Labor Day Weekend - Day Four

I woke up to the alarm on Monday. I need to get my turkey breast into the brine. So, I rinsed it off and covered it with water in a stock pot. Then I measured the water it took to completely cover it and made my brine accordingly (it took about 1 1/2 gallons of water). So, I mixed up one cup of kosher salt and one cup of sugar in a cup and a half of boiling water. I stirred that until it was dissolved, added two tablespoons of black pepper and let it cool.

I went out in the drizzle to the patio and cut several stalks of sage. They went into the stock pot.

I added cold fresh water to the brine and set the turkey back in. I weighted it down with a plate (so it would stay submerged) and, after some maneuvering, stuck it in the fridge for the next 5-8 hours. Since I was playing around with the fridge, I pulled everything that was getting a bit old for the trash (Goodbye, buttermilk! I wish I would have drunk you!)

I posted the Blog entry a little late and made another half pot of coffee.

I needed supplies, so after shaving and showering, I headed to Kroger's at 11:00 AM. I also stopped at GFC for some lump charcoal. However, neither Kroger nor GFC had any wood chips for smoking. So, I ended up going to Home Depot and buying three bags of hickory chips (I don't want to run out before the season is over). Whew! That was a sensory overload! I hadn't seen or talked to another person in the last three days...

Back home, I submerged one bag of the hickory chips in a bucket of clean water. Then I put away the few groceries I had bought. It was about 12:30 PM, BTW.

It was too early to cook the turkey breast, so I took a nap (what else?) I woke up around 4:00 PM and went out to start the charcoal. I put a drip pan on the cool side of the grille and the hot charcoal on the other. I rinsed the brine off the turkey breast and let it drip dry for a while. I took out one of the grates over the charcoal and added some of the wet hickory chips. After oiling the remaining grates, I put on the turkey breast.

I kept a watch on the amount of smoke and added wet wood chips as necessary. I had the probe of my thermometer in the deepest part of the breast and set it to go off at 160 degrees F. After the first hour or so, I melted a stick of butter and began to baste it every 15 minutes.

When the alarm went off, I pulled off the turkey breast, tented it with foil and let it rest for 1/2 hour. Back outside, I grilled a pack of natural casing hot dogs for next week.

Back inside, I made some mashed potatoes out of unpeeled redskins and steamed some cauliflower. I plated everything up and went in to watch taped TV shows. The smoked turkey was fantastic!!

I left the grille outside to cool and the mess in the kitchen for Tuesday morning. I made sure everything was locked up and then went to bed.