Fire It Up - Andrew Schloss [101]
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
4 game hens (1 pound each), washed and patted dry
Finely grated zest and juice of 2 lemons
2 tablespoons vodka
DIRECTIONS:
Light a grill for indirect medium-high heat, about 375°F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small heavy skillet over high heat until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add the almonds and stir until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and continue stirring until fully toasted and aromatic, about 2 minutes more.
Remove the almonds with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and chop coarsely. In a small bowl, combine the almonds with the olives, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of the remaining olive oil. Mix well.
Rub half the mixture under the skin of the game hens all over the meat. Adjust the skin so that it covers all of the meat and rub the skin liberally with oil. Tie the hens so that they hold their shape.
Mix the lemon zest, lemon juice, and remaining olive oil in a small bowl and coat the hens with 2 tablespoons of this mixture. Add the vodka to the remaining lemon juice mixture.
Brush the grill grate and coat with oil. Put the game hens on the grill away from the heat, cover the grill, and cook until golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the breast registers 155°F, about 40 minutes. Baste with some of the lemon juice mixture every 5 minutes after the first 15 minutes of cooking.
Transfer the hens to a serving platter. Remove the string and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.
WHOLE TURKEY
Maple-Glazed Smoked Turkey
MAKES 12 SERVINGS
Although it is possible to grill-roast a turkey in a few hours, when the objective is smoke, you want to slow the cooking down, drawing it out as long as possible. In this recipe we soak the bird in smoky flavored brine, and then grill the turkey as far away as we can get from the fire and still remain under the grill hood. As long as the meat cooks at a languid pace, it will have plenty of time to absorb the aromatic properties of the smoke. Smoke produced from a medium-hot fire is more aromatic than smoke from a roaring blaze, because the elements that give wood smoke its fragrant, caramel-like character are destroyed at high temperatures. Wood chips are soaked before smoking to prolong the period during which they produce the most aromatic smoke.
INGREDIENTS:
4 to 6 cups hardwood chips, preferably maple, soaked in water for 30 minutes
1 fresh turkey (12 to 14 pounds), washed and patted dry
3 cups Smokin’ Brine, made with vodka
1 tablespoon canola oil
2⅓ cups Bourbon-Cider Mop
1 cup Maple Lacquer
DIRECTIONS:
Put the turkey in a jumbo (2-gallon) zipper-lock bag. Add the brine to the bag, press out the air, and seal. Refrigerate for about 24 hours.
Light a grill for indirect medium heat, about 250°F, with smoke.
Drain 1 cup of the soaked wood chips and add to the grill.
Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Coat with the oil.
Put the turkey on a rack in a disposable or metal roasting pan large enough to hold it comfortably, and put on the grill away from the fire. Close the lid and cook for 1 hour. Replenish the wood chips, and if using charcoal, replenish the coals.
Brush one-third of the mop over the turkey. Cover the grill and cook until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the inside of a thigh registers 165°F, about 5 hours, basting with the mop every 30 minutes up until the last hour. You will need to replace the wood chips every hour or so, and if using charcoal, replenish the coals at the same time. During the last hour, baste with the maple lacquer instead of the mop.
Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.
WHOLE TURKEY
Sage-Brined Roast Turkey Stuffed with Chestnuts and Sausages
MAKES 12 TO 14 SERVINGS
Grill-roasted turkey takes on a golden patina that oven roasting can’t match. This one is swollen with grilled chestnuts, apples, and mild sausage and napped with a sweet and tangy apple cider