Smokin’ on the Backdeck

Having the neighbors over for drinks.  We’ve been here almost 2 years now and we haven’t invited them over. Like us, they are into wine so we pull a few bottles (1988 Pichon Lalande and 1994 Freemark Abbey Cab Bosche) and ponder what to serve.  Our guests volunteer to bring over more wine and some cheeses so we decide on a very light main course:  smoked turkey, good bread, a few condiments and a salad.

We hit the market and buy a boneless turkey breast that’s already tied up.  We season it with salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder and oregano.  We jam in the instant read thermometer and set it on the counter while we prepare the grill.  We fire up a chimney of charcoal and soak 3 hickory chunks.  When the coals are red, we dump them out in the Weber and add another chimney of coals.  When the coals go white, we put the wet chunks on top, set the grate over the coals and place the turkey on and put on the cover.  Temperature reads 51 degrees.

Two plus hours later the temp reads 165 and the cover comes off.  The smoky aroma is powerful but not overwhelming.  The turkey is deep brown.

The bird has just a bit of spice from the quick rub and is quite moist.  The smoke has perfectly permeated the meat and complements the seasoning well.  A quick sandwich with some dijon mustard, a slice of turkey, a hunk of cheddar and a crusty bagette slice is a perfect complement to the big red wines.  Our only question is why don’t we do this more often?