Smoked Turkey
Recipe Overview
If Traeger were my kid, it would be in deep trouble for the complete lack of effort put into this recipe. I mean, I’d grade it a D at best. The written recipe is woefully inadequate, with the video expanding tenfold the steps needed to complete a Traditional Smoked Turkey. Luckily, I figured this out before I turned my Smoked Turkey into a hockey puck. Annoyingly, actually smoking the Turkey correctly yielded a deliciously moist dinner. But the sins of Traeger’s written recipe shall not be forgiven because I’m sure they’ve ruined someone’s Thanksgiving.
Ingredients List
Ingredients:
-
- Turkey – size is up to you. Think 1lb per person.
- For the Brine
- ½ cup salt
- ½ cup sugar (white or brown)
- You may add anything else such as garlic, leeks, apple cider, bay leaves, orange peel, sage, rosemary….the list is endless. Or you can just use salt and sugar, which is what I do.
- For the Turkey Butter
- ½-1 Pound butter
- 6 Cloves garlic, minced
- 8 Sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 Sprig fresh rosemary
- 1 Tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1/2 Tbsp kosher salt
- Olive Oil, plus salt and pepper to taste
- Chicken Stock
Step 1: Brine the Turkey
Boil sugar and salt in 2 cups of water until both dissolve. Transfer brine to a pot big enough to submerge your turkey in water. Do not put the turkey in hot water. Put cold water in the pot and wait until the water is cold if you have to. Submerge turkey in brine for 6-24 hours (think day before) in the refrigerator.
NOTE: I can a lot of jelly – your water bath canner works great for brining your turkey.
Step 2: Prep the Turkey
In a small bowl, combine softened butter with minced garlic, thyme leaves, chopped rosemary, black pepper and kosher salt. Depending on the size of your turkey you may increase or decrease the amounts in this step – more butter makes things taste better.
Prep the turkey by separating the skin from the breast creating a pocket to stuff the butter-herb mixture in. Spread the butter mixture between the breast meat and the skin. If you’re not sure how to do this, watch the video.
Paint the entire turkey with olive oil and salt & pepper. NOTE: there is no basting in this recipe so the salt & pepper will stay in place and you’ll get a mouthful of it with the skin. This made me use less than I would on a baked turkey.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan on a rack with chicken stock and the neck in the bottom of the pan. I used about 2 cups of stock, but this is your preference and dependent on the size of your pan and bird.
Step 3: Prep the Smoker
Set the grill temperature to 300℉ and preheat, lid closed for 15 minutes.
Step 4: Cook the Turkey
Place turkey on the grill and smoke for 3-4 hours. Check the internal temperature, the desired temperature is 175℉ in the thigh next to the bone, and 160℉ in the breast. Turkey will continue to cook once taken off grill to reach a final temperature of 165℉ in the breast.
NOTE: a 17lb turkey took more than 4 hours. While Traeger seems to think that cooking time doesn’t increase with bird size, experience tells me that it does. A 12lb turkey took 3:45. A 17lb turkey took 4:15 but we pulled at 160. A friend’s 20lb turkey was raw at 4 hours and had to go in the oven.
Conclusion
Smoked Turkey is great, just don’t follow Traeger’s instructions. Which is super irritating to be honest. My oven was free all day, allowing me space to make all of my other concoctions. That is significant upside value. The turkey is moist, crispy, and delicious with a delectable smokey flavor that transmits to your gravy too!
Everything Bagel Cheese Ball
Recipe Overview
First off, it looks just like the picture and it’s adorable!!! Point scored. Second, it was easy to make. Point scored. Third, it’s too much horseradish. Point lost. (Insert sad face here) Delicious Table’s Everything Bagel Cheese Ball, more aptly named the Everything Bagel Pumpkin Cheese Ball, is as festive as appetizers get and will look fantastic on your holiday table. But you’ve got to cut the horseradish to make this a repeat recipe. In real life, there’s just too much tang to make it really appetizing. I’ve incorporated the tweaks below – just keep in mind that you should incorporate as much horseradish as you prefer.
Ingredients List
Equipment Needed:
- 4 – 24” lengths of String (butcher, twine, whatever you have laying around that is a bit thicker)
- 1 Stem – can be from a small sugar pumpkin, butternut squash, zucchini, or any other stemmed vegetable. You can substitute celery if you can’t get a stem.
Ingredients:
- 8oz Cream Cheese (1 package) softened, room temperature
- 4 tbsp Everything Bagel Seasoning divided 2 tbsp & 2 tbsp
- ¼ cup sour cream
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish – you may omit this. 2 tsp made this inedible for my family (and my husband loves horseradish) so adjust for your family. We’d leave it out entirely next time.
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup Sharp Cheddar shredded
- 2 tbsp fresh chives or green onions
- 1 bag pita chips, crackers, or vehicle of your choice
Step 1: Prepare Your Pumpkin Stem
I used a butternut squash stem that popped off quite easily. Delicious Table suggests cutting the top off of your squash and then using a knife to cut the extra pumpkin from around the stem. She says not to try to pull it off because it will usually break, so use your judgment here.
Step 2: Make the Cheese Ball
In a medium bowl, mix softened cream cheese, 2 tbsp Everything Bagel Seasoning, sour cream, horseradish (if using), Worcestershire sauce, cheddar cheese, and fresh chives. Using a rubber spatula, mix and form a round ball in the bowl.
NOTE: this was a shoulder and forearm workout! I’d use a mixer with the paddle attachment next time. Just be judicious and don’t beat it into oblivion.
Step 3: Wrap the Cheese Ball
Place a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter and set the cheese ball in the center. Wrap the cheese ball tightly with the plastic wrap. I twisted the top to secure and that worked just fine.
Step 4: Form the Pumpkin
Lay the 4 pieces of string in a star pattern on the counter. Place the wrapped cheese ball in the center. Tie each string tightly enough to create impressions in the cheese ball. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours, or overnight.
Step 5: Finish the Pumpkin
Get ready to sprinkle your pumpkin with Everything Bagel Seasoning. Cut the strings and discard. I unwrapped the top while holding the cheese ball and sprinkled seasoning around the edges and top. It’s super sticky, so don’t set it down until you’re absolutely ready. Seasoning is gonna kinda go everywhere so you might consider placing a cookie sheet under the pumpkin while you’re sprinkling to catch wayward bits. Once you have enough seasoning on the sides, place your cheese ball where you want it – it’s not easily moved so place with intention. Place your stem and enjoy what you’ve created!
Conclusion
This Everything Bagel Cheese Ball is a delight to the eyes and festive to the core! With a little bit of adjustment on the horseradish level, this is a winner every time. Cute, easy, and tasty. It doesn’t get any better than this! In real life, this recipe works!
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Instant Pot Pot Roast
Recipe Overview
Did you forget to put the roast in the crock pot before you left for work at 7:45am? Because who hasn’t?! But the kids were at school on time, so put today in the win column and give yourself a break. Pioneer Woman’s Instant Pot Pot Roast is the ticket to your dinner. It’s easy, and mostly quick, so pop it in before you head out for soccer and come home to dinner, done. The real trick here is that this recipe is good enough for a Sunday dinner, too.
Ingredients List
- 1 whole beef chuck roast, 3 to 4 pounds
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 whole large yellow onions, peeled and quartered
- 6 whole carrots, washed, scrubbed, and cut into large pieces
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cup beef stock
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
Step 1: Prep the Pot
Set the Instant Pot to “Saute” and allow to warm. Depending on your model, it will read “Hot” or otherwise indicate it is ready.
Step 2: Prep the Roast
Season roast with salt and pepper. Add the olive oil to the Instant Pot and seat roast on all sides until browned. Remove to a clean plate.
NOTE: you can prep your carrots and onions while the roast is searing.
Step 3: Cook the Veggies
Add onions and carrots to the pot and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Deglaze with red wine, making sure to scrape the bottom to get all the delicious bits. Add in the beef stock, rosemary, thyme, and the roast.
Step 4: Cook the Roast
Lock the lid and cook the roast on Manual/High for 1 hour 20 minutes. Allow time for the pot to naturally release – see Note below.
NOTE: Pioneer Woman suggests allowing no less than 10 minutes, preferably 20 minutes for the roast to naturally vent after it is done cooking. I did 20 minutes and the center was still not fork tender. My experience is to allow the natural venting process to complete itself (i.e. never hit the quick release button) if you want your meat (chicken, roast, etc.) to be tender and shreddable all the way through.
Conclusion
If you simply don’t have the time (or let’s be real, sometimes the patience) for an all day slow cook on a pot roast, then this recipe delivers the next best thing. It’s so close to a low and slow result that your family and guests will never tell the difference. In real life, friends keep this kind of secret. I’m not telling anyone!
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Fondant Potatoes
Recipe Overview
Easy and elegant, just as described. I had never had, or heard of, Fondant Potatoes before I found the recipe from Small Town Woman one Sunday trying to figure out a new way to serve a potato. They were a smashing hit with everyone. The recipe and instructions are straightforward and pretty simple. But this dish is also elevated, yes it’s a potato, but it’s so much more than a potato when you’re done cooking it. A touch of class in what can be an otherwise dreary potato forest.
Ingredients List
- 4 large Russet potatoes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup butter (cut in tablespoons)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- kosher salt
- fresh ground black pepper
Step 1: Prepare the Potatoes
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel the potatoes, cutting the ends off flat so that each potato will stand up on its own. Then cut each potato in half.
Step 2: Cook the Potatoes
Heat vegetable oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat. Brown the potatoes on top and bottom. This can take about 6-7 minutes per side.
Step 3: Bake the Potatoes
Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter, chicken stock, sliced garlic, fresh thyme and fresh rosemary. Place in oven and bake until the potatoes are fork tender.
Step 4: Finish the Potatoes
Spoon the butter mixture over the cooked potatoes and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. For best results serve promptly.
Conclusion
This is the kind of recipe I like. I had no idea what I was doing, but found a recipe that looked good and seemed reasonable to make. And it worked! In real life, nonetheless! Brava!
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