Hickory Smoked Turkey

So, this year we decided to smoke our Thanksgiving turkey. There's several ways to do this, but I'm just going to explain how we did it this year. And any mistakes we made. Not that we made any. I would never make any mistake.

. . .

Quit laughing.

The Details:

Soak hickory chips in water for a few hours before cooking. Fill smoker pan with charcoal and saturate with lighter fluid. Wait a few minutes to let the lighter fluid soak in and then light. While that is burning down, remove all giblets from thawed turkey and rinse with cold water. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and seasoning salt, rubbing into skin and into body cavity. When charcoal has burned down, add some of the hickory chips to the coals. Combine 1/2 cup barbecue sauce and 1/2 cup Dale's sauce with enough water to fill water pan and place in smoker. Place turkey on rack. Close lid. Remember to check the water level often and add more water when needed. Add more coals and hickory chips as needed to keep the smoker at its ideal temperature according to its manufacture's instructions. Turkey is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees, about 8 to 12 hours.

We have this smoker, is case you were wondering. The mistake I mention? We weren't able to keep the smoker at its ideal temperature the whole time, and as a result had to stick the turkey in the oven the last hour to get it done in time. I think it would have gone better if we had a charcoal starter to start the charcoal before adding to the smoker while cooking. Or at least removing the turkey halfway through and restarting the coals. But either way it tasted great and we will be doing it again. Might try injecting the bird with some marinade next time. And keeping it hot enough, of course.

Happy Cooking!

The Feast

As promised, our Thanksgiving meal!

Turkey

We smoked our Turkey this year, and it turned out great! I will be sharing exactly what I did in a later post.

Baked Mac and Cheese

Cornbread

Rolls

I did two different types of rolls, but used the same recipe. The cloverleaf ones are similar to the ones I made here, but I used a different recipe, which I will share later on.

Collard Greens

Mashed Potatoes

Lima Beans

Black-eyed Peas

Pecan Pie

Will have recipes up starting next week! Hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving!

Happy Cooking!

Enter his gates with thanksgiving

and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalms 100:4 NIV

 I will have pictures of our meal up later today, along with recipes to all of the dishes in the following weeks. Until then, here's a turkey!!

Can you really go eat turkey after seeing that?

Happy Eating!

Mini Party Pizza

I've started making these and freezing them to pop in the oven for a quick snack for the kids.

The Details:

Divide dough for one pizza crust into 8 pieces. Roll each into a ball and flatten. Top with sauce and toppings. Grease pan and sprinkle with cornmeal. Place mini pizzas on pan and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Ready to eat

To freeze, place pan in freezer until pizzas are frozen. Place pizzas in bags and leave in freezer until ready to cook. To cook, place on pan and cook at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes.

Ready to freeze

Simple and easy. I used the same crust and sauce I used here. If you use that recipe, it will make a total of 16 mini pizzas. You can make these ahead of time and use for parties, appetizers, or just about anything.

You can also make the crust and let everyone add their own topping before you bake them!

Happy Cooking!

Breaded Chicken Tenders

These are simply chicken tenders rolled in bread crumbs and fried.  Not too hard, but very tasty.

The Details:

Place 1 cup flour in bowl Beat 2 eggs in separate bowl. Mix together 1 cup bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste and place in separate bowl. Coat each chicken tender in flour, dip in egg, and coat in bread crumbs. Place chicken on heated oil in skillet and fry tenders approximately 7 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels.

You can also cook these in a deep fryer, just reduce total cooking time to about 7 minutes. You can also add garlic or your own choice of seasoning to bread crumbs. I like to make my own bread crumbs by taking day old bread, or toasting a few slices, and throwing them in the blender for a few seconds to get nice small crumbs.

Happy Cooking!

Bacon, Egg, and Cheese Biscuits

The picture doesn't do it justice. It was heaven. With bacon. Of course, all I had eaten all day was a pop tart, so that might have had something to do with it. But seriously, it simple, quick, and easy to make. And it has bacon!

The Details:

Slice a biscuit in half lengthwise. I used the same recipe I used here for the biscuits. Layer a slice of cheese, a scrambled egg, and a slice or two of bacon in the middle. Done!

Told you it was simple. You could also use shredded cheese if you wanted to. And add more bacon. Or use a tortilla instead of a biscuit to make a breakfast burrito. With bacon. I like bacon. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go heat up a pan.

. . .

What?

. . .

Yes, it might be to cook bacon. So what?

. . .

Oh, all right, I'll share.

Happy Cooking!

Venison Steak, Take One

Tried a new recipe for my deer steaks. It's similar to my beef tip recipe, but I used venison steak and changed the mix of ingredients a bit. The barbecue sauce gives the gravy a much different taste, but I rather like it.

The Details:

Brown venison steaks in large skillet. Add 1 cup water, 1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce, 1/4 cup vinigar, garlic, salt, and pepper to taste. Simmer over medium heat for approximately 30 minutes. For gravy, mix 2 tablespoons flour into 1/2 cup of cold water. Add to skillet. Simmer 15 more minutes. Serve.

As you can see, I served mine with mashed potatoes. You can also marinate the steaks to tenderize and add flavor.

Happy Cooking!

French Bread

A nice french bread to go with your dinner!

The Details:

5 Tablespoons yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 cups warm water

6 cups flour

cornmeal

1 egg white

1 Tablespoon water

Dissolve yeast, sugar, and salt in water. When foamy, add to 2 cups flour. Mix well. Continue to stir in remaining flour. Turn out unto floured surface and knead 7 to 8 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turning once to greased top. Cover, and let rise until doubled. Punch down and divide in half. Roll out each half of dough into a rectangle approximately 10 inches by 8 inches. Starting on long side, roll dough tightly into loaf. Pinch seams to seal. Grease pan and sprinkle with corn meal. Place loaves on pan and cut 4 diagonal slices across the top of each. Whisk together egg white and water. Brush over loaves. Let rise 20 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, brushing on additional egg and water halfway through. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.,

If you don't want to cook both loaves at the same time, you can always refrigerate or freeze the second loaf. I usually just freeze the unformed dough after the first rise, and then defrost in the refrigerator.

This bread is good served as is, or you can do a couple different things to it. When I cooked it this time, I cut it in half lengthwise, buttered it and added powdered garlic. I then wrapped it in foil and placed in a warm oven until the rest of my meal was ready. I served this bread with my spaghetti recipe. If you want a more crispy garlic bread, place the loaf opened under broiler until lightly toasted. You can also cut it in half lengthwise, open up, and sprinkle with choice of cheese and/or herbs. Place under broiler until cheese is melted.

Happy Cooking!