Brined, Cajun Injected, Beer Butt Smoked Thanksgiving Turkey

If you like a LOT of flavor in your Turkey and also one that is super moist, this is one of my recipes you have got to try. This combines all of my favorite cooking tricks including: Brining, Injecting, Smoking, and steaming aromatics.

First off you need to do JB’s brining method which is simple and more healthy than traditional brining. Start with water, enough to cover your bird in a pot. Take out the bird and add to the water 1\2 cup of salt and 1\2 cup of sugar. This recipe uses about half the amount of salt in typical brining. This will reduce the sodium content some of which for a lot of us is a good thing. Also add two cups of Cajun Creole sauce and three large elephant garlic cloves, some fresh cracked peppercorns, chives and some crushed red pepper. The last ingredient is one cup of apple cider vinegar.

Before you put the bird back in the brining pot, inject the Turkey with some Cajun Creole Butter sauce. Then, place bird in pot to get ready for the fridge.

Place the Turkey back in the pot and refrigerate over night. Usually I like to brine just fresh Turkey breast, not the entire bird. This is just easier all the way around. This Turkey is also a bird that I will serve on the side for dinner. A lot of people only like tradition, dry, flavorless, white bird for their Thanksgiving. So, to be safe, I usually always will cook several birds. One smoked or deep fried. A traditional in the oven, and then this recipe which is my favorite.

After a good 24 hour soak, dump the brine and wash the Turkey. Next, get your beer butt holders ready with beer and your favorite spices. I like garlic, franks red hot sauce, vinegar and chives. Put it all in the beer can with some beer and stuff it up the Turkey cavity. When cooking with beer cans stuffed in either Chicken or Turkey, take some chef scissors and cut the top off. Don’t just open the beer can, “Pop Top”. You really want to remove the top part of the can. This allows much better flow of aroma and moisture going into the bird. This also makes it real easy to add aromatics.

Before going to the grill, use your favorite rub and give the bird a good spice rub down. My favorite is Caribbean Jerk seasoning.

Now, prep your smoker by adding water and beer into the moisture pail, or drip pan. Also add some fresh herbs. More elephant garlic, peppercorns, etc.

Put you bird on the smoker and smoke the Turkey with Apple and Cherry wood chunks until done.

After the Turkey is cooked place it back in a container with aluminum foil with a good tight seal to it. Let sit for one more hour. This REALLY allows the juice to re absorb into the meat. The turkey will still be very warm even after an hour sit at room temp. Also, leave the skin on during the resting period. Do not take the skin off until ready to slice.

To serve, I like to cut the entire breast out in one piece per side. Then slice down the back side of the breast. This makes for a real nice cut of meat and it is easy to control.

I don’t know of a bird that has more flavor than this recipe. My next favorite would be deep fried with different injections. With out a doubt, this tops them all and your guest will be in for a real treat. There is also nothing at all difficult about this recipe, although it does require a good smoker. If you have not gotten a smoker yet, This Thanksgiving give yourself, your friends and family a real treat- go buy a smoker. They are only around $70 bucks or so and last for years.

Try it!!! Happy thanksgiving to all!!!!! Now, I am heading to the mountains with my daughter to Uncle Bills where Bill is smoking and deep frying birds, and I am taking some of my chef specialty cookware and making homemade Grilled Turkey Pizza!!!

Above pic is half of the breast with the skin on. Leave skin on until
ready to cut and serve, this helps retain moisture in the meat.
The piece of the other breast half is what the meat
looks like without the skin. Discarded skin is great used in
Turkey Gravey, adds a nice smokey flavor

I wish my son Ben could of joined us this year. He is in Washington State and can’t make it out this year. We will miss him!!! Love ya bud. Also like to wish Ruthie a safe trip to PA to see her folks over the holiday. Also a big Happy Turkey day to my parents, hope yall have a relaxing weekend.

Cheers and Chow!

Jim Baugh

JBO TV

Three Pepper Shrimp Sauce Sea Bass Recipe

 

Three pepper Shrimp suace with Sea Bass

A little History about this recipe: JBO TV some 20 years ago featured Myrtle Beach SC as a fishing \ tourist destination. One of the restaurants we filmed was Sunnyside Seafood restaurant in Murrells Inlet SC, the owner was Bubby Vereen. We set our cooking set up in this HUGE house on the beach and had Bubby over for the filming. He featured one of his favorite dishes, three pepper Shrimp sauce served with Sea Bass. This was one of his favorite recipe specials he liked to serve at his restaurant, This is just one of the best dishes I have ever had. It just has everything and the taste is unreal.

We have since featured this recipe on our show three times, includeing  West Palm Beach at Wayne Bakers on the ocean front. This was during the Miami International boat show and Wayne and I had gotten a little to much into the wine, and we rolled camera. We could hardly stand up much less speak. It took a lot of takes to get threw that filming for sure. Also, we have published this recipe in several magazine columns.

Atlantic Black Sea Bass

I have other stories about this recipe, but nothing we can print. It is one of the best recipes you will ever try.

Unfortunately Bubby is no longer there,  but his legacy is strong with this dish. GO BUBBY!!!

Here it is.

Chop one red, green, and yellow pepper, five spring onions, mushrooms, one stalk celery, one tomato's, peel and de-vein one pound of large Tiger shrimp, and have two cups of white wine and one cup of whipping cream nearby as well as half a stick of butter.

In a saucepan, lightly fry the Sea Bass filets, set aside and keep warm.

Then, in a deep pan, pan sear some chopped garlic with the butter, when done add the wine. then add all the vegetables and cook for 5-10 minutes until veggies are done. Add cream, and fresh lemon, if the sauce needs a little thickening, which it will for sure, use some corn starch or flour. Corn starch is my preff, mix with a little water, no lumps, works great!

Add shrimp last to the sauce. Season with a little cajun spice, parsley, garlic powder, fresh cracked pepper and Sea Salt to taste. I dont like a heavy salt flavor at all, in anything really, but this sauce will need a little salt kick, just not to much.

 Let stand for 5 min, and pour over the cooked Sea Bass filets. Or, if you want your fish to stay more crunchy, lay the fish on top of the sauce and garnish.

You will love it!!!!

(Credit to Bubby Vereen from Myrles Inlet SC for showing me this one many years ago, thanks Bub.)

Jim Baugh
JBO TV

 





Chicken Parmesan with Clam Marinara Sauce

Here is one of my fav fall dishes that everyone at the dinner table will just love. It is an easy dish and if you catch your chicken breast on sale, it is inexpensive as well.

All you need is some nice chicken breast, whole wheat noodles, fresh Motz, San Marzano tomatoes, olive oil, crushed red pepper, fresh Italian herbs, salt, pepper, Italian bread crumbs and some red wine vinegar.

Start off by making the simple clam marinara sauce. In a bowl empty one can of San Marzano Tomatoes and crush by hand. Add one can of chopped clams with juice. Continue to add fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper and two tbls spoons of red wine vinegar and garlic to taste. Set aside, DO NOT HEAT YET.

For the chicken, simply clean and fillet in half and season. Lastly, sprinkle Italian breadcrumbs on both sides of the chicken. Do not use an egg and flour wash on the chicken because the breader usually is always to thick for my taste. This is a bit healthier as well and in my opinion taste better.

Cook your pasta and set aside. You will want it al dente, or undercooked by about three minutes.

Pan sear your chicken in olive oil, at this time, put the sauce on low while the chicken is being sautéed. The reason you don’t want to cook the sauce for a long period of time on high heat is because you will cook the sweetness out of the tomatoes.

The rest is rather simple, get a plate you can stick under the broiler. Plate up by placing the cooked chicken on the dish along with some pasta. Cover the chicken with fresh Motz and broil off for a couple of minutes.

Then add you sauce on top of the chicken and past and top with fresh Parmesan and Romano cheese.

This really is a great dish to serve up and a perfect fall complement to your many Rockfish Feast. In other words, it is a good alternate to your everyday Rockfish dinner during Nov. and Dec.

Chow!!

Jim Baugh

JBO TV

PS: In case you are wondering, yes, of course we had chicken wings for appetizers. Lots of wine to!!

What a TOMATO!!

Canned Tomatoes are probably the most used canned product in our JBO Kitchen. Weather it’s Salsa, Chicago Deep Dish, Neapolitan Pie, Clam Linguine, or even Lasagna, old JB is reaching for the tomatoes cans quite often.

The most famous of all the canned tomatoes and reportably the best is the San Marzano DOP certified canned tomatoes from Italy. I am not going to get into the history and how the product became certified, etc. It is a very interesting story that is all over the Internet, here is a good reference.

http://www.sanmarzanotomatoes.org/canned-brands.html

Pretty much everything you would ever want to know about the San Marzano is there.

I have talked to a lot of chefs and a lot of cooks on the internet and there always seems to be a bit of controversy about weather or not the San Marzano is the better product, and is it worth the high cost, like over $6 bucks a can at some retailers.

Here is my official vote, and the vote is—Yes, and -maybe not.
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D.O.P. (Protected Designation of Origin) certified San Marzano tomatoes are grown in the Agro Sarnese Nocerino region of Italy, renowned for its especially fruitful soil as a result of its proximity to Mount Vesuvius.
The D.O.P. Seal Certifies not only that a tomato product is made from authentic San Marzano tomatoes but also that the product is produced with the proper method to ensure superior quality.
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For me the cost of $6 bucks a can is just a little out of line for most cooking. So, I did not feel comfortable based on some reports I have gotten about buying them cheaper on the internet, and the cost of shipping is a bit high. Basically I would buy one or two cans whenever I would make a Neapolitan pizza, and that would be about it.

HOLD THE TRAIN!! The big news for me last week was in WalMart, where I found Cento San Marzano DOP certified tomatoes for like $3.50! This sort of changes things, I bought six cans off the bat and will go back this week and probably buy out the rest if I can. I made whole-wheat lasagna yesterday using the Cento SM and with out a doubt was the best lasagna I ever made. So now, yes, I will use SM for most of my sauces and pies. The L Cheapo canned products will be used for Chile.

Here is the deal with the San Marzano DOP certified tomatoes, they are velvety smooth, fruity and sweet. There really is no acid taste at all and no need to add sugar to your sauce using these tomatoes. There is also no watery juice inside, more like a sauce. The tomatoes are plump red and can be eaten right out of the can. They do make the best sauce and require very little seasoning, the color of these tomatoes are beautiful.

So, if your cooking a dish that requires a nice sauce, than yes the SM is the way to go and worth it, but at $6 bucks a can, it is a rare treat. For $3 bucks or so, keep 10 cans on hand at all times, and some cheap o store brand for back up.

The debate about taste, San Marzano wins hands down over any other canned product I have tried. I have yet to try a product that even comes close. The fact that they are certified makes sense based on the history and protecting the name and Italian heritage of the SM product.

Try some! You can order on line, or check you local WalMart. Specialty shops will carry San Marzano and I have bought them at Williams-Sonoma. Farm fresh carries Delello SM, however at a very high price.

My favorite is the Cento so far. Makes the best sauce in the world!!

TIPS: *Always hand crush San Marzano Tomatoes.

* Do not overcook, or you will take the sweetness out.

* For Pizza sauce, do not cook the tomato.

Jim B

 "San Marzano tomatoes have been designated as the only tomatoes that can be used for Vera Pizza Napoletana (True Neapolitan Pizza).^"

Jim's Holiday Rockfish Sandwhich-Video