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Turkey on the Big Green Egg

[Editors Note: LIVE POST!]

I've attempted smoking a whole turkey on the Big Green Egg once before. This time, after enjoying a fantastic turkey on Thanskgiving at my little sisters home that my brother in law brined, I decided to do the same.  I have a 10 pound turkey that has been soaking in this brine just shy of 24 hours from one of my favorite cooks, The Pioneer Woman.   This is a fresh bird - it has not been frozen.

I've rinced the brine off the turkey and its had a nice rub down (inside and out) consisting of fresh chopped herbs (thyme, rosemary and sage) and garlic mashed into butter with a splash of olive oil, salt and pepper.

The Big Green Egg has been heated up to about 500 degrees - I know once the place setter and bird are in the egg, the temp will be closer to 300 - 325%.  I have alder chips soaking that I'll be using to enhance the smoke.

While this is all taking place, I have sauteed the giblets in some butter with onion, celery, garlic and a little andoulie sausage for gravy later.  Once the giblets were golden and onions were soft, I added water to fill the pot and have continued to add water as this has been simmering for a few hours.

After the bird was buttered up, I stuffed it with fresh rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic and a few slices of sweet onion and lemon.  A few recipes I've seen call for spashing the turkey with a half bottle of white wine - I gave it closer to one glass.  I can't bear to sacrifice a half-bottle of wine on the outside of a turkey!

It's on the grill as of 2:55 pm.  We'll see if it's ready in time for dinner!  My goal is to baste the turkey every half hour and add additional soaked chips at that time.

4:45 pm:  the house smells great thanks to the giblets that have been simmering most of the day and the bird is looking pretty good too!  I've been faithfully basting it and adding soaked wood chips every half hour or so.

By the way, don't judge my bird by this photo...she ain't done yet!

6:45 pm: turkey is still on the egg and the coals are starting to give out... we may have to finish this bird in the oven - stay tuned!

7:20 pm: made an executive decision, the coals are not getting warmer and we're all starting to get a bit hungry so we moved the bird inside into the temp controlled oven. Before submitting the bird to the 350 oven, we flipped it (yes we flipped the bird) after moving it to a new pan (on the same v-rack) and reserving the juices and fat for the gravy.

Back to the gravy, I poured the liquids from the backing pan into a big glass measuring cup and moved it to the fridge so the fat and juice can part their ways.  BUT WAIT!! I still have my simmering giblets that I have strained to remove the veggies and have cut the giblets into smaller chunks.  I have a fresh large fry pan that I have melted about 1-2 tablespoons of butter and I'm using about 1/4 cup of fat from the drippings to start my gravy.  I've sprinkled in some Wondra (fancy flour) to start my gravy.  Once the fat and juice is cleary separated in my glass measuring cup in the fridge, I'll remove the fat and add those tasty juices to my gravy.  I did take a couple ladles of my giblet brew to my pan that I was smoking the turkey in the BGE to help retrieve the "good bits" and added that back to the gravy.

It's all about gravy - no, it's the bird, or is it the gravy?  I do have some potatoes boiling for garlic mashers...yep!

okay... I'm going to spare you an updated photo of the carcass.   

Dinner was a hit!  Gravy and the bird were terrific.  I did use my Viking hand blender to make to swirl the gizzards into tasty chunkless goo.  

Pork Carnitas on the Big Green Egg

Hubby and the kids are hiking around on Mount Baker and won't be home until dinner which gives me plenty of time to (1) enjoy having the house to myself and (2) slow cook something wonderful on the Big Green Egg.  I've always wanted to try carnitas so today's my chance.  First I had to make a trip to True Value in West Seattle for a cast iron Dutch oven because I just couldn't see using one of my nice pots on the BGE.

The Big Green Egg is heating up to about 300 - 350 with some wood chips soaking (alder only because that's all I have on hand) while I cut 4-5 lbs country style pork ribs into thirds...some have bones and that's okay with me.  I'll just pick them out later!  I've added 1 diced onion, 1 head of garlic cut in half (I may have gone overboard here), 2 cinnimon sticks, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of cumin.  1 cup of orange juice (I tried to do fresh squeezed but had to add some store bought juice since I was very shy of the cup) and 1 tablespoon of grated zest from the orange.  I top this goodness with chicken broth until everything is submerged...I actually came up a little short on the broth (what I had in the fridge) so instead of opening a whole new box of broth, I'm using a little left over beef broth (shh...don't tell anyone...I love cleaning out the fridge).

It's about 1:45pm and the pork is on the BGE at 350 with no lid on the dutch oven and the BGE lid closed.  Now I can go walk my old pug and clean up the kitchen while this cooks for about an hour.  

3:00 and the pork is still simmering away. I just gave it a good stir and I'm going to let it simmer some more.  I also used this opportunity to add more chips for smoke.  I'll check again in about an hour or so... now I'm starting to wonder if this will get done in time for dinner!

4:00 and we have progress! I'm beginning to think we WILL have carnitas for dinner tonight!

5:00pm: my BGE has been stuck at 300 degrees for the last hour which would be great if we were having dinner at 7:00... I had to remove the cast iron pot of pork, the indirect plate insert and add more lump coal. I need this to get cranked up closer to 350 or I'll be making frozen pizza for a hungry son.

6:00pm: my hikers aren't back home yet but I know they will be any minute!  And the carnitas are doing great... I've seen some recipes where they add peanut oil to help it carmalize and crisp...it just doesn't sound good to me.  I'm adding a tablespoon of bacon grease (I save my bacon grease drippings)...this is a pork dinner, right?

I'm roasting some jalepenos on the side and I'm making a rice, tomato & bean dish...if it turns out, I'll try to remember my recipe.  UPDATE: it turned out pretty darn good!  Click the link above for the recipe.

I'll update this post with a photo of the finished product: DINNER!!

 

Grilled Figs wrapped in Prosciutto

I think just about anything is better when it's wrapped in prosciutto... I picked up some fresh figs that were on sale at Metropolitan Market in West Seattle the other day. When I got home, I wondered "now what?!!" 

I decided to grill them and this recipe is very easy, delicious and forgiving. 

Heat up your grill nice and hot (I used gas, for ease, but the Big Green Egg would do nicely too). The idea is to quickly crisp the prosciutto and over-melt the cheese.

I washed the figs and split them in half and placing them "flesh up" on a plate. 

Next I drizzled some honey over the flesh and topped each one with a spoonful of crumbled blue cheese.

Then I wrapped each half with a thin piece of prosciutto leaving the seam on the bottom of the fruit.

Place the bottoms (seam side) first on the hot grill.

It doesn't take long for the prosciutto to crisp, maybe a minute or two.  Once it's crisp, flip over for just a minute (if that) to warm up the cheese.  I didn't try to crisp the cheese side as I was afraid the blue cheese would ooze out of it.

Remove from grill and top with a little fresh pepper.

Devour!

 

Clams and Lobster on the Big Green Egg with Grilled Corn Salad

When my husband realized that I was cooking the clams on the BGE instead of steaming them, he said "what???"  It was a great dinner and very simple to make.

Lobster tails are on sale right now at Metropolitan Market in West Seattle for Father's Day (about $5 per tail) so I couldn't resist giving them a try.

Soak a cedar plank for about an hour or longer in water.  While the plank soaked, I also soaked 2 ears of corn to make a grilled corn salad for a side.  This is also a good time to get the Big Green Egg heating up.  Once the grill was hot, I tossed the corn (in husks) on for the salad.  Grilled corn salad can be as complicated or easy as you'd like.  I went easy with just adding some mayo and pick-a-pepper hot sauce for dressing and adding in some of the ingredients from the clams (chopped parsley and shallots) and a squeeze of lime.

Once the corn is grilled, remove it to cool to room temp for the salad.  Now it's time to add the lobster.  Lightly brush olive oil on the cedar plank and on the lobster tails.  Pepper and salt and put on the Big Green Egg.   

After about 5 minutes or so, the clams can be added to the grill.  I had roughly a pound of clams and splashed them with some white wine.  Shut the lid and cook until the clams are open and the lobster is done.  I used this clam recipe with the grilled bread (half recipe).

Seriously good enough for company! 

Graduation Party

We're planning a high school graduation party for my son this weekend. Here's the menu:

• Pulled pork sliders
• Cole slaw
• Teriyaki Meatballs 
• Mexican Layer Dip and Chips
• Three-Cheese Mini Macs
• Antipasto Pasta Salad
• Deconstructed Ceaser Salad (centerpiece for a veggie tray)
• Sliced melons with berries

What am I forgetting?  We'll find out soon! 

Desert will be s'mores by the fire and chocolate cake.  Seattle is supposed to have beautiful weather this weekend...we really lucked out since our house is small but we have large sunny decks.

I'll update this post with tips and what I learned about this event.

Update 6/4/2011:  

3 Days Before: Brine pork overnight.

2 Days Before: Remove pork from brine and rub down with favorite dry rub (I used a Tom Douglas "Pork Rub with Love" for this party).

1 Day Before:

• Mixed all ingrediants for the mini-macs.  Served my tired son (senior party was the night before) a test bowl before the yolk is added and he said that it's best mac and cheese ever.  It's ready to scope, bake and serve.
• Mixed most of the ingrediants for the antipasta salad. I drizzled some olive oil on the pasta to prevent it from sticking but did not add the dressing (I don't want it to separate) or the chopped parsley and basil. I want the herbs to be as fresh as possible. I also added roasted peppers to this recipe.
• Smoked my 8 lb pork shoulder for over 10 hours and it never reached 180 internally. I'm going to try finishing this in a crock pot so it will also stay warm during the party.

Update June 7, 2011:

This menu was a huge hit.  Even the Deconstructed Ceaser Salad (which was so easy it's ridiculous) received rave reviews...my guest loved the presentation and snacked on whole romain leaves topped with the dressing, cheese and croutons.  With the mini-macs, the only change I would make would be to add a smidge more paprika...however it was super easy to scoop into the mini-muffin cups and bake as needed.  

Spicy Red Beans and Rice

We smoked a ham on our Big Green Egg to compliment the family's turkey this Thanksgiving which means we have the benefit of the ham bone and leftovers!  Typically I like to make a white bean soup but I decided to try something that would be extra pleasing to my hubby and perfect for watching football:  Red Beans and Rice.

I used this recipe for Red Beans and Rice on Epicurious for a base.  Here are the adjustments I made:

First of all, I used three cans of organic red kidney beans.  I did not have to soak any beans over night or risk having tough uncooked beans.

I began with sauteing the vegetables.  I substituted red pepper for green (I tend to always swap out red for green peppers in just about any recipe) and I added diced carrots.  The mushrooms seemed strange BUT I kept them and I highly recommend you do too--especially if you do porcini.   After adding the mushrooms, I add the ham bone (instead of a ham hock) and the andouille sausage (I saw no reason to fry it in butter and add later as the recipe calls for).  

In addition to the spices in this recipe, I added 1/2 teaspoon each of allspice, ground cloves and cayanne pepper (you can go lighter on the cayanne, if you wish).

After letting these flavors marry, I then added 6-8 cups of beef broth (I did not add water) and the broth from the porcini mushrooms to cover the bone and all the goodness inside.  DO NOT ADD THE BEANS YET.  I let this mixture simmer (after coming to a boil) for about an hour before adding the beans.  

When I add the beans, I first drained and rinced them and then reserved about half a can which I smushed with a fork before adding to the pot.  I let this pot simmer on low for a couple hours. 

Serve over steamed white rice topped with fresh sliced green onions (I did not do chives).

DELISH!!

We enjoyed a 2006 Serendipity Zinfindel from Lamborn Family Vineyards.  A fruity zin goes pairs nice with the spice and smoked meats in this dish.

Chicken and Sausage Paella on the Big Green Egg

 
We had family over earlier this month to celebrate Mothers Day and May birthdays.  I love seafood paella but wasn't sure if the rest of my family would be okay with it so I decided to make a chicken version instead and serve clams cataplana on the side.  It was a hit! 

I think it really helps to have everything prepped in advance when making paella. 

The night before I marinated the chicken.  I used boneless chicken thighs and cut them in half.  In a glass bowl, I added some lemon juice, Spanish olive oil, paprika, saffron salt and pepper.  I found the smaller chunks of chicken worked better than the whole thighs, plus I was feeding a crowd.

I also sliced linguica (I decided not to do hard chorizo) and added fresh asparagus. 

Get your grill up to 400 degrees.   Add olive oil and fry the chicken pieces.  Add onions until they're soft and then add linguica (spicy sausage).   Next comes some garlic followed with rice.   Stir the rice around and then add  your liquids (white wine that has been warmed with saffron, chicken broth, etc.).   Give the Paella one last stir.

Close the lid and cook until rice just about cooked through and beginning to turn gold on the bottom.

Add your vegtables.  It's nice to create a design on top.  I used red peppers and aspargus for this Paella.  Fresh green beans work great too.  

I Won a Recipe Contest

Rich's Home Spa recently held a competition for recipe's using a Big Green Egg.  They must have seen my updates about what I'm making for dinner on Twitter (something that I often do when I'm not quoting mortgage rates) and they invited me to submit a recipe.

I decided to enter my Jambalaya Stuffed Peppers and...I won the new Big Green Egg Cookbook.  The book is huge and full of beautiful photographs and great recipes. 

Speaking of Big Green Egg, this coming weekend, on June 5, 2010 in Kent, the Fourth Annual Pacific Northwest Evergreen Eggfest.  This is a one of a kind event -- you do have to pre-register to get an invite.   For more information, click here.  

The Spanish Table's Paella on the Big Green Egg

Yesterday we went to the Spanish Table in Seattle to buy a paella pan.   The Spanish Table is a great store and if you have one in your area, I highly recommend checking it out.   

I decided to make the paella on the Big Green Egg.  My pan rested a couple inches above the grate hanging by the handles.  This is actually a little unnerving.  It did wobble a couple of times.  I wanted to be able to close the lid and there was no other way (that I could see) to cook with my new pan on the BGE.

Here is the recipe I used for our paella which the Spanish Table gave to me with my pan.  It's also one of the paella recipes that they have in their cook book: The Spanish Table.  I decided to make enough for 6 people--I think I wound up making enough for 10-12!  Paella really should be enjoyed by a group--especially for a celebration.  This dish took me an easy two hours to make with all the prep.

You'll want your temp around 400 degrees.  I left the bottom open all the way for a majority of the cooking.

Follow the recipe for the saffron and white wine.

Something that I did not do this time, but the next is to season the chicken more.   I used 6 chicken thighs and I did use Saffron salt and pepper.  I may season it with paprika and let the chicken absorb the spices in the fridge for a few hours before cooking.

Add a generous amount of olive oil in the pan and place on the grill.  Once hot (won't take long) add the chicken.  Once the chicken in brown, add the chopped onions (in the photo above, you can tell that I didn't wait long enough to add the onion).   Once the onion is soft, add the chorizo (I used hard chorizo) and then the garlic.  I don't like to add the garlic too early because it may burn and that's not a good taste (in my opinion).   Spread the chicken, onions, garlic and chorizo around the pan. 

I added the Spanish paprika to the grated tomato when I prepped all the ingredients.  I highly recommend prepping all the ingredients before you start cooking as the dish is assembled pretty quickly.

Add the rice (I used the whole bag) and stir around until coated in the mixture and then add the tomato/paprika dish followed by saffron/wine and broth.  I used room temperature broth from a box and it worked fine. 

I shut the lid of the Big Green Egg until the rice began to boil.  I gave the dish one last stir (you want the rice to develop a tasty crust on the bottom of the pan).   Be patient with the rice--allowing it to cook all the way and adding more broth if needed (about 15 minutes).   If  your BGE is too hot you can adjust the heat by closing the bottom half way.

Add the peppers and sprinkle the paella with peas.  I used an organic frozen peas (defrosted in warm water and drained).

Add cleaned prawns, mussels and clams and close the lid until the shrimp are pink and the shells are opened.

Top with chopped parsley.

Carefully remove paella from Big Green Egg.   Season with Saffron salt and pepper.   I let the dish sit for about 5 minutes and then we all digged in.   It was great!   I did taste a nice hint of smoke from cooking this dish on the grill.

We enjoyed this with a 2003 Bodegas LAN Rioja Limitda Edicion. 

Jambalaya Stuffed Bell Peppers on the Big Green Egg

I've always wanted to try this... stuff a bell pepper full of left over Jambalaya... why not smoke it on the Big Green Egg and go all the way!

This is an experiment...I'm writing the post as I'm making dinner.   Not everyone in my house is a fan of stuffed peppers so I'm making jambalaya for them and stuffing peppers with the extra.   Metropolitan Market has had red and yellow bell peppers on sale so I have 2 of each that I'm getting ready to blanch for 5 minutes.  I'm steaming one cup of white rice whichI'm going to blend in some of my meat/veggie base just so that we can all eat together (the remainder of the jambalaya will have the rice cook in it while my stuffed peppers are smoking away on the BGE)... at least this is the plan!

I'm going to saute 3 andouille sausages with some diced tasso hamw/evoo in a deep pan while I cook 4 chicken thighs outside on the BGE(I'm running out of time so I'll do the thighs in the BGE next time) in the oven at 375.   Nothing fancy, they've just had some Emerill's Essence seasoning sprinkled on them.  The Big Green Egg will ideally be at 350.   The sausage and ham are just cooked long enough to lightly brown and release some juices to saute the vegetables in.  Remove the meats and add one diced onion, one diced bell pepper (green would have been pretty, I had red) and one (or two) stalks celerysliced.  After the vegetables are soft, I add minced garlic and then two cans of Muir Glen Diced Tomatoes.   Add one bay leaf, some oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste.  Add cooked rice (to your liking) and I decided to add about a tablespoon of tomato pasteto about 1-1.5 cups of the jambalaya mixture (the remaining I'm adding uncooked rice to for my non-pepper peeps and finishing like regular jambalaya).

Ideally I would assemble the peppers and place them in a disposable aluminum pan but I seem to be out!  Instead, I doubled up to sheets of foil and lined my rib rack to create a "boat" for the stuffed peppers.

The stuffed peppers baked at 350-400 degrees for about a half hour and came out delicious.  I think next time I'll add some soaked wood chips to go for a smokier flavor and use leftover jambalaya just to save time.