An update on Thanksgiving

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#1

I just went for the Tums. I think I will be fine. :grinning:

The smoker did its job. We had chicken, Cornish hens, pork tenderloin and ribs. The assortment of meat and sizes called for different start times but experience with my smoker (a Weber bullet) allowed them to finish at the same time. All of the meats were good but the tenderloin probably was the favorite of most. I had some hot links I forgot to cook. But Iā€™m the only one who knew it so it was not missed.

There was a time when I smoked a turkey and itā€™s generally well liked. But itā€™s not nearly as good as this selection of meats off the smoker.

It helps to have moderate air temp to allow the smoker to stay at a consistent 225, what I like. And we had a mild morning in Norfork. The apple wood chunks provided a good, mild smoke for the meats.

There was pecan pie, peach pie, banana pudding and cookies.

The sides: BBQ rice (Arkansas County style), green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, dressing (with gravy), homemade rolls, cranberry sauce and the most gorgeous salad ever. There may have been some other sides that I did not notice!

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#2

Gonna make us hungry again.

#3

I smoke turkey just about every year and have gotten pretty good at it. I few years ago I finally gave up on trying to make the big pretty bird to be the table centerpiece, and started breaking it up into parts so I could pull each part at the correct temp. You donā€™t get the postcard picture, but it tastes much better.

#4

We had breakfast with our younger daughter and grands then headed to Franklin TN where our oldest daughter had a huge spread prepared. Today Iā€™m smoking a ham for the youngest and kids and several neighbors. The son in law has baked a pecan and buttermilk pie. Iā€™ll do whipped creme on both.

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#5

No doubt the way to do it. Done it like that for a while.

#6

We did nothing yesterday after breakfast. wish there had been some college football.

However, donā€™t feel bad for us. The Granddaughters were here for 5 days prior and they wanted to learn to cook. We had pecan and apple pie, German cake, roast, turkey, and all sorts of cookies. It was amazing. They went home Thur and we rested from all of that.

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#7

Iā€™m guessing they rode ā€œtheirā€ horses, too.

#8

they earlier in the week of course, but then we have had snow cover for several days. Still could ride, but it gets a little sloppy and that is when the serious baking happened. We still have a couple of welcome inches out there.

#9

Have cooked a turkey in the oven, fried one in peanut oil, fried on in a dry infrared fryer, and smoked one. But nothing compares to how I did it this year, cooking one on a rotisserie on a Kamado charcoal grill. Plus the 14 pound turkey was done in a mere 45 minutes. The turkey gumbo with oysters I cooked today using the carcass wasnā€™t bad either.

Best non-turkey meat Iā€™ve ever had for Thanksgiving was pork bbq my brother-in-law cooked in a pit he dug in his yard, using charcoal he made from hardwoods downed on his property by storms, topping the pit with a cover made using his daughterā€™s cribā€™s mattress frame (not that he yanked it from her, she was an adult with kids at the time).

My Dadā€™s favorite non-turkey Thanksgiving meal? Every year in Pine Bluff my Mom would slave over a hot oven for hours cooking the turkey, she would put it on the table, my Dad would say ā€œThanks, but if you really wanted me to be thankful youā€™d have cooked a rare roast beefā€, and Mom would storm out in tears. Every Thanksgiving.

#10

Clayā€¦I am looking to do some Cornish Hens on the smoker. Any tips sir such as a rub, cook temp (225?), cook time and do you recommend brining them first? If so, how long for brining?

Thanks!

#11

I donā€™t brine, but I think Cornish hens perfect size for that.

My rub is Magic Chick Dust from Townsend Spice Store in Melbourne, AR

I go for 225 temp in smoker. Mild apple smoke for a little flavor. Poultry does not hold smoke well anyway. Just use an internal remote temp gauge to know when to pull them off. They cook fast.

#12

Clay on the internal temp what temp you take it to? Or is all bird about the same? Never smoked a Cornish game hen but it sounds fantastic

#13

Poultry is poultry. Take them to 165. Check temp closely at the end. You donā€™t want to leave them too long.

One trick besides brining is to put some compound butter between skin and breast.

#14

Thatā€™s what I thought, thanks Clay there so small wasnā€™t sureā€¦gonna have to try one

#15

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