3½ to 4 hours to fully come to temp. Rest the turkey loosely under a foil tent for 20 minutes before carving and serving.
Wood Pellet Grilled Steaks
The general consensus in some circles is that you can't grill on a wood pellet barbecue smoker-grill. This is true for many if not most wood pellet smoker-grills today because they are designed to only provide indirect cooking capabilities. However, there are a large handful of manufacturers that provide the technology for direct grilling. A MAK 2 Star General and a [easyazon_link identifier="B010RFO0CG" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Green Mountain Grills[/easyazon_link] Davey Crockett are two of those units that have direct grilling. Both are capable of reaching temperatures over 500ºF and in conjunction with searing grates produce scrumptious steak house results. Who wouldn't want to sink their teeth into a beautifully 1½ inch grilled to perfection medium-rare steak.
While pre-heating your wood pellet barbecue smoker-grill to 450º-500ºF, like a MAK 2 Star, allow your steaks to rest at room temperature. Rub the steaks on all sides with [easyazon_link keywords="california olive ranch" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]extra virgin olive oil[/easyazon_link] and Pete's Western Rub [easyazon_link keywords="1612435599" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"](page 169 of my cookbook)[/easyazon_link].
Using searing grates grill the steaks for a couple of minutes before using a [easyazon_link identifier="B0000DDVQS" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]pig tail food flipper[/easyazon_link] to rotate the steaks 90º in order to achieve those beautiful cross grill marks. Flip the steaks over using the food flipper and grill them to an [easyazon_link keywords="Thermapen Mk4" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]internal temperature[/easyazon_link] of 135º (medium-rare) or 145ºF (medium) depending on your preference. Don't forget to rest your steaks for 5 minutes before serving.
When using a [easyazon_link identifier="B0000DDVQS" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]pig tail food flipper[/easyazon_link] grab the meat by the fat in order not to pierce the meat.
You haven't lived until you've tasted baked potatoes using a Char-Broil [easyazon_link keywords="B018YSDC4U" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Big Easy Infrared Smoker, Roaster, and Grill[/easyazon_link] (SRG). Lightly rub the potatoes with [easyazon_link keywords="california olive ranch" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]extra virgin olive oil[/easyazon_link] and season all sides with Fagundes seasoning. With the SRG on high and the lid open bake the potatoes for 1½ to 2 hours until the [easyazon_link keywords="Thermapen Mk4" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]internal temperature[/easyazon_link] reaches 210ºF.
The Wood Pellet Smoker & Grill Cookbook
Here's a sneak peak of the covers of my upcoming book The Wood Pellet Smoker & Grill Cookbook. The cookbook will be available on May 24, 2016 but you can Pre-Order your copy now from either [easyazon_link keywords="1612435599" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Amazon[/easyazon_link] or Barnes & Nobles.
Click Here to download a pdf version of the press release for the cookbook from the publisher, Ulysses Press.
Smoked Beef & Pork Meatloaf
You've heard the old saying -> "This ain't your Mama's meatloaf!" <- Right? No? Well, you have now ... This MAK 2 Star wood pellet smoker-grill Smoked Beef & Pork Meatloaf will change your opinion of any meatloaf forever. Whether or not you use your favorite meatloaf recipe passed down for generations or my favorite recipe which includes ground beef and pork sausage with tomato sauce and a sprinkling of seasonings.
I used 1 pound of 80/20 ground beef and 1 pound of Jim Dean pork sausage. Mixed the meats with finely diced red onion, 3 eggs, Italian bread crumbs, tomato sauce, garlic, seasoned salt, garlic salt, and black pepper. I usually season thinks by feel - a dash of this and a dash of that. I slowly add bread crumbs until the meat achieves the right consistency - If too dry, add some tomato sauce - if too wet, add some bread crumbs. If you're like me and love meatloaf you've made hundreds of loaves and should have a feel for your meatloaf recipe. If not then please request the recipe in the comments section.
Formed 2 meatloaves and created a small cavity at the top of each loaf for tomato sauce. Preheated the MAK 2 Star wood pellet smoker-grill to 180ºF (Smoke setting) and smoked the loaves with [easyazon_link keywords="Hickory wood pellets" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]Hickory[/easyazon_link] for an hour. Filled the loaf cavities with tomato sauce, increased the pit temperature to 350ºF and cook until the [easyazon_link keywords="digital Thermapen instant read thermometer" locale="US" tag="ftd-20"]internal temperature[/easyazon_link] of the loaves reach 165ºF. Rest for 10 minutes loosely under a foil tent before serving.
Culinary King LED Barbecue Grill Light Review
I found that using the Culinary King LED Barbecue Grill Light is literally as clear as night and day! We have all struggled for years to see what we're cooking in the evenings and those overnight cooks. If you're like me you've tried all sorts of ways to light up your grill in order to check the progress of your cooks or wood pellet level. I've used a gamut of methods - from those miner lamps you strap to your head to holding a small flashlight between your teeth. Fortunately, when using the Culinary King LED Barbecue Grill Light those days are over with for ever!
Baked a pizza the other day and without my Culinary King LED Barbecue Grill Light I never would have seen the pie well enough to gauge when to rotate the pie and achieve that great crispy crust you get from a wood pellet BBQ smoker-grill like a MAK 2 Star General. As you can see in the photos above it's as clear as night and day!
The 10 Ultra-bright LED Lights emit an extremely bright beam that is adjustable using one of the 3 brightness levels via a sensor touch. I love the fully adjustable 120º - 360º rotation capability and the ability to easily clamp the light to my different grills. Takes just seconds to clamp the LED light on my MAK 2 Star, Green Mountain Grill Davy Crockett or Traeger PTG grills.
The light has a Lifetime Guarantee, can be used in all weather conditions, and has a 50,000 Hour Lifespan. Doesn't get any better than that! I also like the fact that I can use it on my bicycle for those early evening rides in the summer or as a flashlight to light my path when taking a stroll around the RV park.
By far, this is the best LED Barbecue light I have ever found and used. I would highly recommend this light to anyone looking for a bright, versatile, fully-adjustable way to clearly keep an eye on your evening cooks. No more barbecuing with a headlamp strapped to my head in the dark!!