Turkey is a go-to dish for finicky barbecue eaters
Most hardcore barbecue fans live in two worlds: spending time with our barbecue-obsessed friends and family or our non-barbecue friends and family.
In the former, socializing comes naturally. We’ll meet up at a local barbecue joint, order a colossal tray, stand around for 10 minutes taking pictures, then reach in for our share of the smoked-meat smorgasbord. The tray is picked clean in no time, and we sit around comparing recent visits to the latest and greatest spots.
Social occasions with the latter are more complicated. We are forever known as “the barbecue guy” among our nonsmoke-obsessed friends (and it is mostly guys).
Like the I.T. consultant who spends all his free time fixing his parents’ computer, the barbecue guy spends most of his time fielding questions about what kind of backyard pit to buy (Pitts & Spitts) and where to take out-of-town guests for a classic Houston barbecue experience (Goode Co. Barbeque on Kirby).
For the barbecue guy who works in an office environment with nonbarbecue co-workers, three words strike fear into his heart: “You pick lunch.” Of course, since you are the barbecue guy, you are obligated to choose a barbecue joint. And you are expected to order for the group.
Ordering for four to six nonbarbecue co-workers is a challenge. Sure, most will be happy with the trinity of brisket, ribs and sausage. Fortunately, there is one menu item that is a go-to choice for the finicky eater in your party: turkey.
Turkey is the Swiss Army knife of a barbecue menu — it will fix any tight spot you may find yourself in when ordering for hard-toplease, nonbarbecue friends, family or co-workers.
Like pulled pork, turkey is something of an also-ran when it comes to craft-barbecue offerings. But when it is cooked well, it stands up to even the best brisket.
Depending on where I am, I’ll include turkey in the mix if I know it will be good. One of my favorite versions of smoked turkey in Greater Houston is made by pitmaster Wes Jurena of Pappa Charlies Barbeque.
Jurena spent years in the barbecue-trailer trade, followed by a stint in a storefront in EaDo, and has now landed as the in-house barbecue joint for the new Cypress Trail Hideout bar and restaurant.
Jurena is well known for his smoked turkey, having learned the cooking technique from one of his mentors — John Mueller, now of Black Box Barbecue in Georgetown.
The most important thing to know about barbecue-joint smoked turkey is that it is cooked and sliced from a turkey breast, not a whole turkey. For restaurant purposes, turkey breasts arrive frozen in a case of four at 5 pounds apiece.
“It’s a 5-pound frozen football,” says Jurena, who defrosts the breasts in a refrigerator in preparation for smoking.
Though high-quality, foodservice-style turkey breasts don’t usually advertise they are brined or injected, Jurena has read enough ingredient labels to know most are lightly brined or otherwise flavored with a salt solution. For this reason, he doesn’t add any further salt either through brining or in the rub.
After removing the skin, Jurena’s only added ingredients are a coarse black-pepper rub and a two-hour post-oak smoke bath in the barbecue pit. The easiest mistake is to overcook turkey, so Jurena pulls them when their internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. The temperature then maxes out at the 165-degree sweet spot to retain the moisture.
If you work in Cypress and you’re the office barbecue guy, Pappa Charlies Barbeque is a great choice to impress your barbecue and nonbarbecue co-workers alike. In addition to the turkey, Jurena’s trinity of brisket, pork ribs and sausage is the best in the area. There’s also a full menu of sports-bar/ice-house favorites, such as burgers, chicken-fried steak and loaded baked potatoes.