Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Big Daddy's BBQ smoked turkey

I did something I've never done before; I wrote to some of the restaurants that Guy Fieri visited for Triple D.

Usually, the Food Network will post one recipe from each of the restaurants from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. But for whatever reason, at the time of this writing, no recipes have been given for any restaurants from the A North Pole Christmas episode, filmed in and around Fairbanks, Alaska. Fans of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives North Pole episode guide.

Harold Groetsema of Big Daddy's Bar-B-Q & Banquet Hall, 107 Wickersham St., Fairbanks, Alaska 99701 wrote back with their recipe for Smoked Turkey.

Big Daddy’s Smoked Turkey

I think the way I smoke the turkey is the key to a juicy turkey. The brine is a basic brine with salt and sugar and spices to my liking. You can get a good brine from the internet to start. The rub, just find one on the internet that you like the flavor of, make it without the salt added, there will be enough salt flavor from the brine.

Step 1: Thaw a 12 to 15lb turkey in the refrigerator

Step 2: Make your brine, let cool. Place turkey in brine and submerge for minimum 18 hours.

Step 3: Remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly, inside and out.

Step 4: Pat turkey dry with paper towels, Apply 2 -3 Tbls of Olive Oil and massage the whole bird. Slide fingers under skin to separate from breast.

Step 5: Apply a little dry rub under skin, pull skin back over breast. Apply rub to inside cavity and over whole turkey like a heavy salt & pepper. Massage rub into skin, fold wings over to make a nice presentation. Tie the drumsticks together. You can add apples or oranges inside cavity at this time if wanted.

Step 6: Place in smoker and cook @ 300 degrees with hickory chunks for smoke. Check temperature in breast at the 90 minute mark. Remove turkey when breast is temping between 158 -162, let turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving or let sit and place in cooler after 1 hour.

Happy Holidays and thank you for watching the show, shoot me an email and let me know how it turned out.

Big Daddy


Contact information at www.bigdaddysbarb-q.com. Thank you Big Daddy! Happy Holidays to you and yours, and best of the New Year to one and all.



Click here for complete information on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, A North Pole Christmas, including restaurant locations and video segments from the show.

Related Posts:
2009 holiday specials with Guy Fieri
YouTube video - Guy Fieri taping DDD in Alaska
Guy Fieri visits Alaska

2 comments:

Unknown said...

I was there for the filming and had a chance to sample the turkey once the film crew and Guy were finished.

Way to go Big Daddy's. I've never tasted turkey so juicy and delicious. I overheard Guy say the same thing to Harold off camera. Don't know if he said it on camera since I've not seen the video.

Turkey is not on Big Daddy's menu but he cooks up a hundred or so of them around Thanksgiving and Christmas. It used to be a safely guarded Fairbanks secret but the food channel changed that.

Anonymous said...

Keep posting stuff like this i really like it