New England was hit with yet another storm this weekend. I found a bird on sale and wanted to test out my wind blocker mods. I got a little ambitious for my second smoke. Originally, I was going to do a spatchcock bird but decided to do a semi-deboned and stuffed bird. The whole process of deboning is totally new to me but there are a few great tutorials out there and I wanted to put my knife skills to the test. I went for a Marsala bird over apple wood. On to the pics!
I tried all three knives. The thin filet knife was the most effective by far,
Down the back, separate and work around the ribs
Carcass removed! I left in the wing and leg bones so it would still look like a bird post smoke.
Not to shabby for a first timer! After this, the bird got a massage with my fav rub and rested overnight.
Bacon and onions starting out the Marsala filling
While I was making the filling I started the mini outside with KBB and some apple wood
Ok, Baby bells, pepper and high heat. Encouraged it to stick a little to the pan, then deglazed with Marsala wine and chx stock made from the bird carcass
The Snow and 20 degree temps made for a great flash freezer to thicken the sauce and cool the veggies!
Brushed the bird with marsala sauce
veggie time
Cheese blend
Then came more sauce, more veggies, more cheese, in layers.
Tied her up tight. I had a few bacon strips left so I gave her a blanket. After all, it was cold outside! The smoker was hanging around 350. I was shooting for a 300 degree smoke and the temp dropped right where I wanted it after the cold bird as in the chamber.
Into the smoke!
Here is the modified windblock. I cut a few vents in the bottom and lopped about 4 inches off the top. It worked perfect. Wind gusts were up to 50mph (it was really blowing at times!) and if you can see in the pic, there was a steady and heavy snowfall throughout the smoke. The mini was rock steady and required only occasional minor adjustments to keep in the 300- 330 range.
165 internal! Brought it in to rest for a bit.
Q-View!
Hindsight being 20-20- I should have placed stuffing under the tenderloins as well. Either way, it was delicious! Perfect amount of smoke flavor mixed with marsala. I will do this again in the future with a few adjustments, Thanks for looking!
Scrap
I tried all three knives. The thin filet knife was the most effective by far,
Down the back, separate and work around the ribs
Carcass removed! I left in the wing and leg bones so it would still look like a bird post smoke.
Not to shabby for a first timer! After this, the bird got a massage with my fav rub and rested overnight.
Bacon and onions starting out the Marsala filling
While I was making the filling I started the mini outside with KBB and some apple wood
Ok, Baby bells, pepper and high heat. Encouraged it to stick a little to the pan, then deglazed with Marsala wine and chx stock made from the bird carcass
The Snow and 20 degree temps made for a great flash freezer to thicken the sauce and cool the veggies!
Brushed the bird with marsala sauce
veggie time
Cheese blend
Then came more sauce, more veggies, more cheese, in layers.
Tied her up tight. I had a few bacon strips left so I gave her a blanket. After all, it was cold outside! The smoker was hanging around 350. I was shooting for a 300 degree smoke and the temp dropped right where I wanted it after the cold bird as in the chamber.
Into the smoke!
Here is the modified windblock. I cut a few vents in the bottom and lopped about 4 inches off the top. It worked perfect. Wind gusts were up to 50mph (it was really blowing at times!) and if you can see in the pic, there was a steady and heavy snowfall throughout the smoke. The mini was rock steady and required only occasional minor adjustments to keep in the 300- 330 range.
165 internal! Brought it in to rest for a bit.
Q-View!
Hindsight being 20-20- I should have placed stuffing under the tenderloins as well. Either way, it was delicious! Perfect amount of smoke flavor mixed with marsala. I will do this again in the future with a few adjustments, Thanks for looking!
Scrap
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