Out Door Cooking

I love cooking outdoors.  My husband (Mark) and I take people on mule packing trips in the summer time.  So I have learned many ways of outdoor cooking.  I cook outdoors at least once a week, it's so fun.  Even though I prefer to cook on a fire, you can probably use any of the recipes on a gas grill in the back yard because I know not everyone has the facilities for an outside fire.

This year for Thanksgiving, we made homemade apple cider from some apples we picked from our friends orchard here in Cambria.  I added some kosher salt (about two handfuls) to the cider and soaked our turkey in it for 5 days.  I used a small cooler and a gallon of cider.  Boy did it turn out great.  You can also use this technique (called brining) with whole chicken.  We have a chicken soaking in pomegranate cider right now for this weekend because I wanted to try something different.  As you can see by the picture, you can also use a zip lock baggie to brine.

 So, anyway, first find out where to buy a organic turkey or chicken.  Then you can buy spiced apple cider (or regular apple cider and add your own spices).   What I do, is place the turkey in a cooler, add the cider with about a cup of kosher salt and a plastic bag of ice (you will need to make sure to keep the baggie full of ice).  You can brine your turkey for one day or one week, the longer the better but make sure to keep it cool with ice or keep it in the frig. 

Then when you are ready to cook your turkey,  place it in a aluminum roasting tray ( the disposable kind).  You need to get your wood ready about one hour before cooking.  If you are cooking on gas preheat before cooking.  When your fire is ready, place your turkey in the pan and rub organic soy butter all over it.  Now salt and pepper your bird and cover it with a piece of cheese cloth.  You also need to make a broth for pan.  I use the giblets to make broth.  Just cover giblets with water and boil  for about 30min.  Poor the broth in to the pan and add some white wine. I use the lid of a Weber BBQ  to cover my bird.  You need to baste your bird about every 30min.  It takes about 20min. per pound.  You will have the best tasting and very moist turkey you have ever had.

If this sounds like more than you want to handle you might try the recipe with a whole chicken first.  If you're using a gas grill you might have to turn the pan every so often so the heat is not concentrated.  Just keep an eye on it when you're basting.

Try it, you'll love it
Deb