Turkey and Fennel Recipe

Ingredients:

1 whole Smoked Turkey Breast
2 Bulbs Fennel
1 Yellow Onion
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1.5 Cups Dry White Wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)

Method:

• Preheat Oven at 325 degrees.

• If there is skin on the turkey, peel it off. You can shred and fry this in oil and sprinkle on a salad or discard – up to you.

• Dice veggies and sauté with oil in a large coated (or not coated) cast iron Dutch oven until fragrant and translucent. Add Turkey Breast and wine, cover, and put in the oven for 60minutes.

• Check the turkey at this point – it should have an internal temperature of at least 140 and should be tender to the touch. If so, uncover and roast at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

• Remove turkey to a cutting board. Let rest for 5 minutes and then carve or chunk and place back in the Dutch oven to soak up residual sauce and veggie flavors. Serve with fresh buttered pasta, crispy potatoes, or on crusty bread with fresh butter and/or provolone.

Low & Slow Corned Bison and Kraut

Ingredients/accoutrements bought beforehand:

• Seeded Rye Bread (I prefer Levy’s Real Jewish Rye)

• Butter, for toasting bread during sandwich assembly

• Swiss Cheese

• Russian Dressing

• Pickles (venture from the standard dill pickle. If you haven’t tried half sour pickles, you’re missing out.)

• Sauerkraut (We sell our kraut in 16 oz jars. For this recipe I suggest two jars, 32 oz worth of kraut. We will be braising down the kraut with the corned bison.)

The Low & Slow Corned Bison:

Our corned bison comes typically in a 3-4 pound shoulder cut. And remember, they come fully cooked so we are just reheating while we are cooking down the sauerkraut. Typically we portion our sandwiches with  ¼ pound of protein - so with a full 4 lb corned bison, you’ll yield about 16 sandwiches. But the best thing about it is the kraut and corned bison keep refrigerated well for those many late-night sandwiching opportunities.

During the reheating process, we will be adding the sauerkraut to the corned bison, allowing it to braise down very nicely.   

Cooking Equipment:

• Deep roasting pan or large dutch oven with lid. Pan should be at least 6 inches deep.

• Tin foil for baking pan.

• Sheet pan for toasting cheese and bread.

Reheat time is on average 45 minutes per pound.

Reheating Instructions:

• Reheat Smokehaus corned bison:

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees F.

• In deep roasting pan, place corned bison

• Fill with water until the corned beef is submerged.

• Cover and place the pan in the oven.

• Check every 45 minutes to see if liquid needs replenishing and use a thermometer to temp the corned bison. 

• Continue this process until internal temp reaches 165.

• After the appropriate amount of time has passed, pull pan out and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

• After cooling time has passed, pull corned bison out of pan to carve. Remember to always carve against the grain. Cut into 1/8th – 1/4 inch slices.

The Reuben '06

Sandwich assembly:

• On a sheet pan, butter one side of each piece of bread. Place bread on sheet pan.

• Apply Russian Dressing on each slice of bread.

• Pile the cut corned bison on on side of the bread.

• Add sauerkraut on top of corned bison.

• Put a slice of cheese on top of corned bison and kraut and one slice on other piece of bread.

• Turn oven on to broil and place sheet pan/sandwich in oven.

• Broil/bake until cheese is bubbly and melted.

• Pull out when finished and assemble.

Enjoy the sandwich cut into halves, and with a pickle!

Store leftover corned bison and kraut  for up to two weeks in the fridge.

5 Things To Do With Porketta

5 Ways to Cook Smokehaus Porketta

So, you’ve got your beautiful hand-rolled slab of heaven – now what? There are many ways to cook Porketta, including a straightforward, roast til it’s hot approach. But for the creative-hearted and culinarily curious we have assembled a short list of preparations for your dining pleasure.

1. Low and Slow: Roast Porketta at 325, covered and doused with a cup or so of liquid (white wine, lager, chicken stock or even a mild fruit juice such as apple will do). Keep it covered for the first hour and a half, then uncover and continue to roast until fall-apart tender (maybe another 45-60 minutes). When ready, take the roast out, let it sit for 5 minutes, and then shred like your life depends on it. You can use forks, tongs, or even gloved hands (but be careful – it will be hot!). Eat the whole delicious mixture over mashed potatoes, with your favorite pasta, or on a hard roll.

2. Grill it: Because the Porketta is fully cooked, you need not worry about finessing your fire too much. You can reheat the Porketta in your oven at a higher temperature (say, 375) and when it because hot to the touch, transfer to a hot grill to crisp up the exterior crust. The results will be crunchy, smoky, and oh-so-meaty.

3. Cute it Up: Cube it up? Cube your Porketta by cutting it into ½ inch chunks. Sprinkle with paprika and gently fry on a medium-heat skillet until the sides are crispy. Skewer them with other bite-sized cubed items like potatoes, cocktail onions, fennel, or sweet peppers (or our favorite – all of the above!). Serve on your holiday menu, or as an appetizer for a dinner party, or as a very high class midnight snack.

4. Take it to the Club: Make an incredibly savory club sandwich by layering thin slices of Porketta, right out of the package (it’s fully cooked, you know) with shaved fennel, sundried tomatoes, and crispy pancetta, and lemon basil mayonnaise (you can just amp up your Hellman’s with a dusting of lemon zest and handful of shredded basil or you can make your own). You can serve it on stirato or focaccia, but if you’re feeling sinister might we recommend a triple-decker with slices of your local grocery store’s most pillowy version of Italian bread, toasted.

5.  Go Full Holiday Roast: Place your Porketta on a rack in a large roasting pan, uncovered. Begin roasting the Porketta at 375 while you prepare your other ingredients. Wash fingerling potatoes or quarter them, quarter fennel, rutabaga, and or sweet potatoes. Toss all with olive oil and light salt (the Porketta is going to help flavor them all) and arrange them in the now-hot roaster when they’re ready (make sure you take the roaster out of the oven to accomplish this – safety first!). Cook all until vegetables are soft – around 45 minutes to an hour. Serve with something green, like Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, or green beans. Buon appetito!