Originally Posted By: Bornyo
Originally Posted By: fartz

I tried this once, Bornyo, and it completey backfired, as I found out I really, really, like the taste of hand-rolled Tobacco.


I've got to find a good shop from which to buy tobacco. The place I bought the gear...that kid could have told me all I wanted to know about smoking anything but tobacco. The second shop I tried I came upon by chance in a rough part of Charlotte, NC. I walked in on 5 dudes sitting in the back smoking room having a big time smoking cigars and playing cards. They were really having fun until I walked in. The dude laid down his hand and everyone watched while he rushed me through my selection, with no helpful advice or input, and before I got out the door he was back at his seat and the betting began. I'm sure they looked at his cards while he was weighing the tobacco for me.

Long story short, I'm not enjoying these home-made too much so far but I'm figuring out the intricacies of the process.


Was that a headshop? I've been in that exact same scenario, except substitue the card table for an Xbox. I hate when I feel like I'm interupting something important to give people business.

Originally Posted By: Steezo
Originally Posted By: fartz
Turkey's a tough one. There's no middle ground. It comes out tender and fantastic, or dry and shitty. I've been trying to master oven-roasted Turkey for years, and a 24 hour salt/sugar brine has produced the best results. The biggest problem I come across is infusing flavor. Some fresh herb bouquets and lemon wedges in the brine helps, but only leaves an essence, and nothing close to a bold flavor. Stuffing the cavity goes a long way in flavoring the dark meat, but it stops there.


Pretty much no matter what I do, turkey tastes like turkey. Brining is supposed to add flavor, but to me it just makes the turkey moist and gives you some margin for error as far as overcooking it a bit without it drying out. In any case, I haven't messed one up in years and I've been told that I'm required to cook Thanksgiving turkey from now on.

I generally brine the turkey overnight for 8-12 hours, then take it out of the brine and let it air dry uncovered in the fridge for 8-12 hours until it's time to cook it. I use a ceramic egg-style cooker and cook my turkey at about 325° with some wood chips thrown on for flavor. For turkey, I'll use a mix of pecan & either apple or cherry wood chips. I'll stuff the cavity with quartered apples, onions & pears, plus one of those herb bags and some garlic cloves. I'll loosed the skin of the breast and stuff some herb butter all under the skin, as well as all over the outside of the bird. After it's been cooking for a little while, I'll baste it with butter every half an hour until it's done. If I want the skin crispy, I'll heat my indoor oven to about 450°, take the turkey off a little early and then finish it in the oven for the last 20-30 minutes.



That looks incredible Steezo.


Edited by fartz (02/25/12 06:56 AM)