Injected Turkey Recipe, Basic

SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS INJECTED RECIPE, that is tried and true. Another old friend of mine, Carl, fries many turkeys every holiday season for folks. It puts extra cash in his pocket. Carl is a Viet-Nam Vet buddy of mine. I have known him for years. I taught him how to smoke and BBQ Ribs, Pork Butts, etc. In fact, I sell him my Rib Rub whenever he has a catering job coming up. I wanted to take some pictures of him preparing and frying his turkeys, but he didn't want to obviously show any secrets. Oh well Carl, I won't give you my rib rub recipe either. I have made alot of money with my ribs, so why give that away. (Of course, I WILL sell the Rub as well as my sauce, both of which he buys. But, Basically all Carl does is use melted butter. He uses real butter, clarifies it, and injects his turkeys.

Carl Fries his Turkeys at about 350 degrees for about 3 min. per lb. He does not rub his turkey with anything, as he believes it just "burns" off during the frying. I tend to agree with that, since he is frying his as soon as he injects them. There is no holding over-nite, etc. Some cooks will season the outside of the turkey right before they fry it, thinking the seasoning will be in the oil, thus flavoring the bird. My opinion, is that it will just burn and blend into the oil. Again, it just depends on all of us "experts" who have mastered the whole thing.

Me personally, if I don't feel like mixing up a recipe for injecting, I prefer to buy the commercial jar, my favorite being "Creole Butter".

Well, I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Dinner. I won't be frying turkeys this year, as I will be working and preparing roasted turkeys breasts, squash/cornbread dressing, with all the trimmings at my job(300-500 people).
Most likely, my cooking for the holidays will be smoking hams and turkey breasts for my New Year's.

Any way you do it, let me know how it goes.

AS USUAL, THANKS FOR READING MY RAMBLINGS, AND HAVE A GREAT HOLIDAY! STEVO

Turkey Injected Recipes

A SIMPLE CAJUN RECIPE FOR YOU HERE, I acquired from an old cajun buddy who has been doing this for a long time. This guy cooks turkeys for other people every holiday. Extra money in the pocket.

Jim Guillory's Cajun Recipe:

An old friend of mine, Jim Guillory, from South Louisiana, is a true-blooded Cajun. I met Jim many years ago in Baton Rouge. He owned a meat shop where he sold his own Cajun Specialties. He had Stuffed/Smoked Pork Chops, which I know the recipe and technique for. He also made the best Boudin I ever had. I lived in the area for a couple of years, and immersed myself in the cooking these guys did. I enjoyed the more "country style" cajun, rather than the more upscale creole cooking, such as you would find in New Orleans. Jim took me to visit his mother(she spoke no english, only Cajun/French) a couple of times in Southwest LA, around Pineville. She would send him to a neighbor that sold live birds, that he would pick one out, then have it dressed and ready to be brought home. I remember drainage ditches around Jim's mother's home (in the country). Crawfish loaded! He had a field loaded with traps, and we would ride his tractor around, grabbing the traps, and unloading the crawfish. Oh well, I'm getting side-tracked now. Here is his recipe for Cajun Deep-Fried Turkey, and it is really pretty basic. So here goes....

1 Stick Butter
Cajun Seasoning, your favorite
2 Tbls. Salt
6-8 oz. Garlic Oil

Melt the butter, and add the cajun seasoning, using a couple of Tbls. or so. Spice it up. Add the salt and garlic oil. Blend well, and it should be enough for a med. sized turkey. If you want more, then bump up the recipe.
Jim cooked his turkeys at 300 degrees for about 4 min. per lb.
As in other posts on this type of cooking, I won't go into the whole process of frying the turkey. If you have a deep fryer for these, then just be sure to follow the instructions, safety precautions, etc. Jim preferred to hold his turkeys over-nite, injected, to marinate. He would also rub them with this mixture inside and out. I tried his recipe myself, and it was good, and was and is tried and true with the locals in his area. Go ahead with it, and let me know how you do. There are so many variations, as many as there are "Masters" of frying Turkeys.
I'LL HAVE ANOTHER RECIPE FROM AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE HERE LOCALLY, I'LL OFFER IN ANOTHER POST.
GOOD LUCK, THANKS FOR READING, AND DO NOT HESITATE TO OFFER COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, ETC. AND THANKS AGAIN FOR READING MY RAMBLINGS. STEVO

I wish I had pictures of Jim and his cooking, but it has been several years now, before digital, etc.

Cajun-Injected Turkey Chef Paul Prudhomme Style

THIS RECIPE FOR CAJUN-INJECTED TURKEY IS abit complicated, and is not my own. I have followed it and used it more than once, however. The recipe comes from Chef Paul Prudhomme's cookbook "The Prudhomme Family Cookbook". This well-known chef has many great recipes and techniques. However, to me, there are many that are too involved, when i have used recipes that are so simple (another post for those). With this recipe, you really need an injector that has a larger needle than the standard injectors that come with a pre-made sauce found in grocery stores. You can find these over-sized ones at kitchen specialty stores.

4-Tbls. Butter
3/4 cup-Chopped onions
1/4 cup-Chopped celery
3 Tbls.-Chopped Garlic
2-Cayenne Peppers, Stemmed and seeded (My variation)
1 Tbls and 1 Tsp. Salt
1 Tbls. Ground Red Pepper (I leave this out, because of my variation above)
1 Tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 cup Turkey Stock or Chicken Stock(I use Chicken Stock)
2 Tbls. Worcestershire Sauce

In a good size skillet, you melt your butter, and saute the onion, celery, garlic, cayennes. salt, pepper. Cook for a few minutes. Do not let it burn, then add the stock and Work Sauce. Boil for a minute or two, then puree. You really need to puree this very good, as it needs to be able to flow thru your injector.
Fill your injector and start shootin'. Assuming you know how to inject. It is really very simple. You insert the needle deep as you can into the meat, and then while injecting, slowly pull the injector out. This distributes the marinade through-out. You can feel the meat swelling as the marinade fills the turkey. Repeat this every couple of inches or so. Go down into the breasts, behind thighs, into the legs, and so forth. If the marinade tries to "ooze" out when you pull out the needle, then put a finger over the hole for a few seconds. An old Viet-Nam Vet buddy of mine, which was a medic, gave me this little tip. (More on him in another post.) What you have left-over that is maybe too thick, use to rub inside of your bird. Rub the outside of your bird with equal amounts of salt and red-pepper, or your favorite Cajun or Creole Seasoning. Let turkey set over-nite if possible.

Following your instructions with your fryer, and be CAREFUL, Heat oil to 400 degrees. After lowering your turkey slowly, again, if you have never done this before, then follow your directions carefully. It is a bit scary the first time, and can be dangerous. Try to keep the oil at 350 degrees. I usually figure about 3 min. per lb. and then maybe 5 extra min. I like to cook turkeys about 10-12 lbs. Don't try to fry a big one. Your bird will come out dark looking, but it won't be burned. After carefully removing turkey from fryer, let it rest for a good 15 min. or so.

Like I said, follow your instructions with your fryer, as this can be tricky for the new guy. You might be given slightly different cooking times/temp, etc. Thats ok. I have a recipe (another post that has a lower cooking temp, but alittle longer time. That one came from an old Cajun that has a very successful business, that personally gave me his recipe. More on him in another post. Oh well, like I said, this one is complex, as much of Chef Paul's is. But he has some very interesting recipes.

LATER, AND THANKS FOR READING, AND DO NOT HESITATE TO E/M ME OR COMMENT.

STEVO

EDITH'S OLD RECIPE FOR CORNBREAD DRESSING

THIS FINE OLD HANDED DOWN RECIPE IS TRULY A TREASURE TO SHARE. USE THE SKILLET CORN BREAD RECIPE IN MY PREVIOUS POST. As mentioned in my other post for the skillet corn bread, Edith Ware was gracious enough to pass this one on to me also. I won't repeat the story, but would really appreciate you reading it in my other post. These 2 recipes go well together, especially for tradition's sake. And to honor Edith Ware's old family recipes. So here we go...

2-3 Skillets Edith's Cornbread
1 Loaf White Bread (spread out overnite to dry out)Then cube or just tear into pieces.
1-Large Onion Chopped
1-Stalk Celery (I like more, depending on your preference) Chopped
Salt And Pepper to Taste.
2-Tbls. Poultry Seasoning
1 Tsp. Sage (More if you like sage, but be careful.)
4-6 Raw Eggs (beat to mix together)
4-6 Boiled Eggs-Chopped
"Plenty of Chicken Broth" Edith says.

Mix all together, as for the broth, have a few cans on hand, and remember the liquid will be absorbed, so more is good to keep your dressing moist. As I mentioned in my other post, Edith "eye-balled" her ingredient measurements, therefore, it took her abit of thinking to jot down this recipe for me.
The recipe is so basic, but a true family treasure, and reminds me of dressing I ate only at family holiday traditional dinners years ago, so give it a try!

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 to 1 1/2 Hrs.

AS ALWAYS, THANKS FOR READING MY POST. I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK.
STEVO

IRON SKILLET CORN BREAD, OLD RECIPE

THIS RECIPE WAS GIVEN TO ME BY A VERY SPECIAL LADY, AND I HAVE A VERY SPECIAL STORY TO GO WITH IT. Several years ago, my wife and I lived in a small resort on Lake Hamilton. We had a cool-looking old "bungalow", very small. Most of the tenants there were "loners", guys who had little or no family. Moved alot. Then there were those that were there steady. The manager was an older lady, Edith Ware. Every Thanksgiving, she cooked up a huge batch of corn bread and corn bread dressing to pass around. Edith had family in town she cooked for also, but so selfishly cooked these recipes passed down thru her family, for all of us "loners". The true spirit of the holidays. We all looked forward to this time of year for her offerings. So, for a moment, I need to get away from my smoked and BBQ this and that, and share this recipe with you. This cornbread is also used in her Corn Bread Dressing, which I will put in another post. So here goes...

1-1/2 cups Yellow Corn Meal (Edith always swore you had to use Stone Ground)
1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1-Tbls. Baking Powder
1-Tsp. Salt
1-Pinch Baking Soda
1-1/2 cups Buttermilk
1-Egg
2-4 Tbls. Bacon Drippings
Mix all thoroughly, including the bacon drippings, leave enough drippings to liberally grease your iron skillet.

Heat your iron skillet in 400 degree oven. When hot, pour batter into skillet. Bake until cornbread begins to pull away from sides of skillet. (25-30 min) You should be able to flip the skillet over and cornbread will come right out in one beautiful piece. I make this myself every year and it has such a great flavor and crispness to it, from the Bacon Drippings.

As with any recipe handed down like this, I remember Edith needing to "think" about measurements, because she "eyeballed" everything she cooked. Reminds me of my mother, who was the best cook, and all the inspiration for me and my passion for preparing foods, and then kicking back to watch others enjoy.

TRY THIS ONE!
STEVO
AND THANKS FOR READING MY RAMBLINGS!

Spicy Louisiana Coated/Baked Chicken Thighs

I REALLY THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE MORE SPICY, Since I am a fan of all "Louisiana Fish Fry Products". It was alittle too uncomfortable outside to do any meat-smoking or grilling today. (Of course, there are times we don't have a choice!) However, I tried the LA coating for baking chicken and fish, as well as pork. It finished off really good, but just not as seasoned/spicy as I would expect from their products. I rubbed the thighs with melted butter, then coated them really well. Baked them off at about 375 in my oven. Probably for about 40 min. is all it took. Served them up with some boiled "cobbettes", of whick I seasoned with Creole Seasoning (I also added alittle to the chicken) I prefer cooking chicken out on the grill, I must say, when you try some of these seasoning, etc., even with BBQ Glazes, in the oven, you will produce some really tasty, juicy, and tender chicken. I don't mean to over do it using thighs so often. I don't always use them, but it seems they have so much flavor, and are usually fairly in-expensive.

THANKS FOR READING-STEVO

GRILLIN' CHICKEN N' PORK

Sometimes I Smoke some chicken and pork on my large smoker (using indirect heat), and then there are times when I like to fire up my small tailgater for some hot and fast grillin'. Although the following method sounds, and may look brutal, the end result is delicious. My pictures on this one did not do justice to my satisfaction, but gives a good idea of how I grill hot. My grill is fairly small, bur I build a good hot charcoal fire on one end, opposite my top stack/damper. I like to use good ol' "Lump" charcoal. It is far superior to the more common "Briquites". Sometimes I use Mesquite Charcoal, mainly with beef. For my chicken and pork, I use Hickory charcoal.
After I have a good hot bed of coals, I lay my pieces of chicken over those coals, and sear them. There will be some fire, and of course I spray water on the fire to keep it at a minimum. However, I do almost go to the extreme and really sear the meat. It seals in the juices and adds a charred flavor that you just don't get when your smoking your meat slowly. Of course, you get great flavor from slow-smoking, but a different flavor altogether. I don't always baste my meat while I'm cooking it, sometimes I do. This time, I used my spice rub generously on the chicken and my country-style pork ribs. After searing the chicken, I move it over to the far end of the grill, and "stack" it up, since I don't have a lot of room on this small grill. Then I sear the pork the same way, and then place the ribs on top of the chicken. Always put your pork on top, so the pork drippings can drip down amongst the chicken pieces (I used thighs). All of this so far, has been done with the lid of my grill open. Then I put a piece of Hickory Chunk next to the charcoal, on the end where the meat is. This will get a good smoke going, and then I shut the lid down, close the damper almost all the way, and let 'er smoke awhile. When it is done, you have a real pit-style BBQ cooked on a small tail-gater grill. The meat is going to finish off looking almost burnt, but don't confuse this with seared and charred. Then serve it with your favorite BBQ Sauce. It will have a full-bodied BBQ flavor and cooked in a reasonably short time.
With the holidays coming on, I'll be smoking some hams and turkeys on my smoker, so I'll be getting with you on that soon. Thanks for reading my Ramblin' and check it out!

stevo

HOT SPRINGS AR FALL FARMER'S MKT AND FEST

I really enjoyed attending the last day of the Farmer's Market in Hot springs on Sat. Oct. 25th. It is a shame I could not attend more often thru the growing season. There were so many vendors there, with all sorts of foods, all of which are organically grow, along with various crafts, handmade by local folks, as well as those in the surrounding region. No junk here folks! This being the last day, it was truly an ol'fashion type "get together". Live music(Bluegrass), a petting Zoo for the kids, face-painting, plenty of pumpkins for decorating, BBQ cookin' (with bbq sauces made by the pit-master for sale.)
Of course, my main interest was in all the assorted foods and fresh vegetables for sale. An avid "Chile-Head" myself, I was particularly attracted to all the beautiful and assorted varieties of chiles I found there. There were California Chiles, Anaheims, Jalepenos, Poblanos (great for stuffing, more on these at another time!) Cayennes, and the best assortment of Habaneros and Scotch Bonnet Chiles I have ever seen.

Aside from the Chiles, there was organic honey, as well as Longhorn Cheese made from fresh whole milk. (A sample of this made me realize just how special fresh cheese like this is.)The Hot Springs Farmer's Market has had so much to offer thru this growing season. Fresh Herbs, Green Beans, all types of vegetables, beuatiful Tomatos, eggplant, zukini, and so much more. Many Chefs in the city shop there for thier kitchens. I will certainly make it a point to visit there more myself next season, mainly for the chiles, since I prepare various salsas, sauces, and other Mexican foods. To finish off, I am going to offer you a basic recipe for a good table sauce. It is not too hot(depending on your tastes, of course). It is great on alot of foods, especially on tacos, enchiladas, just about anything you want to "kick" up.

JAPELENO HOT SAUCE

2 LBS Fresh Chiles Stemmed and seeded, cut lengthwise.
1/2 lb white onion coarse chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 Tbls. Salt
1/2 Tbls. Ground Comino
5-6 Sprigs Cilantro

Bring 4 cups water to a boil and add all but the Cilantro, let simmer for about 30 min. Let cool somewhat, then puree, adding the Cilantro and 2 cups white vinegar. Since there is so much vinegar used, it is well preserved. It is now ready to use, however, the "longer it sets, the better it gets! (2-# wks. This is really a simple, basic sauce, yet very versatile to use with many foods. The simplicity also opens the door for the home chef to create his or her own variations.

THANKS FOR READING AND BE SURE TO LOOK FORWARD TO MY NEXT OFFERINGS!
STEVO