It is summer. The weather is hot, the living is easy and it's time to cook outside. Fire up the barbecue and make succulent spare ribs, back ribs, pork shoulder, pork loin, chops, and tenderloin. Eating this way more than once a week? Are you gaining more and more weight? It just doesn't seem right. But what can we do?
I'm not suggesting that we give up something as amazing as barbecued pork. I know I won't. But when the adolescent metabolism breaks down, maybe that's a signal that we should incorporate other magnificent meat into our summer fare.
What if we found a meat that was high in protein, low in fat, inexpensive, large enough to feed a crowd, and had a flavor which complimented rubs and pastes? Well we have it - it's TURKEY!
Now we aren't talking about a Thanksgiving style turkey. That's fine for autumn and winter. Here we are talking about the hot weather turkey made in a smoker or on a rotisserie or covered grill.
This turkey gets it's flavor from mesquite, hickory, apple, cherry, alder, maple, wine barrel, or grape vine smoke. It remains moist and juicy, because we take the time to brine it. Sometimes that smoke flavor is all want, and turkey carries that flavor wonderfully.
But if you want even more flavor, you can add injection marinades, rubs, mops, pastes, or finishing sauces. Turkey takes well to all of them. If you want to cut back on the sugar associated with barbecue sauces, you have options here too.
Because turkey is low in fat, high in protein, and carries flavors like smoke and spice better than most other meats let's start with a simple seasoning mix. A favorite combination is: 1 part onion powder, 1 part garlic powder, 1 part ground sage, 1 part ground celery seed, 1 part thyme, with salt and pepper to taste. Use this as a rub. Look at all of the taste with no added fat or calories.
Want a sauce that doesn't require sugar or artificial sweeteners? How about tomato concassee? Do you have ripe home grown or freshly picked local farm stand tomatoes? If you use the right tomatoes, sticky sweet barbecue sauces just can't compare.
Score the skin and drop your very ripe tomatoes in boiling water for 15 to 30 seconds, plunge them in cold water to stop their cooking, remove the skins, cut in half, squeeze out the seeds, coarsely chop. Add salt, pepper, maybe a sprinkle of chopped basil and a splash of olive oil.
If you have been looking for something different, mouth watering, and healthy be creative and add turkey to your barbecue treasures.
Find everything you need to select, prepare, cook, and share the perfect turkey. Plus: history, Facts, Secrets and Tips about this magnificent bird at http://www.the-perfect-turkey.com . Join us on our quest. (Bob Syrus)
Source: www.articlecity.com