Talking Turkey (and Chicken) With the BBQ Nerd

Hey fellow BBQ Fans! So today, I’ve decided to take a break from reviews and focus on meats, specifically poultry. Essentially, we’ll talk about why you should give the birds a second look. Yes, if you live in Texas, by all means, try the beef. Pork is a must in the Carolinas. But when you see chicken or turkey on the menu, don’t immediately skip over it. Sometimes you can find some of the best offerings of the menu via the poultry selections.

Let’s start with the more common meat offered- turkey. Now, if you are at a fair or maybe the odd specialized joint, you might find a smoked turkey leg. They tend to be a bit salty but the also can have deep smokey flavor. However, the far more common is the sliced turkey breast.

The great thing about this meat is that you can make some pretty delicious sandwiches with it. In many ways, this could be viewed as really fancy lunch meat. But that would be a disservice to the craft and detail that goes into preparing and smoking turkey breast. Because it’s a whiter, leaner meat, turkey is incredibly easy to dry out. Moist turkey can be rarer than you would imagine, but when you get it? It’s fantastic, and the smoke penetrates the breast, albeit not as well as beef and pork in most cases.

There are two downsides to ordering turkey though. The first, as my friend Brock stated, is that unlike other meats, turkey, in America, has an ideal. Most grow up eating turkey for holidays, and it can be difficult for joints to measure up to those lofty standards. The second is that there isn’t much variation in flavor. Almost all turkey breasts are made with a simple rub, which is still present on the outside edge. This is usually salt and peppery with a few other spices thrown in. As such, this is a meat that’s great for trying sauces, but maybe difficult if you are trying to find “the best turkey breast out there.” For my money, Franklin BBQ has the most juicy turkey out there, but I could also recommend All the King’s Men, Black’s, and Kreuz Market as well. But luckily, many places sell by the pound, so grab a few slices just to check it out if you are wanting to try something a bit less heavy or just trying to cut down on red meats.

The above picture, taken from the Butcher Stand BBQ in Oklahoma, demonstrates the relative homogeneity of turkey. But is also demonstrates how varied chicken can be. Here it seems to be breast meat, diced and rubbed. The result is a very bland meat (although their Turkey is plenty juicy), but again one that is a bit lighter. My brother prefers pulled chicken, and I’ll admit that it makes a tasty sandwich. He admits that it’s easy to dry out, much like turkey. My favorite kind of chicken is whole smoked, then usually served in quarters and halves.

Now above you can see that these offerings look incredibly different from each other. The taste and consistency is also quite different. The rubs have more impact simply due to the amount of surface area they cover. The top left is a bit spicier and sweeter, while Snow’s is your very standard (yet tasty) salt and pepper flavor. In Texas, this tends to be the style you’ll find. There is also heavy variance in the level of smoke flavor in each selection. Kreuz Market (not pictured) features some of the smokiest chicken you will ever eat.  When done right chicken can stand out on their own while at the same time pairing excellently with most sauces. In Alabama, chicken with white sauce is a key feature, and has made the region legendary.

But the flavor isn’t the only thing that’s varied here. The skin is perhaps the hardest thing for a joint to get right. You want a skin that you can bite into, but doesn’t completely tear away from the chicken. The lower left features Rudy’s version of chicken which exemplifies how NOT to do chicken. There is no smoke flavor, and the skin falls off and takes the rub away with it. All that’s left is… chicken, which isn’t a very unique flavor. Whole chicken tends to be juicy, and when done well can actually be the star of the menu, setting a joint apart from the rest of the crowd.

Not all joints carry poultry. Not all should. But you should look at giving it a try when possible. You may be pleasantly surprised, and discover some of the best meat on the menu.