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Just for clarity, I picked up the "2 Hour Turkey" brochure just a bit ago from my Randall's (Safeway). There are some surprises in equipment, not technique. I will paraphrase: 1 - Remove the thing that holds the legs together, giblets neck and excess fat. 2 - Rinse and pat dry. Apply olive oil, s&p. Do not stuff. 3 - Place on a V-rack in a roasting pan breast side up. Bird should be 2 inches from the pan bottom. (Surprise: they show one of those flimsy throw away pans.) 4 - Put aluminum foil caps on the ends of the drumsticks and a foil collar around the front to catch and redirect any drips back into the pan if the wings hang over. 5 - Put an oven safe thermometer into the thick part of the breast touching the bone. ( ????) 6 - Put the pan on the lowest rack of a 475F oven. (Do not use convection heat as that will cause smoking. ?????) Then they say to reverse the pan halfway through. If you get uneven browning, add foil tents. The only reason that they admit for any smoke is if something is hanging over the pan and dripping onto the oven floor. Then they tell you that if this happens to wipe up the drips. (Has anyone else seen at least 2 really unsafe moves here?) 7 - Remove from the oven and let sit for 30 to 45 minutes in a draft free spot. 8 - Drain juices from the cavity into the pan. Skim fat and scrape up drippings, adding broth if you don't have any liquid. (At least they don't tell you to deglaze that cheap aluminum pan over heat.) 9 - Cut off the legs at the thigh and if they are a bit pink, put back in the oven for 3 to 5 minutes or in the microwave for 3 to 4 minutes. 10 - Carve the rest of the turkey, juices may be rosy to clear, save to pour into the gravy. Yes . . . I paraphrased but all of the details don't really help. This looks dubious to me, at best, given the fact that three of us have tried something like this, with better equipment, and couldn't make it work. There was no addition of any liquid or veggies to that thin aluminum disposable pan either. Even more interesting . . . There is a copyright notice that the "2-Hour Turkey" recipe is owned by Safeway. Maybe they mean the specific brochure on the idea. Any other claim to fame seems dubious as well. Oh yeah . . . "Tested to perfection by "Sunset" test kitchens."

My dear, you can bet that if I corn a ham, you WILL get photographs. Unless I get answers to the contrary, I intend to get one of the elegant pork hams from my Asian butcher and leave the porcelain-like skin on. Being concerned about salt penetration, I will carve slits into the skin in an artistic pattern with my Exacto Knives. The slits will be carefully calculated so that the entire structure will be stress relieved during baking, the final design will be pleasing, and will not shrink unevenly. Geometry was my favorite math subject and complex stress analysis was part of my previous real job. You can darn well bet that if I go to all of that trouble, YOU WILL GET PICTURES! . . . And you can't stop me. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

I would stay with the pure salt (NaCl) on this one or it doesn't sound like you will get the true taste of corned ham. I haven't gotten any answers to my questions so I may miss my window for Thanksgiving. I have other plans for pork (smoking) for the weekend and I will run out of fridge room 'cause I need to brine my butt.

Every time I tried any of the high temp roasting techniques, I started out with a freshly cleaned oven. I had a self cleaning one at the time and kept it pretty much spotless. A highly accurate independent thermometer confirmed the temperature. (I am a science geek.) Everything still smoked and tasted nasty. What to do with turkey frying oil? After you have fried everything in the freezer and the crudite tray, you strain it, store it in a cool dark place and use it again next year.

In various chicken dishes like Lily Mae's Chicken and the Paprika Chicken I use chicken thighs just about exclusively. (Please check out the link to the paprika topic linked at the bottom of the recipe.) In just about any braised dish, thighs are my preference for flavor and a bit of chicken fat only helps that along. For braises, I do skin the thighs if I haven't bought the skinless/boneless because I don't like the way chicken skin gets in a braised dish. I do use the oh-so-not-like-a-real-piece-of-animal breasts for those dishes that need neat chunks of meat like slices for a salad or a stir fry. They are handy for the lazy and I have been known to keep a bag of the flash frozen ones (like you get at Sam's or Costco) in the freezer for last minute meals. Amazingly, the flash frozen is better in final texture and taste than "fresh" ones.

The bolding of text was mine, for emphasis. ← This bug bear comes up ever so often. In reality, you are unlikely to encounter polycarbonate (e.g. Lexan, BPA issue) in containers that you would use in a microwave. It does show up in the large storage containers that you see in restaurant supply places. The other "potential" problem would be vinyl plastics (PVC) with plasticizers. I haven't seen any of that in food containers in a long time, if ever. Neither of these plastics are used in plastic wraps. They are made primarily from polyolefins, like polypropylene, polyethylene and their "mixtures" which are inert plastics with no additives or any of the components from manufacture that are there to leach out. These plastics are also used in deli containers and freezer containers. The recycle codes could be PP, PE, HDPE. One exception in the wraps is the original Saran Wrap which is polyvinylidene chloride. It, too is inert with no additives. Its claim to fame is that it is much more impermeable than the others. For a vivid demonstration of this, cover guacamole on the surface with Saran and the plain stuff. The Saran will keep it from blackening for a loooong time. It will also withstand higher temperatures. If there is a code anywhere it would be PVDC. The other plastic common for food is polyethylene terphthalate. This is the stuff used in water and soft drink bottles. It is also now used in some of the frozen food containers that you can put in the oven. It is also an inert plastic with no leftovers from manufacture and has been studied to death. The code is PET. Rest assured that any plastic used for food packaging is studied to death. I don't hesitate to use anything that is marketed by a reputable firm for food packaging and/or microwaving.

Thanks Bill . . . You are right about the globe basil. Mine seem to hang in there longer than the others, which promptly went bye-bye when we got down to about 45 degrees. I forgot about the star of my garden for about 3 years. It was this HUGE African Blue Basil. As you can see, it isn't a "true" basil. It grew over the first year into a 6 foot by 6 foot monster. We had mild winters and it never froze back. It was probably the most beautiful shrub in the garden with its long flower spikes and purple colors. The bees and butterflies loved it. While the other basils were sleeping, I could use it in cooking. It wasn't the best basil flavor but it was better than nothing and the leaves looked pretty in a salad.

Thank you, Sam for identifying the various common limes. I was about to go look all that up but I got lucky and read your post, first. We get the Key limes in a big bag, at least 30 or more, for about $2, sometimes on sale for $1 fairly routinely at the HEBs. Then, just across the street at another grocery, they have been as much a $2.99 per pound. I just don't get it. I had forgotten about the crop being decimated way back when. They were a real rarity here until a few years ago (well, a few to me). I used to really looking forward to getting them when going to Mexico. I don't know if we started growing them domestically here or started getting them imported from Mexico but they are now fairly common here. A citrus guy I talked to while looking for a kaffir lime tree told me that the Persian lime can be quite variable in skin thickness and juice content due to growing conditions and it drives the commercial growers nuts. I don't know if he knew what he was talking about or not. I have also made preserved limes discussed here. I have used them with chicken and pork.

Welcome to Texas Mz. Jeannie. I love this . . . Yes, caterpillars can get you. But . . . For a couple of years I kept big fennel plants growing in the back of a big flower bed. The ferny leaves were used occasionally but the real purpose was for the caterpillars of the Pipe Vine Swallowtail, a black swallowtail. During the season, I let the pretty caterpillars munch their fill. Then every morning for a while, I would have a new butterfly just emerging and spreading its wings. That was my treat with my coffee for many mornings.

It has been a while since I have had a yard to plant in but I have always had an herb garden of some kind. I can say that I have had the best success with a raised bed arrangement. First I would have to advise the bigger the better. Once you get started with this kind of thing it gets addictive. You go into the nursery and see that variety of basil or thyme you never heard of and have to have it. Pretty soon, you are finding room to tuck that pretty plant into the flower bed. Then that bay tree or rosemary bush actually makes a nice shrub at the corner of the house. You can see where this is going. But, the dedicated herb bed is a delight. One thing to remember in our climate . . . While all of the herb books usually say full sun, most plants will absolutely cook in our climate. I have found that a spot with early sun that gets some semi-shade in the hot afternoons is ideal. Most herbs even do ok if they are actually in the shade in the late afternoon or evening. That hot west sun is just too brutal. Well drained is key, therefore a raised bed. Use a good garden soil with some sand in it to give it weight. Fluffy potting soil is a killer. Sprinklers are a Godsend, just don't overdo it. Now to seasons . . . You are out of luck for basil until it gets warm in the spring. Basil is fun because it reseeds itself pretty regularly and the inevitable crosses are fun. Parsley and thyme will do ok in the cooler weather and may die out when it gets hot. I have actually just scattered seeds and gotten good stands. But I do succumb to the plants at the nursery. Maas will get some interesting varieties in the spring. We can't really do tarragon here very well. I use Mexican Mint Marigold. I generally use bay and rosemary as a shrub but the prostrate rosemary is pretty hanging over whatever you use to elevate the bed. Lots of luck. I am still procrastinating on doing my pots. I have the insulating urethane foam pots, the right soil. Now I just need to find the damn plants. And the time to do it.

Well . . . I use the LC because it is easy to clean and because you can put acidic ingredients in it. But . . . These folks are cooking over an open fire. The regular cast iron is a lot more practical for that.

Ah ha! Water and added mass of the vegetables. I think I will stick with smoking and frying, though. I have a long standing animosity toward turkey. I am still curious about the original technique that started all of this. I will still check it out.

I am having a bit of trouble visualizing the waffle thing as well.

The waves staying in the food makes me despair of the science literacy of this nation. Same goes for the vitamins. Here is what I do in a nuker . . . reheat coffee, defrost stock, soften butter, popcorn, ummm . . . That is about it. I have this particular aversion to anything with meat in it going in there. It seems to come out tasting and feeling funny to me. I wrap leftover meat in foil packets and throw it in the DeLonghi convection toaster oven. So . . . why do I have one? 'Cause it came in the apartment? My sister thinks I am nuts and says that I have a deep seated complex about microwave ovens because hers is bigger than mine. But I did get this Microwave Fudge recipe from her that only works in one of the darn things. It is very good fudge, too.

Or fry it. It is done in an even shorter time but does take some equipment and know how.

Who knew that Texas has its own official cooking impliment! But it doesn't take a leap of faith to believe that we would have clubs and official gatherings. I have a dutch oven someplace around here. My nephew has about three. His are the really useful ones with legs or the lid that can hold hot coals. They are his pot of choice for the hunting camp. But these folks take the art of cowboy cooking to new levels. Some of those look like real challenges. But, it appears that with a little thought and technique, you can cook a lot of things beyond chili!

Good question about the gravy. I just use the parts and pieces to make a rich stock for gravy if I have folks that insist on having gravy. Don't forget to save the carcass and any clinging meat. It makes a wonderful stock for gumbo or soup. You do need to remove most of the smoky skin before making the stock so that it doesn't taste like eau de creosote.

I will take a look when I go into my store in the next couple of days. The addition of liquid seems it would help. However, I called a friend that tried the Kafka routine after I did. I also reread the instructions. Kafka doesn't put any liquid in the bottom of the pan. She also calls for a clean oven to mitigate smoke. My oven was self cleaning and I did that before trying the turkey. My friend says he remembers putting about a half inch of liquid (he thinks it was just water) in the bottom of the pan. While the water did cook away, it kept the burnt stuff down some. The turkey still smoked up the house, tasted like overheated fat and the drippings were inedible. If anyone figures out how to make this work, please tell. I now count three of us, all pretty competent cooks, that couldn't get it to work.

I have a question . . . While cleaning out a drawer, I found a recipe for chili that I got from a friend. She has won several chili cook-offs with it so she has asked me not to share. But, here is the question. It starts with a mixture of ground and cubed meat. The meat isn't browned. You break it up in the water and proceed to cook it adding the seasonings as you go. I have never tried it but am really wondering about not browning the meat. For some dumb reason that just sounds yukky to me. But then, it is a consistent winner. Any comments on cooking chili this way?

Be glad you aren't a guest so that you won't have to try it. I saw the big display at my Randall's (owned by Safeway) and had to wonder. When I looked at it I was struck by an overwhelming feeling of deja vu. Here is the story: I had just gotten the Barbara Kafka Roasting book and I figured that the turkey was the thing to try in preparation for Thanksgiving. I procured a bird about 14 pounds. Kafka says that it takes 2 hours at 500F for a 15 pounder so this is close enough for our purposes. I had calibrated my oven and left the thermometer in there just to be sure. It was huffing and puffing to get to 500 and peaked out at about 475. Following all Kafka directions to the letter in went the bird. Looking good for the first few minutes. Then all hell broke loose. Smoke is billowing. Smoke alarms are screaching. We open the windows to clear the smog. We are left with a largely inedible hunk of bird. The meat texture was just ok and the whole thing had this nasty taste of overheated fat. Needless to say, there was nothing useful for gravy in the bottom of the pan. I have no clue as to how Kafka got that golden bird that is pictured on the cover of the book. Several friends insisted that I had done something wrong. Kafka couldn't be wrong. So they tried it. They too lived with smoky smelling houses for a couple of weeks. Epilogue: After trying several other recipes in the book, with similar results, the book has been relegated to the "ash heap" section of the bookcase. It only awaits an encounter with the appropriate PITA so that it can be gift wrapped and presented with an evil grin.

First stop . . . eGCI course on smoking. And check out the linked Q&A. Second stop . . . The Virtual Weber Bullet site. Even if you aren't using a Weber Bullet, there are some great ideas and tips in there. Now . . . Repeat after me . . . I will brine my turkey. I will brine my turkey. I will brine my turkey. Actually, I have taken to quartering the damnable birds so I can pull off the white meat before it gets over done.

I don't know how much help I will be as most of my pig chomping family and associates are pretty much pork purists. Typically, I just brine the pork and not bother with a rub at all. If I do use a rub I don't use much and it is pretty generic, not very spicy. I would steer away from anything with sugar in it during the smoking process. It will likely just char. Of course, whatever type sauce you add after pulling is up to you. Being purists, we don't usually add sauce as the stuff is just coming off the smoker. Actually, most pork doesn't make it to the table. Everyone stands around in the kitchen and snatches.

I'm sold . . . Caribbean Pork Shoulder and baked beans coming up next week. Oddly enough, it looks like a good match even if it does look a bit cross cultural.

That is a beautiful piece of pork. I am having a hard time finding a really good one lately but I have been wanting to try this recipe. The fact that is one of the less fiddly recipes appeals to me. I like what you did with the pork stock. I have been seeing pork neck bones lately and I think I need some pork stock for the freezer. Meant to add . . . My little 2 1/2 qt oval is perfect for a half pound of beans, usually that is enough of any type of bean at one time that I want to deal with.

We use them in salads. They don't have a lot of flavor but a very nice texture, sort of like water chestnut. We have used them sauted but prefer them raw. Yes . . . They do look like grub worms.