Red River Smokehouse

May 8, 2017

I recently told you all about Redwood Smoke Shack, a BBQ food truck that has placed itself soundly in the top tier of BBQ in the area. I love BBQ and smoked meat. Pulled pork, beef brisket, BBQ chicken - whatever! If it was on a grill I'm probably going to like it.

Last month I got a message from a guy named Jon Basco asking if I wouldn't mind checking out his authentic Texas BBQ operation called Red River Smokehouse. Of course I said, "YES!"

(I didn't really yell like that, it was in message, but that's how it sounded in my head.)

A little bit about Red River Smokehouse, the truck is named after the Red River that separates Texas and Oklahoma. Jon is a Texan transplanted in the area through his service in the Marines. After getting out of the service he ended up staying here and with him his take on BBQ. I think we lucked out.

Red River Smokehouse was going to be at Commonwealth Brewing Co. early the next week after we talked and I planned on meeting him there. Monday rolled around and it was the big day, I mean I get to eat BBQ and drink beer at the beginning of the week, that's about as good as it gets. I went straight to the truck to meet Jon in person and check out his setup. He uses a custom trailer that affords him a lot room (more than some of the rigs I've seen out there) and it's equipped with a smoker on the back. Jon let me jump up and check out the truck but I didn't get too far in because he was busy and I didn't want to get in they way. I told him I was going to grab a beer and he said he'd put together a little something for me try. Excellent.

I love Commonwealth Brewing Co., they have an IPA called Wapatoolie that is hazy, citrusy, and amazing to drink. I know some people might look for something a little darker to pair with BBQ but I like to say, "I can do what I want!"

That's my Commonwealth Brewing Co. Wapatoolie

I grabbed my beer and was scoping out a place to sit with some good lighting and notice a someone getting their photo taken in the brewery and then immediately recognized her as one of the local lifestyle/fashion bloggers Tilley Hansen of Tilley's Threads. We follow each other online but have never met in person, I'm all about meeting the people I see online. I figure if you can creep on them online you can definitely (at least) say hello in person! She was with her friend and photographer Meridith A. Bright who shoots for Elizabeth Ashley - Virginia.

Tilley stole my beer, luckily she she left a little for me

After chatting for a bit I went to check on the food, luckily it was finished by the time I got to the truck. I know I already posted a photo up top there, but here is another because we eat with our eyes first right?

I got hooked up with some smoked turkey breast, BBQ pork ribs, brisket (dry and wet), and some sides. I went straight for the beef brisket first. Jon explained to me earlier that this brisket was only seasoned with salt and pepper then, of course, the smoke. It was delicious! Seriously, after having the brisket I was thinking I really needed to sit down and do a comparison from the notable BBQ trucks out there. I could eat this stuff all night.

The ribs were excellent, didn't fall apart, the meat firm on the bone. Lightly sauced and tasty. The turkey breast was a nice surprise too, some people out there don't eat beef or pork so bird is always a good to have on the menu too. I liked the smokey flavor.

I liked the mac and cheese a lot and cole slaw is always good. Oh yeah, look:

Usually when I'm out, I'm the one taking all the pictures. It was fun to watch someone else out there doing their thing. I peeked outside and saw someone else I knew...

...Boss Lady Caity! She runs the Your Pie Pizza joints in Virginia Beach and Norfolk. Try their pizza if you haven't yet, the Great White is my favorite. Let me get back to the BBQ.

If you haven't tried Red River Smokehouse you need to. Put it on the list of great BBQ trucks we in the area you need hit and definitely get the brisket!

I have another truck I'm scheduled to visit, I've had their food a few times before but I'm going to check out the operation a little more in depth! Till next time!

Thanksgiving Day Turkey resting before carving!

How to Roast a Turkey

November 23, 2015

How do you roast a turkey? Easy! Follow the instructions on the bag! Seriously though, it is pretty simple. Here are a few things to consider:

First, you'll have to get a turkey. These days there are so many options - but you have to think ahead. If you're looking for a locally sourced turkey you might be out of luck waiting a few days beforehand. Most places want you to order them so they can make sure they have the stock and can prepare it for you in time. I would definitely check with your local farmers and butchers first before giving up on the Buy Fresh, Buy Local route if you feel like you're late though.

Of course, turkeys are pretty big and most of them will be frozen. We usually cook birds over 20 lbs. and turkeys that size could take about 5 days to thaw! Take into account thaw time. Oh! Save the neck and giblets for the stuffing and/or gravy!

Clean off excess brine from the turkey after removing it from the bag

Second, if you're going to brine the turkey make sure you have everything you need ahead of time! If you're looking for a good brine recipe, use mine! I've been brining my turkey for a few years now and love how it turns out. There are some out there that think it is totally unnecessary or takes away from the natural flavor of the turkey. You'll have to determine that for yourself and do what you like.

Third, determine the the roasting time for the bird which is dependent on the size of the turkey, whether or not you've brined the bird and if you stuff the cavity. Check out Epicurious' page on roasting times here for some pointers.

Fourth, cook the turkey breast-side down for the first two-third of the way then flip it over to brown the breast. Approximately an hour breast-side up. This will allow the breast to baste in its own juices and you'll have crispy skin all around!

Let's get started!

I always stuff my turkey with dressing, but I do it lightly. The cavity is usually stuffed with aromatics too - citrus and herbs. I also don't tie (truss) the legs together. I know it looks pretty and some people swear by it, but I've found that my turkey roasts fine without it. I want as much of the skin exposed as possible and I believe the turkey will cook more even in those spots not concealed by the trussed legs.

Of course we use the drippings for gravy. I add vegetables, a little white wine, stock and butter to the pan before I place the turkey in it. I also use a rack to keep the turkey from sitting directly in the drippings while it's roasting. After the turkey is done I save the braised vegetables from the roasting pan for the gravy too. There is a good amount of butter in the pan for basting, I love how the butter cooks into the skin. Here's what you need for the pan before you put the turkey in it:

Ingredients (Roasting Pan)

4 cloves of Garlic
2 medium Carrots
2 medium Yellow Onions
2 stalks of Celery
Approx. 6 stalks/sprigs of Parsley
Approx. 2 sprigs of Thyme
Approx. 2 sprigs of Rosemary
2 large Bay Leaves
1/2 stick of Butter
1/2 cup Dry White Wine
1/2 Poultry Stock
Optional: 1 Orange and some Parsley for cavity

Directions

Preheat oven.
Wash turkey (whether it it's straight from it's packaging or from the brine bag) and pat dry and set aside.
Roughly chop the carrots, onions, celery, garlic and butter and spread them evenly within the roasting pan.
Toss in your parsley, thyme, rosemary and bay leaves, these will be picked out of the pan after the turkey is finished. Try not to break them up too much at the start. You can add more or less of these herbs according to your preference.
Pour in the wine and stock then place the rack on top of the vegetables and herbs.
Salt and pepper the turkey to taste. I like to add a quartered orange and parsley to cavity and before I stuff it - do so now if you like.
Note: If you brined your turkey it will already have absorbed salt from the brining solution. Lightly salt if this is the case.
Place turkey in middle of the oven so it will evenly cook.
Feel free to baste the turkey every 40 minutes or so.
When the turkey is done roasting (165°F internal thickest part of the bird) pull it from the oven and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Coming up next is gravy!

Do not pour out the drippings from the pan or remove the braised vegetables in the pan. These will be used to make a delicious turkey gravy and a lot of it too! No need to list ingredients here because we have everything we need. If you saved giblets for the gravy or stuffing make sure they're available.

Note: In our house, I'll have the neck and giblets simmering on the stove the whole time the turkey is roasting. In the simmering pot I'll add the same mix of vegetables and herbs put in the roasting pan. Brown the giblets and vegetables before you pour in the liquids to simmers. This will make a flavorful broth, reduce it by half. When it's done, strain out the giblets and neck, keep these. Pick the neck for as much meat as you can get. Add this to the gravy later.

This takes anywhere for 15 to 30 minutes to complete. You can speed it up by adding a little bit of flour or a nice, dark roux.

Make a broth with the giblets and turkey neck

Directions

After the turkey is taken out of the pan, start removing the turkey fat from the drippings. I usually tilt the pan so the grease collects in one spot, making it easier to collect. Skim using whatever technique you like: skimming spoon, baster (with the rubber bulb), or whatever fancy device you get to use once a year. If you don't remove the fat you'll end up with a really greasy plate and miss out the concentrated flavors of the turkey seasoned turkey juices left in the pan.
After the fat has been removed from the pan, remove the herbs (thyme, rosemary, parsley). You can leave them in but the rosemary might be a little overpowering if someone gets a good chunk of that.
Transfer all the contents of the roasting pan into a medium sized stockpot. If you made a broth stove top, add that to the stockpot too if you're not freezing it.
Bring contents to a low boil, about medium.
Take an immersion blender (one of the handheld wands) and puree the vegetables in the stockpot. This will thicken the gravy and give it a ton of flavor.
Let gravy sit and roll till it's as thick as you like it. Taste test and add whatever seasoning you like.

Turkey Brine

November 26, 2014

It's Thanksgiving! One of my favorite holidays of the year and I love to cook dinner for the family. The smells, picking at what's being made and the thought of everyone home just feels good. Bonus for us: Our son will be home for the weekend from his training! Can't wait to see him.

I've only recently started brining turkeys, this being my third. I've browsed a lot recipes out there and picked what I liked from them. This recipe will produce a nice aromatic mixture that will add flavor to your bird. Another thing I like to do too is roast mine upside down and them flip it the last hour to brown the top. I can write about that later.

The following brine recipe will be mixed with approximately 2 gallons of water. Brine the fully submerged turkey for about 24 hours (12 in a pinch!) If you don't have room in the refrigerator to hold it, you can use a large, ice-packed cooler. Half way through brining make sure to flip the turkey.

Ingredients:

4 cups Apple Cider

½ bottle White Wine

1 ½ cups Kosher salt

6 cloves of Garlic, crushed

5 medium Bay Leaves

2 cups Brown Sugar

2 medium Onions, sliced

2 Oranges Worth of Peels (just the peel! No pith. I put the peeled oranges inside the turkey while it's roasting)

2-3 tablespoons of Rosemary

2 tablespoons Black Pepper Corn

2 tablespoons Coriander

1 tablespoon Mustard Seed

1 tablespoon Fennel Seed

A few sprigs of Thyme

Mix all ingredients in a stockpot and bring to a roll. Lower heat to a simmer for about 5 minutes, until the salt has dissolved. Cool before pouring in brining container with turkey. From what I've read it could cause problems with bacteria if you pour hot or warm brine on the turkey. You can use ice to cool down the brine if need be, just make sure you don't add as much water when you mix it all together.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Day

December 1, 2013

It's been a few days and I've been recovering from Thanksgiving Day!

I love Thanksgiving. The idea of being able to stay home all day and just cook that meal is a great feeling. I don't do a ton of planning and things are simple. Turkey, stuffing, gravy, potatoes, and a couple sides.

When I get up in the morning I'll turn on the television to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Every year I do this every year and then I'll complain about how it's no good, but that's a whole other story. The past two years I've been brining our turkey, it's a cider brine with savory spices, seasonings and fruit. Quartered orange and a little lemon juice; salt, sugar, clove, sage, all of it soaks into the bird for close to 16 hours. Afterwards I wash it off and pat it dry.

I'll put the turkey on top a bed of carrots, celery, onion and various seasonings. I used to stuff our turkeys but now I'll fill it with aromatics: onion, thyme, citrus, parsley. The outside is sprinkled with a few dashes of Herbes de Provence, pepper and a little bit of salt. The brine had plenty of salt so no need to add much more. I'll roast the turkey breast side down, this allows the breast to be baste in the juices from the darker parts of the bird. When the pan fills with drippings, the breast sits in this and keeps it moist. The last hour I'll flip the turkey to brown the top. The whole thing has a nice, crispy skin. Everyone loves crunchy turkey skin!

While the turkey is roasting I'll make a stock from the giblets, these will be combined with the drippings for the gravy. I used to chop up the giblets by hand but I use Shelby's immersion blender to mix up the gravy and pieces now.

We gathered all the family we could in the area and had a great dinner. Shelby made me a plate while I finished in the kitchen. All in all, it was nice. Like it always is.

See what was for dinner here.

Stock and Broth

November 26, 2013

With Thanksgiving coming up I've been telling myself to get stuff ready before the big day arrives.

Gravy, stuffing…all kinds of things need stock and I'd usually bust out a box of store bought chicken stock. This year is going to be different though—I'm making my own stock!

Plenty of people out there have their own way of making a stock and broth. Technically what I'm going to spell out here is a broth. Stocks are made primarily from bones and some scrap—that's it! Broths will have more meat and seasoning in the pot. For my Thanksgiving stock (I'm just going to call it stock for the sake of simplicity) I won't add a lot of salt; a little goes a long way. I make a lot of soup stocks too. This is about the same, save for some seasonings I've omitted.

A couple of things to note before you begin:

Turkey necks are pretty cheap but are very meaty. The Herbes de Provence is something Shelby put together from herbs I clipped from our garden and dried in the kitchen. I used just a pinch to flavor. Careful with the salt and pepper; when I say add a little bit, I just mean a shake or two.

We're cooking here. We need a pot. Go grab a large stock pot, a 6-quart should do.

Ingredients:

2 packages of turkey necks
2 tbs olive oil
2 medium onions
2 ribs of celery
2 medium carrots
salt and pepper to taste
3 medium Bay leaves
Approx. 6 parsley stems, leaves on if you like
5 quarts of water, heated (stovetop, microwave, even hot from the tap)
Optional: Herbes de Provence

Preparation:

1. Chop up the turkey necks into chunks, about 2 inches.

2. Heat the oil a little over medium, we're going to brown the vegetables and turkey.

3. Brown the vegetables first, in batches if you have to. Add a little salt and pepper. I like cooking the vegetables first because any residual browned bits in the pot will mix with the turkey when it goes in. When the onions look a little translucent, you're good. Place the browned vegetables to the side.

4. Add the turkey pieces, brown in batches. Salt and pepper a little bit with each batch. They don't have to be browned all the way, I just heated up and a little done on the outside.

5. When the last batch is done, add the bay leaves, parsley and any other seasonings you're tossing in there. Put the vegetables back in the pot.

6. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to about medium-low. Skim the foam off the top of the stock.

7. Simmer for approximately 5 hours, stir occasionally. Scrape the sides of the pot when you do this. Get the dried bits inside the pot into the stock.

8. You’ll know it's done when the liquid has reduced to about half of the original volume. I ended up with a little more than 2 1/2 quarts.

9. Strain out the turkey and vegetables. Keep this stuff, put it to the side.

10. Refrigerate the stock.

What I like to do after it has been in the fridge overnight is skim the fat off the top. It’ll be easy to scrape the hardened fat off and toss it away. I don’t use the fat for anything, but some people say if you want to keep your stock in the refrigerator the hard fat on the top will help extend its life.

You can see the fat has hardened on top of the stock

Scrape away at it till you get most of the fat off

The neck bones, meat and vegetables can be used to flavor dishes or as a thickening agent. You could just throw them away but that seems like a waste. Enjoy and good luck. Leave a note here with any questions or comments.