quote:
Originally posted by SmokinOkie:
[qb] So, what did you do that you learned in the forum? How did you prep it and how did you smoke it?
Looks really good. [/qb]
I kept it very simple, in the past I have used a brine, fancy rub and such, this time I went for simple.
I took the breast out of the frig 1 hr before I started to smoke it. I rubbed it with a very light coat of olive oil, in my mind, a coating of oil keeps moisture in by requiring a greater vapor pressure (or higher temperature) before any water can evaporate. Basically the way hand lotion works on a dry or windy day. I don't know if it this it true or not, or just some wacky idea of mine. Also, a little salt and pepper, but that was it.
For wood, I used a mixture of 1 oz pecan, 1oz apple, 2 oz maple. So a total of 4 oz of wood. I'd never use this much for ribs, but with a such a thick cut of meat, it works ok. Also, 3 of the 4 oz is apple or maple, which is much milder than pecan or hickory.
The smoke flavor on the outside skin was fairly heavy, with a medium to heavy flavor all the way through the breast meat. I try to balance the flavor so that it tastes more like meat than smoke. I want it to taste like turkey that happens to be smoked, not taste like smoked meat that happens to be turkey.
Even with 4 oz of wood, and a heavy somke flavor on the outside, none of it had that bitter, over smoked flavor. I think that bitter flavor comes from too much hickory, and to some degree pecan.
For those of you who use a lot of hickory, I would recommend taking a cheap cut of meat, or even a whole chicken, and try using all apple or maple in place of the hickory, and try using twice as much as you would hickory. I think you will be pleasently suprised.
I've also heard good things about oak, but haven't taken the time to try any yet.
My latest line of thinking is to always start with 1 oz of pecan, and then very the amount of apple, cherry, or maple accordingly.
This forum has been great for info on time and temperature, as well wood selection, and knowing when your food is done, among other things.
