Hi All
I will be preparing my first smoked turkey Thursday. In the past I have soaked my birds in a brine overnight before cooking in a Weber Kettle with indirect heat. I was wondering if anyone here has experience with Jans rub and brining? Is that compatible? The bird in question is locally produced and doesn't have any of the salt and water concoctions that some of the commercial products have. I was planning on smoking with cherry at around 250 for 3 to 4 hours, then finishing on the Weber indirect at around 350 to 375.
Any advice will be welcome.
Thanks
Joe Luebeck
I have the exact same question. I want to brine and apply Jan's rub. Hope some one can answer.
I'm pretty careful about using low- or no-salt rubs after I brine but I haven't used Jan's rub after brining so don't know if the result would be too salty or not. Unless one of the "experienced ones" addresses that, I'd probably mix up a low-salt version of the rub (using granulated garlic, celery, and onion instead of the salts).
I know a little about Jan's Rub seeing as how Jan is my wife. :) Jan and I developed the Rub specifically for poultry. I would not be concerned about brining a turkey and then using Jan's Rub on it. I have brined lots of birds and have never had one to go salty on me. If it goes salty it is probably one of two things. There was too much salt in the brine and/or the turkey stayed in the brine too long. For my taste Jan's Rub is not overly salty even though there are several different salts in it.
You will have to be the judge and decide what is best for you. Personally I would forego the brining and use the Rub.
Thanks and have a great holiday!
Joe Luebeck
I have always brined first then applied a rub, never have had any problems.
Quote from: KyNola on November 22, 2011, 08:24:11 PM
I know a little about Jan's Rub seeing as how Jan is my wife. :) Jan and I developed the Rub specifically for poultry. I would not be concerned about brining a turkey and then using Jan's Rub on it. I have brined lots of birds and have never had one to go salty on me. If it goes salty it is probably one of two things. There was too much salt in the brine and/or the turkey stayed in the brine too long. For my taste Jan's Rub is not overly salty even though there are several different salts in it.
You will have to be the judge and decide what is best for you. Personally I would forego the brining and use the Rub.
KyNola, can I ask one more question. I brined for 14 hours on a 14 pound turkey. It was in a bag in a cooler with Ice. I have now dried the turkey and it is in my fridge sitting uncovered to further dry until tomorrow morning. Is it best to use Jan's rub tonight and leave on over night or just put it on in the morning before going in the smoker. Also, I heard it is good to put on some peanut or canola oil also to crisp the skin? Sorry for the simple questions but I have a lot of people that I don't want to disappoint.
Thanks,
Tom
Pull the bird out of the frig an hour or so before you're going to the smoker. Rub very lightly with canola or peanut oil and apply the Rub. My thinking is if you apply the Rub for an overnight sit, then the salt may begin to draw the moisture out of the bird. I have never applied Jan's Rub to poultry the night before. Don't know why but the Rub seems to do a nice job of trapping the moistness of the poultry inside when applied just before going into the smoker.
One thing to remember. Even with the oil on the skin if you cook it entirely in the Bradley the skin will not crisp up and will be rubbery. To insure a crisp skin I would go into the house oven at 325 for the final 30 minutes or so.
Hope all goes well. Please report back how you liked the Rub and if it did what it was supposed to do Thomas.
happy holiday to you!
Thank you so much for the response. Will be up tomorrow cooking early. I will try to remember to take pictures.
Tom
Quote from: KyNola on November 23, 2011, 11:56:26 AM
Pull the bird out of the frig an hour or so before you're going to the smoker.
I've heard that it's not a good idea to let poultry reach room temperature prior to cooking it due to the dangers of food poisoning. They say once it reaches 41*F it has 4 hours to get past 135*F to be safe.
Anyway, I brined mine for 13 hours (13 lb bird) and then applied some Rub with Love Turkey Rub (http://store.tomdouglas.com/pages/turkey-rub) and put it back in the fridge overnight. Started smoking at 9:15 this morning. It's currently at 131*F and I'll transfer it to the oven at 140*F to crisp up the skin for a final internal temp of 165*F.
I have to agree with Ky
Leaving your turkey out of the fridge for a couple hours IS NOT GOING TO RUIN THE TURKEY.
Hell i have left deer hanging for a day before cutting.
IE
A cold item put right in the smoker will drop the IT of the smoker very low. A room temp item will only drop the IT of the smoker a few degrees.
But hey lets see.
Ky...7124/2007/nepas....12162/2006....Oh yeah we are old, drunk gay guys..... ;D ;D (http://i868.photobucket.com/albums/ab242/nepas1/new/pot.gif)
USDA/FDA=====Commies
A lot of people here leave their deer hang a week after cleaning and be fore butchering. Says they get tender. They do the same with all store bought beef.
I leave all my brined meat including bird and fish war to room temps before cooking. Doesn't hurt a thing. Also any pork or beef or venison sausage or muscle meat. It won't spoil or ruin and it's easy to get cabinet back to temps.
No dead or sick yet.
Quote from: viper125 on November 24, 2011, 04:08:33 PM
A lot of people here leave their deer hang a week after cleaning and be fore butchering. Says they get tender.
Not the same as poultry. I've read too many warnings similar to the one below to risk food poisoning by letting it warm up to room temp before cooking.
Should the turkey be brought to room temperature before cooking?
No, turkey should be kept refrigerated at 40 degrees F. or below until it is ready to be cooked. Turkey thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately. Never defrost a turkey on the counter.
No I wouldn't hang turkey like that. But I do let them warm up to about room temps and no body has ever has a problem But I do brine them first. It only takes 1-3 hours if that, I'm not saying you should do it. You should do what you feel is right. But we have let our turkeys and chickens sit out at room temps till almost defrosted as long as I can remember than cook or put in back in fridge over night to thaw the rest of the way. . And Im 58. My mother did it also. So I feel comfortable with this. My bacon,sausage and all sit around 2 hrs warming before smoking also.
Quote from: TedEbear on November 24, 2011, 07:22:27 PM
Quote from: viper125 on November 24, 2011, 04:08:33 PM
A lot of people here leave their deer hang a week after cleaning and be fore butchering. Says they get tender.
Not the same as poultry. I've read too many warnings similar to the one below to risk food poisoning by letting it warm up to room temp before cooking.
Should the turkey be brought to room temperature before cooking?
No, turkey should be kept refrigerated at 40 degrees F. or below until it is ready to be cooked. Turkey thawed in the microwave should be cooked immediately. Never defrost a turkey on the counter.
And You folks wonder why Ole Tenpoint don't like Chicken and Turkey!! Nasty disease infected birds!!! YUCK YUCK YUCK!!! Don't have that problem with Beef and Pork now do you?? How ever leaving the bird warm up then going directly into a warmed smoker or oven to cook is the what the women folk in my family have been doing for years
Well I personally like poultry although the only poultry my uncle will eat is eggs! He feels as you do. As far as yucky birds I have raised about any farm raised meat there is except fish. And even a cow and especially a pig will eat any thing even dead meat. I also worked in one of the top meat processing plants in Ohio. We processed beef and pork and if you only knew what happened there you would,t eat any packing plant meat. Because if we were tops the rest would scare the hell out of me. I quit eating meat for a year and a half while working there. Meat at room temp what ever kind for an hour or two is the least of any ones worries. LOL I try to buy most of mine these days from locals I trust.
Serve safe standards say to get your meat (all meats) through the danger zone as fast as possible. Danger zone being above 41 and below 135. That said, on Thursday I warmed the well dried bird to room temp oiled and rubbed (Jan's). It was delicious. The real surprise was how well the rub worked. Due to time constraints I did not brine. Just smoked smoked for 4 hours then finished in a HOT Weber Kettle. Skin was crisp and the meat was moist and full of flavor. Really couldn't have asked for a better presentation.
I have to laugh a little (at myself!) when I see "hang time" or thaw times being discussed...it's really a wonder that I'm not dead of food poisoning already. Many of you have already seen my posts addressing "how long in the freezer/reefer?" questions :o In many Alaskan hunts involving aircraft transport, exact pickup times are "subject to change, depending upon weather, mechanicals, or just general mood of the pilot or pilot's spouse" and we've eaten hung meat after cutting out fly blow, I've eaten my great uncle's olives that he dips out of crock pots full of slimy mold on top of the brine, dry salami after cutting off the mold, countless food drops on the ground that exceeded the "5 second rule", salmon that has been in the freezer for three years....in fact, the turkey I just brined/smoked/TBE'd was a "counter thaw" (but only until there was some ice chunks left in the cavity...then rinsed out in cold water.) Certainly not bragging about an iron stomach, just sharing how well my guardian angel has cared for me over the last 61 years :o
Well safe safety standards also say throw away meat at on a certain date (which I don't) Remove any meat with salt as a additive after 2-3 months (which I don't) I have eaten frozen 3 year old venison. 2 year old frozen beef a lot of standards are for best taste. I developed my ways over the years from others that did it also. Have never seen or heard of any poison or disease from any food. Not saying i'm right or wrong. Only what I know. I am sure though if you follow the rules you will be safe, But it's like a lot of my old recipes they don''t always follow public opinion.
LOL Viper...perhaps we'll meet someday in ER! ;) ;) :D
Well never know! But I don't think so or what to. Maybe over a smoker some day would be better. LOL