Temperature: 225°

Start with a 4 – 5 LB chicken.

Optimally, first brine the chicken for 1 hour per pound. Use ⅓ of the turkey brine recipe for one chicken, ½ if doing two, in an appropriately sized container.

Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Brush lightly with olive oil and apply the rub, both above and below the skin. Allow to sit at room temperature for no more than 30 minutes.

Smoke, breast side down for 1½ – 2 hours, flip and finish (for an approximate total of 1 hour per pound of chicken, or until the breast is 165° and the thigh is 180°). If so desired, you can finish the chicken in the oven at 400° for 5 – 10 minutes to crisp up the skin.

Optionally you can smoke at 275° for 1½ – 3 hours or until the breast is 165° and the thigh is 180°, starting with the breast side down and flipping at the 1 hour mark. This should also yield a crispy skin without the need to finish in an oven.

Allow the chicken to rest for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.

Temperature 275

Bring the stock and bay leaves to a simmer in a small pot.

Chop the oysters finely (a food processor works well for this) and sauté until cooked through and set aside. Brown off the beef and pork and set aside. In the same pot sweat the onions, celery, garlic and chopped parsley in the butter and deglaze the bottom of the pan as you do. Once the onions are translucent, add the oysters, meat, breadcrumbs and oyster water and combine well. Add hot stock and combine until moist, but not wet. You may not use the entire quart.

Transfer to a 9×13″ casserole dish and bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until top is slightly crispy. If the dressing is too wet after 30 minutes, stir and bake more moisture off at upwards of 350º. Garnish with parsley.

Serves 10.

Combine the hot water, kosher salt and brown sugar and stir until the salt and sugar dissolve completely. Add the ice and stir until the mixture is cool. Pour into your brining vessel of choice. Gently lower the turkey into the container. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure that it is fully immersed in the brine. Cover and set in a cool dry place for approximately 1 hour per pound of turkey.

Remove the turkey from the brine, rinse and pat dry. Allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour prior to cooking.

Suggestions for brining vessels:

• 5-gallon upright insulated drink cooler or a 5-gallon bucket placed in an ice-chest, surrounded by ice
• Doubled-up disposable turkey oven bags will fit the 5-gallon cooler/bucket perfectly, and avoid the need to scrub and sanitize after.

Prepare the day before.

Combine the dry spices and grind to a very fine texture (an el-cheapo coffee grinder works well for this). Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool then pour into a sealed container and store in the fridge overnight. If using with a small injector needle, strain the mixture using several layers of cheesecloth. Before using, re-mix the ingredients well, shaking vigorously or using an immersion blender to create a smooth emulsion.

If injecting into a turkey or chicken, use as few injection punctures as possible (6 – 8), instead moving the needle around within the meat to different zones during each puncture. Be sure to at least inject the breast from below, aiming for the cavity between the breast tenderloin and the top of the breast itself.

If possible, inject 2-6 hours before cooking.

Oven: 450°

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using your fingertips, rub butter and shortening into dry ingredients until mixture looks like crumbs. (The faster the better, you don’t want the fats to melt.) Make a well in the center and pour in ~ 6oz of the chilled buttermilk. Stir just until the dough comes together. The dough will be very sticky. Add more of the chilled buttermilk if it seems too dry.

Turn dough onto floured surface, dust top with flour and gently fold dough over on itself 5 or 6 times. Press into a 1-inch thick round. Cut out biscuits with a 2-inch cutter, being sure to push straight down through the dough. Place biscuits on baking sheet so that they just touch. Reform scrap dough, working it as little as possible and continue cutting. (Biscuits from the second pass will not be quite as light as those from the first, but hey, that’s life.)

Bake until biscuits are tall and light gold on top, 15 to 20 minutes.

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce in a medium saucepan over medium heat.  When it comes to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring often, for 45 to 60 minutes or until sauce is thick.

Combine all ingredients for the braising liquid and microwave on high for 1 minute.  Stir to combine.  Set aside until needed.

You will use ~¼ C of braising liquid per foil “pouch”.  Adjust the recipe accordingly.

Wash ribs thoroughly and pat dry with paper towels.  Remove membrane from the back of the ribs.

In a bowl, combine all dry ingredients and mix well.  Brush the ribs lightly with oil on all sides.  Sprinkle each side generously with the rub.  Pat the dry rub into the meat.  Refrigerate the ribs for a minimum of 1 hour.

Heat smoker to ~250° and add wood chips.  Place a drip pan under the ribs and fill with approximately ½” of water or beer (add fresh herbs if desired).  Place ribs on a v-rack over indirect heat and close the lid to the smoker.  Allow to smoke at ~250° for two hours.

After two hours on the smoker, individually place the rib racks on a sheet of heavy duty foil and create a “pouch” of foil around each.  If desired, pour approximately ¼ C of braising liquid into each foil packet.  Wrap tightly and place the ribs back on the smoker or in an oven and allow to braise for at least one hour (two is better) at 200° – 250°.

Once cooked through remove the ribs when they are cook through and coat with BBQ sauce.  You’ll want to put them over direct high-heat (grill or broiler) until the sauce is thoroughly cooked in to the meat.

Place all ingredients in a medium saucepan, season with salt and pepper and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.

This is a good all-purpose rub, but is especially well suited to brisket.  Mix, rub thick and let set.  This volume of rub barely covers 1 large full brisket.  If you don’t have the full brisket, this will do fine.

Using this recipe as-is, there is little pepper taste or heat to the meat… adjust as needed.  Also, it tends to be lacking in salt, play with that — get your flavor to taste before adjusting the salt, it should taste too salty but remember that cooks off with the grease.  If you are not brining the meat, you may not need to adjust the salt higher.

Blot the brisket dry, and brush on a light coating of oil before applying the rub.  We don’t usually let the rub set too long, just until it looks moist so it doesn’t fall off.  Also remember to always cook the meat fat side up.

Smoke at 200° – 225° for 10-12 hours, or until the brisket hits an internal temp of 190°.  Take it off the smoker, wrap it tightly in foil, wrap in a towel, and put it in an empty cooler for an hour or two to rest.  It will still be quite warm when you take it out to serve.