Text 31515, 93 rader
Skriven 2009-11-28 09:12:58 av DAVE SACERDOTE (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Tales of Txgvg 433
==========================
DS> problematic.  For the past two days I've had an abcess along the
DS> inside gum, about the size of a damn marble,

ML> Ugly, ugly, ugly. When I had my horrid mouth problems
ML> a couple years ago, mine was the size of a pea, if that,
ML> and it was excruciating enough. I kept pushing it until
ML> it popped. Still haven't been to the dentist.

The abcess has finally started to recede; I have a large but soft
slightly swollen spot now instead of the huge, tight, hard, painful
knob that was there all of Thursday.  I can eat soft foods now,
but still nothing crunchy (my favorite texture, so it is really
driving me crazy) and I'm munching on tender delicious leftover
smoked turkey (small bites) as I check my messages this morning.

==


DS> The night before, I had made a delicious turkey stock
DS> with the neck, giblets (sans liver, which was NOT IN
DS> THE BIRD, damn you Shady Brook Farms)

ML> My Shady Brook turkey had a puny half or third of a liver,
ML> but it smelled far too good to put into stock or stuffing,
ML> so I fried it up for cook's treat. The stock didn't miss it.

Sorry, I wasn't clear.  I damned Shady Brook Farms because there
was no liver for me to cook separately and enjoy while cooking
(my usual practice) and a lovely rare-cooked turkey liver would
have been quite welcome because it would have been something I
could have chewed.  But no, the bastards left it out.  I probably
should expect such from a 49c-a-pound loss leader.

Yesterday, I was in Stop & Shop for some markdown tomatoes. and 
a small selection of turkeys were on "Manager's Special."  S&S
had been selling Bell & Evans all natural turkeys for $2.89 a
pound.  There was a single one left, now marked at 69 CENTS a 
pound - a smallish 13-pounder - so I bought it even though I have
a fridge full of leftovers.  I'm going to give it a try in a
couple of days and see what all the fuss is about.

I can tell by looking at it that it's a much leaner bird, and the
dark meat is a LOT darker (yum!!) but I also know that it's not
going to have all the injected solution and fats etc. that the
Shady Brook Farm or Butterball turkeys have.  The past few years
I haven't bothered with brining my smoked turkey because the 
processors have loaded the damn things up with so much injected
saltwater I don't think further brining is required for a process
like smoking that will add extra flavor.  But B&E turkeys are
"minimally processed" and all natural, so I'll be brining and 
keeping the smoker no hotter than 250F to be sure that the 
bird doesn't dry out.

DS> I also had removed some of the cavity fat from the turkey 
DS> and much of the neck skin, and rendered it for turkey
DS> fat to make stuffing and gravy later.

ML> I've been doing that, too, for years. This turkey had only
ML> about a tablespoon of cavity fat total, though, so I had
ML> to add butter.

It was a good thing I had kept the rendered fat from he bird
I did when you were here last time.  I needed both batches to
make enough stuffing and gravy.  

DS> By 0700, the turkey was in the smoker.  By 0900, I had
DS> a big pan of stuffing made - the aromatics sauteed in
DS> turkey fat, and the finished product moistened with
DS> broth.  Using bird products like that made it virtually
DS> indistinguishable from actual cooked-in-the-carcass stuffing. 

ML> Actually, the texture is better that way - inside-the-bird
ML> tends to get gooshy and mooshy, and you have to take it out
ML> early and cook it separately for a while to crisp up the top
ML> (a bit of saved skin helps with this).

Agreed.  It is easy to control the moisture level of the stuffing
when it's made on the stovetop.  None of my guests could tell the
difference anyway.  I immodestly take that as a testament to my
skill rather than a comment on their wooden palates. [g]



---
http://davescupboard.blogspot.com/ - Dave's Cupboard - Food and 
Restaurant Reviews.

http://bacon-labels.blogspot.com/ - My ongoing art project: an
online gallery of bacon package labels.

Follow me on Twitter:  http://twitter.com/davescupboard/      .

 * Origin: Doc's Place BBS Fido Since 1991 docsplace.tzo.com (1:123/140)