Organic Poultry Rub - AKA Simon & Garfunkel
When you find something great that works (and that everyone raves about) you stick with it.
We love using Simon & Garfunkel on all things poultry, and roasted potatoes and on roasted root veggies. We hope you enjoy it!
INGREDIENTS:
- dried crushed parsley
- dried crushed sage
- dried crushed rosemary
- dried crushed thyme
- dried crushed oregano
- dried crushed basil
- dried crushed bay leaf
- ground black pepper
- sugar
All ingredients are organic and gluten free.
How to use (at least how we use it):
We make up a batch of this rub, store it for months, and put it on poultry, grilled potatoes, roasted vegetables, sometimes pasta or rice. For the last 5 years, we grilled or slow smoked our Thanksgiving turkeys on the grill. Last three years, we did two at a
For the last 5 years, we grilled or slow smoked our Thanksgiving turkeys on the grill. Last three years, we did two at a
Last three years, we did two at a time but chose smaller birds, 11-13 pounds, to get everyone a drumstick, or a breast or whatever parts they like the best.Smaller birds can cook in less time, even if cooked on
Smaller birds can cook in less time, even if cooked on a slower schedule.
The use is super simple.
- A couple hours before cooking (give it al least two hours) pat the thawed out bird, breast, or any other poultry parts dry and cover with a fair amount of salt (kosher – 1/2 a teaspoon per pound of meat, table salt – 1/4 of a teaspoon per pound of meat). Cover and let it sit in the fridge. If you are cooking bird with the skin on and want to have the skin crispy – leave it uncovered.
- Lightly coat your poultry or potatoes or asparagus or whatever with water (the ingredients dissolve better in water than oil, but we use oil when we have time), sprinkle on the rub liberally, even if you are a conservative 😉 . If time permits, let the seasoned meat sit in the fridge for an hour or three. Again, if you are cooking the bird with the skin on and want to have crispy skin – leave it uncovered.
- Grill, smoke, or roast.
Modifications:
- If we have time – we dissolve the mix in the olive oil and let sit for a while, instead of sprinkling water and rubbing.
- If you want crispy skin – let it sit in the fridge uncovered. – Can you tell we really have a thing for crispy skin?!
OUR COOKING NOTES:
We found that slow cooking at 275-325 degrees cooks it evenly throughout, and by direct grilling at the end, it produces a very juicy poultry with nice looking grill marks (yes, even the white meat stays juicy) Make sure to let the air flow around the bird and use a GOOD DIGITAL THERMOMETER with a “quick” probe and test both the breast meat and dark meat. Breast meat is safe at 165, and dark meat is better at 170. If you choose to cook slowly, you may end up with fully cooked poultry that has a pinkish tint. It is perfectly safe as long as it isn’t glossy.
We cook the whole birds breast-up, and only wrap wing tips and ends of drumsticks with foil. We have never needed to build any foil tents.
We cook on indirect heat. It can be simply accomplished by running one burner on the grill, covering the grill surface with foil with the gaps on the sides for airflow, and placing the bird on the top rack of the grill. The foil catches the drips and prevents fires…almost always. If you are cooking small parts like separated thighs or drumsticks – just throw them on the grill as usual. (pictures of this can be seen in the corresponding blog post)
When the desired temps are reached, take it off the grill or out of the oven and cut the white meat off the breast plate and carve across the grain and serve.