I smoked our Thanksgiving Turkey for the first time this year, which was something I was hoping would be amazing though was left thinking was simply on-par with a traditional roasted bird. Which isn't to say i did not like it, I thought it was delicious... the meat definitely took on a subtle smoked flavor which I loved, but the overall bbq'd flavor needed to be amped up a few notches. I was looking to be rocked, and instead I was swayed. The process was a safe experiment of smoking a turkey though, and I'm now armed with the experience to kill it next year (after all, eating a turkey more than once a year is just plain silly).

For posterity's sake, here's what i did:

• Brined in a basic salt/brown sugar brine for 24 hours (perfect saltiness quotient)
• Air dried in the fridge for another 24 hrs (useless)
• Stuffed with clementines and apples (tasty)
• Brushed with 2 tablespoons melted butter (useless)
• Dusted with salt and papper (too subtle, rub would be better)
• Placed drip pans under the bird to catch drippings for gravy
• Smoke-roasted over hardwood charcoal and apple wood chips for 5 hrs (freezing cold day, hard to keep it at 300 for too long, so it ended up in the traditional 220 range for most of the time)
• Made a traditional gravy from drippings (which was hardcore, powerful stuff. i loved it!)

What I'd do next year:

• Brine was perfect. Repeat! 
• Skip extended air drying and simply let it drain and dry with towels
• Stuffed with fruits was great. Repeat! 
• Skip the butter step
• Make a robust rub, no sugar, but still leaning toward my bbq stylings
• Add cider to the water pan (i didn't have any water in the smoker this year)
• Do my best to make that fire run a little hotter more consistently. 
• Catching the smoked drippings to make gravy was perfect. Repeat! 

For the turkey enthusiast (don't deny it), a full gallery of photos can be seen here: 

I was planning on making a risotto for dinner, but wasn't sure what I'd put in it. I took a stroll through Union Market with our enormous stroller carrying a sick youngster, and stumbled across a basket of "lobster mushrooms." Hmmmm. An unexpected find, and completely new to me. They were pinkish/red, gnarly, and sounded like they'd be a great addition to the perfectly deveined and cleaned shrimp Union Market sells at the fish counter, so I picked up a few:

I also grabbed a couple shiitake mushrooms for variety. And then while i was at the fish counter getting the shrimp, i saw these yummy little bay scallops calling to me. So this quickly turned into a lobster and shiitake mushroom risotto with shrimp and bay scallops, and peas. Oh, and tarragon. Because I always think of tarragon when I think of lobster... a memory I attribute to my father's love for a silver palate cookbook recipe for "Lobster Tarragon" which I don't think I ever actually ate, but recall being cooked multiple times. Ironically i was not actually using lobster in this recipe (sniff, sniff) but still, tarragon sounded nice. 

I cooked the risotto as usual, though I omitted the thyme and put in a few diced lobster mushrooms with the onion at the start thinking I'd infuse their flavor throughout. I then sauteed the mushrooms, shrimp, and scallops (separately, in that order, in the same pan) and tossed on top of the risotto:

Conclusion? Lobster mushrooms look amazing in the store, but are not nearly as amazing at home. They were a bit bark-like, though I did appreciate the rosy color they shed on the shrimp and scallops. Their flavor was, um, meh. I preferred the shiitake mushrooms 100%. That said, the shrimp and scallops were wonderful, and the risotto itself was heart warming as usual. 

• Cast Iron Sandwich Press (that my wife bought me)
• Jarlsberg Cheese (that my wife picked up yesterday)
• Potato-Leek soup (that my wife cooked yesterday)

The sandwich press is not used daily, but really does make an amazing grilled cheese sandwich on thick cut bread. It mashes the heck out of that bread creating a nice crisp exterior. Every time I use it i say to myself that i need to use it more often. 

Is there a better cheese than Jarlsberg? its a little tangy, a little chewy, perfectly sized holes, melts wonderfully, great for snacking. I love this cheese!

And then my wife's potato leek soup, especially when combined with the other two things i love above (jarslberg and the sandwich press) makes the perfect rainy day fall lunch.