How to Make Santa Fe Smoked Turkey

Bobby Flay: Welcome to the holiday Santa Fe style. Now most people think holidays needs roast in the oven but not here. We’re still talking turkey bit it’s smoked and lots of spice. This is how they do it on Santa Fe, turkey like you read about; golden brown and crispy from hours in the fixed smoke of an old style barbeque. Face this, everything is done outside and nothing tastes better than the wild mushrooms seared over an open flame that will go in the stuffing. Spend the holidays here in New Mexico and you will get all the tradition with the South Western spin. I am celebrating with a Bill and Cheryl Jamison; a husband and wife gourmet grilling team. Devoured in a bunch of award winning cookbooks and they’re all there is to know about creating a holiday feast full of smoking soup. In this season, they are letting me in on all their barbeque secrets. While the flame gets going, Cheryl’s putting me to work. Okay Cheryl, let’s talk turkey.—I’ll be here all week. All right. Cheryl: Okay, we are doing two rubs for two types of turkey today. We have our green chili or you are going to rub here for the turkey breasts. Bobby Flay: A little dried mustard and brown sugar helps put a nice crust on the breast. The turkey lays get a fiery rage of seasoning. Cheryl: A green chili and a red chili. Bobby Flay: Well I see I think I— Cheryl: It is New Mexico. Bobby Flay: It is New Mexico and I think especially for like a Mexican holiday. Cheryl: That is right, yeah. Bobby Flay: You know, I think— Cheryl: Yeah, green and red. Bobby Flay: So we can just sort of rub this on? Cheryl: Go ahead and stick some under there and just massage it into the breast under there. Bobby Flay: So, what is this going to taste like? I mean—you know— Cheryl: This is going to be smoked, getting fire and heat and spice. Bobby Flay: And heat from the green chili and—but lots of big background pepper flavor. Cheryl: Yes and so delicious. That is right yes and it’s going to be very moist because of the slow temperature—the low temperature is in there, right up here for barbequing. Bobby Flay: Right. The smoke is ready and so is the turkey. But before it goes in, the cheese cloth goes on. Cheryl: It will keep the turkey from drying out. Bobby Flay: Going to wrap it? Cheryl: And wrap it up like it’s a Christmas present. Bobby Flay: Nice. The bird is spending the next 8 hours soaking up flavor in Bill’s smoke. A slow cook to hold in the moisture. Every now and then, Bill mops it down it down with a mix of chicken stock and jalapeno seasoning. Of course. Bill: It does get smoky, doesn’t it? Bobby Flay: I was just going to say, if you think you—with all the smoky that you do, you have a like a smoke ring around your whole body? Bill: Probably. Bobby Flay: All right. Bill: Before we call it a tan. Bobby Flay: Okay, exactly. It looks good. Time to grill the vegetables for the dressing. For this dish, Cheryl chars up some leeks and spring onions along with a little known, the Mexico secret. Cheryl: This is a porcini mushroom and people think that you know, those just come from Italy mostly. Bobby Flay: Right. Cheryl: But these are ones that grow on the mountains above Santa Fe. Bobby Flay: The grilled vegetables go into the white bread dressing which will bake up nice and crunchy in the oven. Cheryl: Oh that looks so good at charred. Bobby Flay: Next, roast the green chilies for a special holiday corn chowder. Any cream? Cheryl: Oh yeah! Oh yeah! Bobby Flay: Bring it on. Cheryl: It’s a holiday. Bobby Flay: Fat is good for you. The trimmings are taken care off. The turkey is a perfect golden brown. Now it’s all about getting the Santa Fe look just right. Cheryl: Some jalapenos and both the red and green forms and some cayenne, oh. Bobby Flay: You get excited about your turkey. Cheryl: —I do. I get excited about holidays. I love holidays, don’t you? Bobby Flay: Yeah, me too. Time for me to do some carving. Cheryl: This looks great Bobby. Bobby Flay: When we know it is smoked and you can smell it; delicious. That is fantastic. Finally, it is time to dig in and buffer up a toast. Well Bill and Cheryl, thank you so much for having me with your friends and family of course. Happy holidays everybody. The holidays; Santa Fe style. You just can’t beat it.