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Smoked salt is easy to make and it keeps well in a sealed jar. Experiment with a variety of different woods to come up with unique flavors. Oak, mesquite, apple, and hickory are all great options when deciding on what wood to smoke your salt with.

What you will need:

2 cups of salt (kosher or sea salt)

2 cups of wood chips (soaked in water for an hour or so)

1 disposable aluminum pan

How to smoke salt:

Set up your grill for indirect grilling.  Add the wood chips to the coals.

Spread the salt in a thin layer in the aluminum pan and place it on the grate away from the heat source.  Smoke the salt for 1 hour at a medium heat level (350°F).

Let the salt cool, and then transfer it into a jar.

Yes, this can be done on a gas grill as well.  It all depends on the model of gas grill you have.  Some come with a smoker drawer to add the wood chips.

If your model of gas grill does not come with a smoker drawer a smoker box can be purchased for gas grills.

Another way is to pack your wood into some aluminum foil and puncture it with holes placing it over the heat source.

Smoking salt is as simple as that. Try adding it to a variety of different dishes for a unique smoky flavor.

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Smoking a Turkey

You can smoke a turkey on virtually any type of grill, even a gas grill.  Our focus here however will be smoking your turkey using indirect heat on a charcoal grill or using a smoker.

Whether using a charcoal grill or a smoker I suggest that you use a drip pan with a bit of water underneath your turkey.  A cheap disposable aluminum pan will work great for this.  Not only does a drip pan help prevent flare-ups, it helps provide a bit of moisture to the turkey while smoking.

If you are using a charcoal grill, build the charcoal up around the drip pan.  Due to the close proximity to the heat source, smoking on a charcoal grill will take less time than using a smoker.  A 12 to 14 pound turkey will take around 3 to 4 hours to smoke on a charcoal grill at a medium heat level.

If you are using a smoker build the heat source according to the directions for your smoker.  Build your heat to a level of 225°F to 250°F.  I like to aim for right around 235°F when I smoke a turkey.  At the level of heat it will take about 30 minutes per pound for the turkey to cook.  Expect to be smoking for 6 to 7 hours for a 12 pound turkey using a smoker.  Due to the length of time it takes to smoke a turkey I suggest that you stick to a small to medium sized bird.

If you want to use your favorite rub, or brine your turkey prior to smoking feel free.  However, a bit of oil rubbed on the turkey with some salt and pepper will also make for an excellent smoked turkey.

Place your turkey on the grill or smoker breast side up directly over the drip pan.  If the smoker you use has the heat source toward to one side of the turkey, you will want to rotate the turkey every couple of hours to insure even cooking.

You’ve got the heat going and the turkey on the grate, now let’s add a bit of smoke to your turkey.  There are several woods that you can use to smoke your turkey, but I prefer to use apple, cherry, or hickory.  I’ve also used a combination of those woods.  As far as mesquite goes, I find it to be too overpowering for turkey, but if you want to try it feel free.

If you are using chips you’ll want to soak them in water for an hour or so.  Soaking the chips will slow the rate of burn so they will smolder and produce smoke.  If you are using large chunks, there is no need to soak them.  Add a couple hands full of chips or a couple chunks to get the smoke rolling.  Shut the cover and let it smoke.  Keep the lid closed as much as possible to retain the heat and smoke.  You will want to check every hour or so if additional wood chips or chunks are needed.

If you are smoking your turkey on a charcoal grill at a medium level of heat your turkey will finish quicker.  You will want to check the temperature of the turkey several times while smoking using a meat thermometer.  Regardless of whether you are using a charcoal grill or a smoker, you are looking for a temperature of 170°F to 180°F before taking the turkey off.

Once the turkey has finished pull it off the grill or smoker and let it rest.  You should let your turkey rest for about 15 minutes covered with aluminum foil.  As it rests the juices will redistribute throughout the bird creating a juicy, tender smoked turkey.

Smoking a turkey is pretty easy, and it opens up the kitchen for other tasks.  Feel free to experiment a bit too.  You can brine your turkey, inject it with different seasonings, rub it with your favorite spices; the options are endless.  Another great idea is adding wine, beer, or juices to the drip pan for moisture.  Half the fun in smoking a turkey is experimenting.

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It doesn’t matter whether you have a gas or charcoal grill, you can grill a turkey on either one.  And it is not difficult at all.  The next several steps will show you how to grill a turkey with success.

Here are the steps for Grilled Turkey Success

• A turkey must be grilled using indirect heat.  Indirect cooking basically means that you will not be grilling your turkey directly over the heat source; rather you will place the turkey to the side of heat source or the heat source will be surrounding the turkey.

• Prepare the charcoal grill by opening the vents, removing the top grate and placing a drip pan in the center of the bottom grate.  You’ll want to build your heat source around this drip pan or built it up on the two longest sides of the pan.  For your initial heat you’ll need approximately 30 charcoal briquettes.

• After the coals have formed a grayish ash on them, place the top grate on the grill.  And brush the grate with a bit of canola or olive oil to help prevent sticking.

• If a gas grill is being used to grill your turkey, prepare a side for indirect grilling.  Consult your owner’s manual on how to adjust the heat to one side.  Place the drip pan underneath the grate below where the turkey will be grilled.  The gas grill will need to be preheated prior to placing your turkey on the grill.

• If you were so inclined you could have already seasoned, injected, or brined the turkey prior to placing on the grill.  If you choose not to season or baste the turkey, brush it with bit of oil prior to placing it on the grill.  Place your fresh or already thawed turkey on the grate breast side up directly over the drip pan.

• Cover your grill.  Grilling the turkey will take some time and the heat will need to be kept up.  If you are using a charcoal grill every hour you’ll want to add additional coals to each side.  Try to cook the turkey at approximately 350°F over medium heat whether using a charcoal or gas grill.

• Grill the turkey to a breast temperature of 170°F and a thigh temperature of 180°F.  Cooking times will vary depending upon grill types and levels of heat.  But on average is should take from 2 – 3 hours for a 10 to 18 pound turkey.  Check internal temperatures often to ensure it is cooking at a steady rate.

• Once the turkey is finished grilling, take it off the grill and let it rest for approximately 15 minutes prior to carving.  Carve up your turkey and enjoy!

Additional points

• Do not stuff a turkey you plan on grilling.  It will take too long for the stuffing to cook.
• Ovoid opening the grills cover to reduce heat loss.
• You may also place your turkey directly into an additional pan for basting.
• Rotate the turkey if one side looks to be cooking quicker than the other.
• Check internal temperatures often to make sure the turkey is cooking at an even steady pace.

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Are you looking to cook a turkey that is more tender, moist, and juicy?  Well, brining a turkey may be the answer for you.  So what is a turkey brine, and how do I brine a turkey?

In its simplest form a brine is nothing more than a solution of salt that has been dissolved in water.  And to “brine” we are soaking the whole turkey in this brining solution.  We are focusing today on brining a turkey, but brining a chicken is also very popular.  The methods that I will explain can also be used when brining a chicken.

There are several explanations on how the science behind brining actually works and each side has very good arguments.  I’m not a food scientist, and I also don’t want to bore you with the different theories; what I’m going to cover is what you came here for; how to brine a turkey.  Just understand regardless of the science behind brining the end result of soaking in this salt water solution is a meat that is more flavorful and moist in comparison to unbrined meat.

How to brine a whole turkey

First thing you will need is a fresh turkey, or a frozen turkey that has been thawed.  If your turkey is still frozen, read up on how to thaw a turkey.  If you purchased a kosher turkey, or a self basting turkey there is no need to brine, they have already been brined.  Brining a turkey will take time.  You will probably want to brine your turkey the day prior to cooking.  On average you will want to brine your turkey for 1 hour per pound of turkey.  If you bought a large turkey this will take some time.

The turkey needs to stay cold during the brining process to inhibit bacterial growth.  It is best to brine your turkey in the refrigerator.  Yes, it requires a lot of space, but if you can make it work, do it.  If you just can’t make the space in your refrigerator, a 5 gallon bucket, or better yet a cooler will work.  You need to keep this brining solution at 40°F or below at all times, so you will need to add ice and keep a watch on the temperature during this brining process.  The ice you add to the brine should be in sealed storage bags in order for it not to dilute the brining solution.

Turkey bags used for roasting turkeys can be used for brining, or your extra large storage bags will also work.  I do believe you can even find places that specifically sell brine bags.  Using a bag for brining is helpful if you are brining in your refrigerator because let’s face it, not many of use have room in our frig for a 5 gallon bucket or other large containers.

You will need 1 cup of salt per gallon of water.  You may use table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt to brine your turkey.  You will want to use up to 1 ½ cups if using sea salt, or kosher salt.  This is because sea salt and kosher salt weigh less per cup than table salt.  Make sure the salt is dissolved in the water prior to adding to the turkey.

Completely submerge the turkey in the brine, so add enough gallons of water and the appropriate amounts of salt to do so.  The turkey will probably want to float, so you’ll need to weight it down with a heavy bowl or other container.  Again you will want to soak the turkey in the brine for about 1 hour per pound of turkey.

After the turkey has finished brining you will want to give it a good rinse in cold water.  Make sure to throw out the turkey brine solution, it cannot be reused.

The turkey brine used in this example is a basic brine solution, so feel free to add additional spices.  Other ingredients you can add are sugars, honey, beer, juices, and other herbs and spices.  There are several brine recipes that use these and other spices.  An excellent brine recipe is Alton Brown’s brine recipe from Good Eats.

How to Brine a Turkey Summary

• 1 cup of salt per gallon of water.  Go with a weaker solution if you plan on brining your turkey for an extended period of time.
• Brining time should be around 1 hour per pound of turkey depending on your solution strength.  If you went with a weaker solution the brining time can be longer.
• Keep the brining solution at 40°F or lower no matter what type of container you brine in.
• If you are afraid that your turkey will be too salty cut back the amount of salt to ¾ cup.
• Experiment with sugars and spices.

If you’ve never brined a turkey before, or didn’t know how to brine, it may be time to give it a try.  Get creative and try adding different spices to your turkey brine.  Who knows, you may end up making the best turkey you’ve ever had.

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Baby back ribs are taken from the top of the pig’s rib cage, cut from the loin section.  Thus they are sometimes referred to as loin ribs or back ribs.  This loin section is where we get our pork chops.  So a baby back rib is just basically a pork chop with the majority of loin meat removed.  Since they come from the loin section baby back ribs are lean and tender in comparison to spare ribs.  The shortness and tenderness of baby back ribs make them a popular choice.

On the belly side of the pig’s rib cage below the back ribs is where spare ribs or “spareribs” are taken.  The spare ribs are bigger, tougher, and meatier than baby back ribs.  Being larger, tougher, and meatier means that spare ribs will generally need to be cooked longer than baby back ribs to become tender.

You wouldn’t think that there would be that big of a difference in these two types of ribs, but section that each is cut from makes a big difference in taste and tenderness.

Later I will get into different variations of ribs, from St. Louis and Kansas City style to country style ribs.

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