# Smoked Turkey Bisque



## forluvofsmoke (Jan 27, 2012)

SMOKED TURKEY BISQUE
Prep time: approx 10 minutes.
Cook time: 4-6 hours.
Serves: 30+

Ingredients (for approx 3 qts...you'll want to make it worth your effort, and you won't want to run out of this, either...I have 1 quart for the freezer).

4 carrots, peeled, large cross cut chunks
3 celery stalks, washed, large cross-cut chunks
1 large yellow onion, rough cut into wedges and separated (quartered or smaller)
3 Tbs minced dried garlic (or 7-8 fresh cloves cut in half)
Necks of 2 birds
4 Tbs chicken bouillon
1 Tbs cracked black peppercorn
1 large Red Delicious apple, peeled, cored, small to medium diced
Juice of 2 medium/large oranges
2 Qts water

Thicken with A/P flour/corn starch/cold water after smoking/cooking/processing if using as a gravy.
You may add gizzards, if desired...I did not add the livers, as the flavor profile would have changed dramatically, and would have lost the lighter, more subtle flavors I was looking for.

Notice that the seasoning is minimal. The flavors of the ingredients, combined with the drippings of the bird and the smoke will provide all the flavor you need...simple, yet very delicious.

Place all ingredients into a deep pan approximately the size of the bird. Place pan into your smoker with several inches of clearance between the rim of the pan and grate your bird will be smoked on (more clearance = less heat baffling effect to the bird from the pan). You want to catch the bird drippings in the pan. You may opt to de-fat the Bisque after smoked/cooked, leaving a small amount of remaining fat for thickening the free-liquid into a gravy, if desired.

Smoke bird and Bisque at approx 260-280* for 4-6 hours (lower temps will result in slower, less tender cooking of ingredients). Remove the Bisque pan, pull neck meat (trim and chop gizzard) and run all ingredients through a blender until particle size is small to fine. Pour into large sauce pan or stock pot and heat to boiling to add flour/starch for gravy as desired.

Sodium content of the bisque seemed very low, but no one even mentioned it needing more salt. I used Knorr brand Chicken flavored bouillon...sodium run-down is as follows:
Serving size: 1 tsp
Sodium: 870mg / 38% DV
Multiply the Sodium x 12 (3tsp per Tbsp x 4Tbsp), then divide by 30 servings for a total of 2/5 (0.4) tsp/serving, or sodium per serving of 348mg / 15.2% DV. 30 servings from 3 quarts would translate to 3.2 fluid ounces (2/5 cup), so that's a probably an average serving when used on the bird and all the sides previously mentioned...your mileage may vary. For those who may be on a restricted sodium intake, I think you'll find the bisque would be equally good if the chicken bouillon were reduced sodium, or if omitted altogether, depending on you individual tolerance to sodium.

There is so much going on with what little there is in differing flavors, it seemed to hit the palate in layers...very interesting. It really could have had much less salt than that from what was contained in the bouillon and still be quite good. Also, fat content is not nearly as high as I thought it would be. When I pulled the pan to defat before processing, I was pleasantly surprised to find very little on the surface, only skimming about 2 Tbs (bird was smoked skin-on, breast up). I had to add a few Tbs of Olive oil just to get it to thicken to my desired consistency, which was not really thick, but almost more like a sauce...semi-thickened, if you will. So, reduced sodium and low-fat, and it tasted GREAT...no complaints from me with that...no complaints from anyone, for that matter.

I used a heavy smoke for over an hour, with a 50/50 mix of hickory and apple chips in the Smoke Vault 24, then added only apple after the first hour, with smoke tapering to a thin blue within approx 90 minutes and continuing for nearly 4 hours thereafter. My Bisque was smoked for 5 hours, then removed and processed and thickened slightly.

The smoke flavor in the bisque came through right up front, but was not overpowering at all. The more subtle flavors of the main ingredients came on immediately the smoke. The carrot and celery seemed to be dominant, while the onion and garlic offered their light touch in flavor and aromas. Pepper was light, with no harshness. Paired with a citrus blend of dry rub on the bird, oven roasted bird and stiffing, solo baked stuffing in loaf pans, or mashed taters, it was a top-notch meal...and I owe at least part of that to this bisque.

This is so easy to make, and the rewards are so worth the little extra effort. I've made sauces and gravies with drippings in the past, although they had much less ingredients and lots of seasoning to get a reasonable amount of flavor from them...let's face it: gravy is, well, fats, starches and/or flour, water, drippings and/or stock/bouillon with limited other ingredients. This Bisque has by far exceeded my expectations in flavor, texture and the reduction in ingredients that don't really add flavor...or better put, may offset the good flavors and make it more bland in order to achieve a desired product (starch/flour), tempting us to kick up the flavor with even more salt and spices.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!


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## CapnJack (Jul 20, 2012)

Oh, man, that looks good!


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Always looking for more turkey recipes!


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