Hey Dude, Smoke Your Darn Turkey – Not just for Thanksgiving Anymore – Very Underrated and Inexpensive Protein – Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Turkey! – Gobble Gobble Gobble!
Did you say Turkey? Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Turkey! I thought that’s what you said.
When we reopened the downtown hog (The OG) after the renovation, I wanted to put a new smoked meat on the menu. I wanted something on the lighter side since the Pork Shoulders & Briskets of the world are a very substantial plate of BBQ.
Since we already do a Sicilian BBQ/Grilled Bone-In Chicken, I decided on Turkey. Turkey, Turkey, Turkey, Turkey! (clucking sound here)
As with any smoked meat, Turkey has its challenges, especially in a restaurant environment.
When I think of turkey, my first thought is making sure the white meat isn’t dry. Well, how do you ensure that doesn’t happen? A couple thoughts come to mind. Don’t over smoke the bird and brining the turkey prior to smoking.
We landed on a simple brine that works well with the birds we purchase. We also brine the meat for a specific amount of time, and that makes a big difference. If you leave it soaking too long, the Turkey doesn’t taste good and if you don’t brine it long enough, the bird tends to dry out.
Since Turkey can be of mild taste, I decided to hit it heavily with our proprietary BBQ Rub with added seasonings. After a couple runs, we came up with a version that adds flavor to the meat but doesn’t overpower the taste.
Another challenge with smoked Turkey is that it doesn’t have much intramuscular fat like beef. The cut is very temperamental and because of that, it doesn’t hold properly for any length of time in our CVAP cabinets. Hence, we smoke small batches throughout the day.
Typically, we will do an early morning turkey smoke. Lunch sales that day will determine if we do another smoke for dinner service. I tell you what, sometimes it’s a “Crap Shoot”. I will almost guarantee if you come early for lunch, turkey will always be available. At dinner time, not always. The moral to this paragraph is “come early and often” HAHAHA! “You like that”? Says Kirk Cousins”.
As of now, Smoked Turkey is only available at out Downtown Hog. Come springtime, I am rolling out a new menu which will be the same menu used at all locations. I’m definitely adding the smoked turkey to the new menu along with our handmade pork belly tacos, the spicy cornbread, and a couple other new items that are still bouncing around in my hard Sicilian noggin.
At our downtown location, you can order a smoked turkey sandwich or a smoked turkey platter. We also sell the turkey by the pound, especially for carry out orders.
My favorite way to have it is as a platter (1/2 pound of meat, two sides, cornbread & pickles) I prefer to accompany the turkey with the original Black Hog BBQ sauce. Personally I think it’s the best sauce that I developed next to the Mustard Sauce that just doesn’t get enough praise. Probably because it’s more of a regional taste and were not in that region.
Anyway, that’s enough of me gobbling. Stay tuned for the next behind the smoke episode.
Mike Tauraso – Pit Master-Owner