Pulled BBQ Turkey

Well, it's finally happened: I have encountered something that the slow cooker can't do (besides wash and fold laundry, brush my teeth, etc.)  Behold exhibit A:

These big honkin' turkey dinosaur legs just wouldn't fit in my 3.5 quart cooker!  Soooo...a transfer was made:

...and it all worked out in the end.

Most excellent food-related wedding gift award goes to Betsy, for bestowing upon us this 10 gallon vat of Show Me BBQ sauce.  Essentially, a lifetime supply of deliciousness.

This stuff is The Best.  Makes everything taste better.  Probably even that potholder underneath the jug.  Yep.

Pulled BBQ Turkey Legs

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 turkey drumsticks (about 3.5 pounds)
salt and pepper
2 cups BBQ sauce
1 15.5-ounce can red kidney beans

Preheat the oven to 300 deg. F.  Heat the oil over high in a large skillet and season the turkey legs liberally with salt and pepper.  Sear the turkey on all sides, one at a time.

Pour half the BBQ sauce in the bottom of a large baking dish.  Transfer the browned turkey legs to the dish and top with the remaining 1 cup of BBQ sauce.  Cover tightly with foil and slow cook for 3 hours, until the meat is tender and pulling away from the bone.

Remove the drumsticks to a plate.  Once cool enough to handle, discard the skin, gristle and bones and shred the meat with your hands or two forks.  Return to the baking dish and mix well with the sauce.  Return to the oven for another 30 to 40 minutes, until the sauce thickens and coats the meat.

Drain and rinse the beans and toss in with the turkey and sauce.  Reheat for another 10 minutes until the beans are heated through.  Serve on toasted kaiser rolls with melted cheddar cheese, sliced pickles, and extra napkins.

Happy (post-)Thanksgiving!

Hello all!  Hope your Thanksgiving '10 was as rowdy and entertaining as mine.  All the usual suspects were present (turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, etc.) as well as abundantly flowing wine and reams of laughter and typical family shenanigans.  Not to mention pie!  (Didn't even get a shot of that, but trust me, it was shameful.)

How was your Thanksgiving??

 myself and the bro, harassing the turkey

me and my cousin, Kate, showing off the goods

Lupi the dog, rov(er)ing for snacks

 

put a fork in us: we're done!

Chicken pizza?!!

Yes, folks, you read that right: Chicken pizza. Or, really, chicken lamejun. Lamejun is a flatbread made in Armenia and Turkey that is typically topped with ground lamb, onion, and spices chopped finely into a paste. This non-traditional version, again taken from Ana Sortun's "Spice," is a wonderful adaptation. Imagine an aromatic chicken meatball spread all over a thin piece of bread (called lavash). Having just acquired an 11-cup Cuisinart food processor (thanks, Mom!), I thought I would take it for a test drive with this simple recipe:

Chicken Lamejun with Roasted Red Peppers, Pistachios, and Za'atar
(makes 4 large lamejun)

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 small Spanish onion, peeled and finely chopped
3 scallions, trimmed and minced
1 teaspoon za'atar (see previous post)
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg white
1/4 cup milk
1 cup toasted and ground pistachios
4 rectangular pieces of lavash
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 roasted red peppers, deseeded, skinned, and sliced into strips
Homemade labneh (see previous post) for serving

1. Trim chicken breasts of any cartilage or fat and cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes.
2. Grind the chicken in a food processor until you get a smooth paste, for about 1 minute.
3. Use the pulse button to add in the onion and scallions, za'atar, salt, and egg white.
4. Remove the mixture to a small bowl, and stir in the milk and pistachios.
5. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
6. Spread a thin, even layer of the chicken mixture onto each lavash, all the way to the edges.
7. Put the lamejuns on a baking sheet or a pizza stone (or even in a baking dish that is too small, so the ends hang over the sides - you'll end up with a bowl-shaped lamejun!) and bake for about 15 minutes, until the lavash is crisp and the chicken mixture is totally cooked (it should be completely firm).
8. Serve each lamejun with a few red pepper strips and a dollop of labneh cheese.

Dan enjoyed his lamejun!