Texas-Style I.P.A chili with Roasted Corn

If you've ever been to Texas, you'll know they don't make their chili with ground meat.  It's blasphemy actually.  They use real hunks of chuck and round, and cook them low and slow until they break apart, kind of like a liquid barbecue.  This recipe breaks with tradition a bit because they only vegetable a Texan will allow in his chili is an "Unjin" or a "'Mater", but I haven't had a complaint yet.  I first had something like this in Dallas while I was on a layover on a trip to Mexico for the Mexican Disco Championships. Believe it or not, they wear masks for that too, not just pro wrestling (I dig it).  This recipe will make about 1 gallon of chili.

Proper chili action

4 lbs. chuck, round or sirloin, diced about 1/2 inch

1 onion, diced 1/2 inch
2 14 oz. cans diced tomatoes with chipotle

2 tbsp. chili powder.

1 tbsp. cumin

1 tbsp. garlic powder

1 bottle very hoppy I.P.A. beer (like Tupper's, Smutty Nose, or Long Hammer)

3 ears corn

1.  First thing to do is get the corn roasted.   Turn on your broiler, and rub down your ears of corn with some oil or butter.  Place them under the broiler, in a pan, for 3-5 minutes, then take them out and turn. They should look like this when you’re done.

2.  Let these cool and run a knife down the cob to remove the kernels.  Place these off to the side from now.

3.  Now we're going to sear the meat.  In a heavy pot or cast iron skillet drop in about 1-2 tbsp. of olive or vegetable oil, and turn the flame up high.    When you start to see just a hint of smoke, start dropping in the meat a few pieces at a time.  You don't want to add to much to the pan or else you'll just you'll just end up boiling the meat.  As pieces brown and caramelize, remove them and add more, until all of the meat is ready.

4.  Add the onions and let them cook for just a couple minutes.  We do want them to get some color, but we don't want too much.  After a couple of minutes, add the corn, then your spices.  Toast them up for just a minute.

5. When the spices are nice and toasty, add your beer and tomatoes.  If you're using a skillet, now would be the time to transfer to wither a pot or a slow cooker.

6.  When you're in a pot or slow cooker, add your meat and let this mixture simmer for about 2 1/2-3 hours.  At the end, season with salt and pepper to taste.      

This recipe takes long time, but it's very worth it.  Having the slow cooker helps tremendously because you can just do the Ron Popiel and "set it and forget it.”  I like to serve this up with some Gouda or Cheddar cheese on top and just a little bit of avocado.  It also goes great with cornbread, mixed into macaroni and cheese, or as a filling for a Sloppy Joe. As always, if you have questions, leave them in the comments.

Happy Eating

-The Doctor

Spicy Thai-Style Peanut Wings

How can you have a Super Bowl without wings???  You can't, unless you're a vegan.  If you are, then you're probably doing tofu.  Anyway, these are one of my favorite ways to make wings.  The peanut sauce itself plays nicely against the crispy, charred wings.  I like to grill my wings, but you can fry them or roast them too. . .  you’ll like! I'll be doing recipes using all three techniques, so feel free to mix and match. You will want to figure 5-6 wings per person.    This will do about 10-15 people, with other food around, of course.

For the sauce:

1/2 c. chunky peanut butter, room temperature

1/2 c. chicken stock

Always a party favorite

1 tbsp. ginger (fresh), grated or chopped

1 tbsp. garlic, crushed

3 tbsp. chopped cilantro

1 tbsp. chopped basil

1 tbsp. chopped mint

1 tbsp. fish sauce
1 tbsp. Sriracha (chili Sauce)

juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp sesame oil.  

2 tbsp roasted peanuts (optional for garnish)

2 tbsp scallions, sliced thin bias.  (diagonal, if you're not sure when bias means)

1. I know what your'e thinking, this is a lot of ingredients...yes it is, but it's not hard.  Start with sauce pot and the sesame oil on medium to medium high heat.  Add the ginger and garlic and cook out until you just start to small the garlic and ginger.  You don't want to burn them, just sweat them a bit. 

2.  Once the garlic and ginger are sweated, add the chicken stock, lime juice, fish sauce and peanut butter.  Whisk these together until the sauce is decently thin.  You really don't want to reduce it at all, just warm it up.

3. Once the peanut butter is melted into the stock and the ingredients have come together, Add most of the herbs, scallions, and the Sriracha (I like to add more, but it deppends on how hot you want them.  Just be careful because you don't  want the heat to over power the peanut flavor).  Save just a little bit for garnish.  Keep this off to the side while you grill up your wings.

For the wings:

1.  This isn't hard, but I'll go over it anyway.  If I'm doing wings for this specific recipe, I'll marinate them overnight in some sesame oil and 1 tsp. each of ginger, fish sauce, and garlic.  This is optional of course.

2.  Get your grill hot, if you don't have a grill, use a small indoor grill (like a Foreman), or a grill pan.  Don't have those??  No problem, pop those wings in the oven for 15 minutes at 500.  Anyway, when the grill is hot, take an old cloth or towel, soak it in vegetable oil and rub the grill down.  This is called seasoning the grill, and it's a key piece of not having your meat stick to the grill.  

3.  Place your wings down on the grill evenly.  You'll know when they're ready to turn because the skin will release from the grill.  You'll need 6-8 minutes on each side depending on your grill.  If you have a meat thermometer, which everyone should, then you want to pull the wings off at 160 degrees and let them come up to 165 off the grill.  

4.  When the wings are done, put them in a nice big mixing bowl a few at a time and toss them in 2 oz of the wing sauce.  You want just a light coating of sauce, not too heavy.  Feel free to save some sauce for the side too in case some of your guests want extra.  

5.  When you're done tossing, place the wings onto a plate and garnish with your herbs and scallions.  

Tasty right?   I thought so.  You can do anything with wings because they translate to almost every world culture.  If you have any wing recipes you want to see, let me know in the comments.   I'll be putting up another nice wing recipe you can do for your Super Bowl party later in the week.

Happy Eating,

-The Doctor. 

Pulled Pork Chachos

Chachos...Chachos??? What are Chachos???  That's what you’re  thinking right?  Well, they're like nachos, but with potato chips instead of tortilla chips.  Yeah, awesome!!!!  I used to eat these all the time back in Philly at a place called Finn McCool's.  They used to do them the traditional nacho way with chili and cheese but once in a while we'd get a treat with Irish Cheddar and Bacon.  We’ll talk more about ideas later.  These are great, easy way to kick off your Super Bowl Pre-Game week. Here's what you'll need to feed about 10-15 people:

1 bag Kettle cooked potato chips (any flavor you want, sweet potato works well with the pork too)

1 onion, julienne

Chachos...the other nacho...

2 cups Mexican cheese blend (or cheddar and/or jack cheese)

1/4 c. sour cream

2 cups pulled or chopped pork (You can buy this from your favorite BBQ shop, or find the recipe here <hyperlink>)

2 tbsp. diced tomatoes,

1 avocado sliced OR 1/2 c. guacamole

1/2 c Jalapeno peppers

1.  First things first, get out a sauté pan and turn the heat up to medium and crank that oven up to 350.  Add 1-2 tbsp. oil vegetable or olive oil to the pan and let it heat up.  We're going to caramelize those onions. Throw the onions in and let them sit just a minute, then stir them, with a spatula or a wooden spoon.  Alternate resting and stirring every couple of minutes until they get a nice deep brown color.  They should look like this:

2.  When the onions are done put them off to the side.  Now we get to build these things.  Get yourself a round, shallow cake pan (about an inch deep) and line it with either foil or parchment paper.  Lay down a thin layer of the chips, take a bit of that pork and lay it evenly over the chips.  Now the onions, then the cheese. Before you get to the next layer, lay down a few jalapenos.  Chachos and nachos are always matter of preference for layering, but I like to have my layers look like this: 

3.  Repeat this until you've gotten all the chips piled high or you've filled the cake pan.  If you've filled the cake pan just get another pan, or do another round. Whatever you decide to do, when you've got a full pan, pop them in the oven for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

4.  Use the foil/parchment to transfer these to a plate, or just leave them in the pan.  Top them with your diced tomatoes, sour cream and avocado/guacamole, or put them off to the side.  Guess what???  You're done.

Of course, since these are potatoes you can do anything with them.  You can go as crazy are blue cheese and port wine reduction, or as down home and bacon and cheddar.  The sky is the limit with these.  I would also recommend playing with Terra chips, chicken and goat cheese as well.  If you want those recipes, just comment below.  

Super Bowl week continues with a Grilled Spicy Peanut Wings next.

Happy Eating,

The Doctor

Simple Side...HOME FRIES!!!!!

Seriously, who doesn't love home fries. If you don't, you need to have our membership to the human race analyzed. I don't  know about you, but I can eat home fries with any meal, any time of the day and I don't like to have to drive to the diner to get them all the time.  They're just plain simple and just plain good.  This recipe makes about 4-6 servings, depending on how far into a carb bender you want to go.

2# Idaho potatoes, peeled

Starchy Awesomeness

1/2 onion, peeled
2 tbsp whole butter, unsalted
1 tbsp vegetable or canola oil
1 tbsp parsley

1.  Split the potatoes in half lengthwise, then slice them about 1/4 inch thick.  Drop these into a small sauce pot, and cover them with cold water.  Add 1 tbsp of kosher salt to the pot and bring these to a boil.  Keep them at a boil for 3 -5 minutes.  You want these potatoes to be as soft as a potato you would use for mashed potatoes, or fork tender if you will.

2.  While the potatoes are cooking, split that onion lengthwise then slice 1/4 inch thick.  Leave these off to the side for now.

3. Here's the fun part, the home frying!!!  I like to use either a black steel or a cast iron skillet.  If you don't  have one don't worry, use what you got. Make sure it's not a nice new Teflon pan because we're going to be cranking some heat and doing some scraping. Turn that flame up about medium high, drop that butter and oil in and wait until their sizzling.  Do you see a little hint of smoke from that pan?  GOOD!!!! Drop them 'taters in.

4.  Season them with some salt and pepper and let them sit for about 3-5 minutes.  You'll know when to start flipping when they start getting nice and golden brown.  I like mine a little darker so I let them go a bit more, but it's up to you.  Now, take a nice metal spatula, and flip them 'taters.  If they stick a little, don't be afraid to dig under them.  You'll be picking up a nice crispy crunchy salty crust, that makes the home fries, home fries.  After you turn them, season them again , and add your onions and parsley.  Go for another 3-5 minutes.

5.  Turn them 'taters again.  Let them sit until you get a nice golden brown on this side too.  If there are some side that are still white don't worry about it.  Have you ever had a perfectly colored or shaped home fry?  I thought not.  They're not meant to be perfect.  Take them off the flame, scoop them out of the pan and drop them on a plate,just like the diner.  MMMMMMM....MMMMMMM!!!!

Seriously, that's it.  If you happen to have any left over baked potatoes anywhere, you can use those instead of the raw potatoes.  You can also bake them the night before, cool them down  and peel them the next day if you don't' want to use the blanching method I'm used.  It's really six of one, half a dozen of the other. As for things you can do with these...ANYTHING!!!!  I like to go waffle house style and melt some cheese over these.  I like through in ham, sausage , bacon, or (even better) all three too.  You can add all kinds of different herbs to these, rosemary being my favorite, or dry spices like some Cajun seasoning.  This recipe is one you can seriously play with in your test kitchen.  You want some ideas?  Comment below.

Happy Eating,

-The Doctor.

Spicy Chick Pea and Kale Stew with Italian Sausage

It's still winter, and just about to start getting real cold, so I thought I'd give you one of my favorite recipes for staying warm.  This stew has a lot of ingredients, but it's actually relatively fast, really easy, and it freezes like a champ.  This is a big favorite of my guests in the lab, and we know if the "Dude in the basement" likes it, anyone will.  This is a variation of  Morrocan recipe I learned form my neighbors, with the spices changed up a bit.  I've also found similar recipes in Italian kitchens and cook books.  I'm using hot Italian sausage here, you can feel free use any sausage you like, or now sausage at all.  I'll give you some ideas later on.  Here's the goods to make about a gallon.

1/2 white onion, sliced 1/4" thick
2 bunch kale cleaned (I'll show you in a bit, real easy)
OR

Rich, stick to your ribs, hearty warmth...

2 bags frozen kale (If your can't find fresh)
1 14 oz. can of chick peas
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chiles (zesty or mild, your call)

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with jalapeno
1/2 red bell pepper, sliced.
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1-1.5 quart chicken stock
1 c. white wine.
2 tbsp fresh chopped oregano
1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
1 lb. Italian sausage

1.  So first things first, let's get that kale clean.  all you want to do is take out the ribs.  You can do this with a knife, or your fingers like so:

Once all of the ribs are off of the leaves, just give it a quick chop.  Leave it as big or small as you like.

2.  Now we're going to brown the sausage.  You can buy it loose in some stores, but most stores sell sausages in a casing.  if you can't find the loose (or bulk) just cut a slit down the middle of the casing and pull the meat out.  We want this to look nice and rustic so don't  worry about being pretty.  Start a pot on medium low heat with just a tablespoon of olive oil.  We want to render the fat out of the sausage real slow, and use that to cook the vegetables.  If you've read "THE DIP...not a dip THE DIP", you'll remember the potato masher trick.  Use a potato masher to break up the sausage as it cooks so it browns and renders evenly.

3. When the sausage is brown, add your peppers onions, and garlic.  This is going to sweat down for about 10 minutes.   Add the wine and let the alcohol cook out, about 2 minutes.

4. Drain your chick peas, give them a good rinse and add them to the pot with the kale.  Let this cook for about 5 minutes.

5. Now add your diced tomatoes and chicken stock.  Bring the pot up to a boil, then lower the heat to a low simmer.  Let this go for about 30 minutes, or until the kale is nice and tender. Season with Salt and Pepper to taste, and you're done.

That's it.  Easy right?  Serve this up with some crusty bread or a nice grilled lavash or pita. Don't be afraid to play with this stew either. Feel free to use whatever type of sausage you want.  I've also done a variation where I've used cumin, and cilantro instead of the oregano and thyme.    The ingredients in here are very versatile so just do it to taste.  If you want some more heat, a few dashes of Tabasco will really set this off.

Happy Eating,

-The Doctor

Back to basics...simple tomato Sauce

So you're saying "Doc, whadd'ya stunad?  Why are you putting up all of this easy junk?"  Trust me, when you're making it and not buying it a can or a jar, you'll thank me. This basic tomato sauce is not only great on it's own, it's used as a base for tons of other sauces I'll be putting up here.  Just remember I'm trying to teach the easy stuff here.  The easiest way to cook and stay creative is keep some basics on hand and branch out from there, like any mad scientist would.  This makes about 1 quart:

Simmering that ah-sssaaawwwwce-ah

1/2 white onion, small diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced thin
1/4 c. tomato paste
1/2 c. white wine
1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes (preferably San Marzano, if you can get them)
14 oz. water (yeah, fill that tomato can up half-way, who are you callin' stunad?)
1 tbsp fresh oregano (or marjoram), chopped (take the leaves off the stem first)
2 tbsp fresh basil, chiffonade (this means rolled up and sliced thin, if you don't know how to do it, just do a rough chop, we wont' hate.)

Anyway....

1.  Start you onions off on low heat.  You want to sweat these guys out for about 10 minutes.  This means you don't want them to get any color while you're cooking them.  When they're nice and translucent  add the garlic and the herbs.  When you start to smell the garlic (about two minutes), add the tomato paste.  Cook that for 1 minute stirring constantly.  Make sure you get all of that paste touching some heat because it  helps build the flavor of those concentrated tomatoes and take out the metallic taste associated with tomato paste.

2.  After a minute stirring that tomato paste, add your wine.  Cook this down for 5 minutes.

3.  Now you add you tomatoes and water.  When it comes up to a simmer, lower the heat back down to low and let it simmer for about 60-70 minutes.  You really want very little motion, if there's any popping or bubbling, lower the heat more.  Keep stirring this every few minutes, until it's nice and rich.

Now this recipe I don't season right away because I'm going to use it late in something else.  You can if you like, jut do it to taste.  I break this down into 8 oz. containers and freeze it until I need, just like every other self-respecting Italian.

You got questions?  Bring it in the comments.

Later

-Ther Doctor.

Creamless Cauliflower Soup with Chicken and Apple Sausage

Baby...baby it's cold outside.  You know how I'm gonna warm you up?  With this hearty delicious and healthy soup, that's how.  (Please, this is a family web site......kinda...humor me a little here).  This is one of my favorite soup recipes, because it comes out really rich and creamy, with no heavy cream at all, not even any dairy.  I came up with the recipe, originally without the sausage, for a friend of mine who eats "Paleo" and was tired of chicken and broccoli.  This recipe is super simple and super-fast.  You can even portion it out and freeze it, so you just grab a container and go in a pinch.  You can also add whatever sausage you like.  I also like to use a Roasted Garlic and Parmesan sausage, Chorizo, Merguez, whatever you like.  I also like to throw a little blue cheese in there, but that's up to you.  To make half a gallon you'll need:

1 2.5 lbs. cauliflower.  (Try to get the whole heads fresh, they’re great in the winter and really cheap.  If you have to use frozen, just thaw it first, drain, and then weigh.)

1 medium white onion, sliced thin

Little tomato love with that soup please

3 whole cloves garlic

1.5 qts. chicken stock

1 c. white wine (dry preferably)

2 tbsp. fresh marjoram leaves (or oregano if you can't find marjoram)

1 tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves

4 links of your favorite chicken and apple sausage, sliced

1.  KNIFE WORK TIME!!!!!!!!!  But before you pick it up, set your oven to broil.  You'll thank me later.  Take the core out of you cauliflower and remove the leaves, like this:

Then just make 1 inch slices and lay them out on a sheet tray or baking tray, if they fall apart, no big deal.  Brush the cauliflower with olive oil, sprinkle with a little salt and pepper and toss them in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they looks like this:

If you can only get frozen cauliflower, not big deal.  Just toss it in a bowl, season it with salt and pepper the toss it in oil.  Broil it the same way.  Just worry about one side, we want to flavor, just not all that color.

2.  With the Cauliflower set aside, it's time to get going on the soup.  In a nice big, heavy bottom pot start sweating the onions and garlic.  You can use any oil to do this, I prefer just regular olive oil or canola oil, it's just preference at this point.  Stir the onions and garlic around every two minutes, when everything is nice and translucent like this:

it's time to add your wine.

3.  Reduce the wine all the way down.  This means all the way to where there's almost no liquid left in the pot.  

4.  Now it's time to add the cauliflower, herbs and your stock.  Bring everything up to a boil, and then reduce the heat down to a simmer for about 45-60 minutes.

5.  At this point the cauliflower and onions should be super soft.  If not, cook it a bit more. This is where we get to play with some hardware!!!!  If you have a stick blender, go to town until the soup is smooth, if not, use a regular blender.  I've used both and found the regular old school blenders to make a smoother puree, but it's preference. 

6.  MEAT TIME!!!!!  Either slice or dice the sausages and get a sauté pan nice and hot.  These sausages will usually come pre-cooked, so all you have to do is heat it up.  If you have raw sausages, just cook 'em in the oven.  Take your sausage slices or dices, toss them in the hot pan for a minute them just serve over the top of the soup.  If you're making the soup now for a time later you can hold off on the sausage until you ready to serve, or just throw it in now if you don't care about it not looking pretty. This is the point where I like to throw some blue cheese and diced tomatoes on top (just an couple of tbsp, and bring this soup to another level.  

So there you have it.  I hearty, healthy, stick to your ribs kind of meal.  Don't be afraid to play with this recipes a little bit.  You want different sausage?  No Problem.  You want to add a nice ripe cheese?  No Problem.  You want to add cream?  No problem (just add 1 c. when you add the stock). Use your imagination here and create your own variation of this soup in your own lab.  You get questions?  No problem, just hit me up in the comments.

Happy Eating, 

-The Doctor

Back to basics...chicken stock

Many of you can imagine, I make my own soups, I don't need no stinking cans.  Progresso and Campbells can do you know what to my naughty parts. (You will see some of their stuff in my recipes to make things easier for you though).  The basis for a good soup is a good, strong, flavorful stock.  Admittedly, sometimes I buy it, because I just don't have enough materials to make my own stock when I need it in a pinch; but I do save bones from almost everything I eat.  I buy meats with the bone in not just for the bone and the flavor it imparts, but if you can de-bone  your own meat you can pay less per pound for your meat...sometimes dramatically.  If I get enough requests, I'll do some basic butchery tutorials for ya...I also need to convince the guy in the basement to take pictures...that's not easy either.  Sometime he doesn't like the disco ball brightness in the lab.  Moving on....here what you'll need to make about a gallon of good strong chicken stock. 

5 lbs. chicken, turkey, duck, or whatever, poultry bones
1 package soup greens (if your grocery has it,  if not...)
OR

Lazy bubbling deliciousness

2 small onions, cut in half
3 large carrots, cut in half
5 ribs celery, cut in half
THEN
1/4 bunch parsley

2 bay leaves

1 tsp. black peppercorns
4 whole cloves garlic
1 parsnip (if you can find it)

1.  Now here's the easy part.  Put everything in a nice, big heavy bottom pot.  Cover everything with cold water.  Not too much , you can always add more later, but just barely enough to cover everything.  All those bones and vegetables are going to cook down so don't worry if you're a little over.

2.  Turn your stove on medium high, when that pot starts to boil move it slightly off to the side and then lower the heat to medium low.  You really want just a lazy bubble. 

3.   Let this go for 6 hours. If you want to do this during the workday when you're not at home, you can do it in your crock pot too.  Simply set it and forgot it until you get home.  You may have to cut the recipe down a bit, it just depends on your crock pot.  Don't forget to skim the funk off the top too. There will be some fat that comes out, you can easily recognize that, but there will also be a grey-ish foam that forms too.  Just take a spoon and scoop it out, it's really not so tasty and we don't' want anything un-tasty in our tastiness.

4.  After 6 hours, strain the stock out, and pour it into either an old Chinese food take out soup container, or any Tupperware you can find.  I like to take some and make ice cubes from it so I can have a small amount ready in  a pinch, and not have to worry about thawing a whole gallon for a little bit of meat juice love.  The sock will also last about 6 months in your freezer too. 

Remember to make friends with your butcher,.Even the guys in the big grocery chains will hold on to bones for you if you ask nicely.  Even though you don't  have to make your own stock from my recipes, it's always nice to have some on hand.  It's a good thing to do with left over turkey, or chicken bones if you have that too.  As always, if you have questions, just comment, I'll get to you.

Happy Eating,

-The Doctor

Simple Herb Gravy

Yesterday I posted up wicked sweet turkey recipe that doesn't need a sauce, but I know some of you have that old school grandparent, or crazy aunt that's like "Where's the gravy?"  Well don't worry.  If you remember all those yummy pan drippings I talked about yesterday, we're going to start with that.  If you saved them, good for you, if not,  well start the turkey over again.  You can use this recipe for any pan drippings form any meat, but remember this one will be particularly sweeter because of the brine we sat that turkey in over night.  You'll also want to use low sodium chicken stock, the normal stuff's just too salty, or even better make your own (that recipe is coming too) You'll need:

1 tsp. rosemary, chopped
1 tbsp. parsley, chopped
2 c.low sodium Chicken stock (add more if needed)
1tbsp. butter, softened
2 tbsp flour

1.  First step, skim some of that fat off the top of those drippings.  Fat is flavor in most cases, but when we're dealing with sauces made from stocks or dripping, too much of a good thing , is a bad thing.  It can leave a  really junky, waxy mouth feel (yuck).

2.  If there's and sticky crusty bit on that roasting pan, get that thing on the stove on a medium heat and slowly scrape it down.  that's flavor you want.  once you get all those yummy bits off,  transfer to a sauce pot and add the chicken stock.

3.  Mix the butter and flour together by hand,  You'll be using this to thicken the gravy.  You may think this is a roux...its not it's Buerre Manie, little different.  When the gravy comes up to a boil grab a bowl, take half of the Buerre Manie, put it into  bowl and ladle some of the gravy over it, and whisk.  when it's smooth, add it back to the gravy.  You may need more, you may need less, no problem.  If you're gravy get's too thick, add some more stock, if it's too thin, add some more of the Buerre Manie, no big deal.  The gravy should be able to coat the back of the spoon, unless you like it thicker.  The nice thing about gravies, is they're mostly a matter of preference.

4.  When you're gravy is thick enough for your tastes, strain if it you don't want lumps, and toss in the herbs. I like to grind in a little black pepper here for some kick, but that's up to you.

Remember you can use this technique for ANY gravy you want to make.  You'll see me refer back to this technique pretty often.  Any questions???  No problem, put 'em in the comments.  I'll get back to you.

-The Doctor

Bourbon Brined Turkey

I've been getting asked all week, "Doc, waht'd ya make for NewYears?"  Well the first answer is no resolutions.  They fail, we all know it. If you're smart, you make an un-resolution.  Because it's not a resolutions it doesn't fail right?  My un-resolution was to make some wicked turkey for my guests.  I like to buy my turkey breasts whole on the bone, and roast them on the bone to get all that great flavor.  I'll either make a gravy from the bones, or hack them up and save for them stock.  This brine is so flavorful and juicy you really don't need any sauce (but you can make one if you want, that recipe will be up tomorrow)  this recipe will do  about an 6-8 lb. turkey front with the bone on. If you don't  have a pot or another vessel big enough to hold both breasts with the bone on, no big deal, look for some brining bags or ask your butcher to de-bone it.  If he won't email me and I'll help you out.  (If there are enough comments I'll do some articles on butchery too)  I let the turkey sit for 24 hours in the brine,then let it come up to room temp before it was roasted at 300 for 80-90 minutes and 450 for 15-20 minutes to get the skin nice and brown.  Cooking times may very for your oven, they're all calibrated differently, so if you don't have a meat thermometer, get one.  I cook to 155, then let it carry to 165, so it doesn't dry out.  You can do this recipe however you want.  I take the turkey off the bone and grill it in the summer, roast it in the winter, and sometime in the spring, I use this recipe as a base for corned turkey and corned beef (more on that in another episode) Here's your brine:

1 c. Your favorite Bourbon.  I can't officially make recommendation because, well....I like all of them...

Mmmm.....Turkey

1/3c.  kosher salt

1/4 c. honey

2 tbsp pickling spice

1/4 c. brown sugar

4 qt water

1-1.5 qt ice

1/2 bunch sage

1/2 bunch parsley

1. First step, we need to cook the alcohol out of the bourbon (SACRILEGE....) not really sacrilege, the meat will come out tasting funny, we just want to flavor from all of those wonderful smokey, cured grains.  Be careful not to set anything on fire, just put it in a pot, turn the heat on medium high and reduce it by half.  

2. This is easy right? Add the rest of the ingredients, except the ice, and bring them to a boil in a pot.  You need to stir every few minutes so the sugar and honey don't sit on the bottom and burn. You're only working with half of the liquid you need to chemically make a proper solution.  Why you ask?  Because you're going to add the rest of the liquid as ice to cool the brine down nice and fast (Smart huh?, I'm not an Evil Doctor for nothing....)

3.  After you've put the ice in the brine (please turn off the heat first....) put the turkey in the brine.  Use a plate or something to weigh the turkey down so it's completely submerged.  If you have a brine bag, turn the turkey every 4-6 hours so that brine gets distributed evenly.

4.  The next day, pop that bird in the oven, I like to baste it, even though there is s brine.  Baste about every 15-20 minutes.  If you need to add water to the  bottom of the roasting pan after 30-40 minuets or so, go ahead, sometimes you need to, to make sure you got enough of that beautiful turkey juice to baste with. When that turkey's done don't go hacking it up right away, although i know you wanna.  let that puppy rest for 10-15 minutes, then slice into it. that muscle tissue needs to relax a bit so those juices you worked so hard basting that turkey with stay in the meat.  (Don't throw that juicy bird flavored goodness away, it makes an excellent base for a gravy, or a great addition to a stock.)  As a general rule of thumb regarding the cooking times I talked about earlier, once your bird hits about 140-145, crank that oven up to the 450 degree temperature.  I will crisp that skin up quite nicely, especially with all of the sugar and salt it absorbed from that brine. 

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Happy Eating

-The Doctah