#herbrub

This turkey recipe for the slow cooker makes it easy to make Thanksgiving dinner. If you use a tasty herb rub and cook the turkey in a moist area, it will always be tender and juicy.

Ingredients: 1 whole turkey 12-14 pounds. 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted. 2 tablespoons olive oil. 2 teaspoons salt. 1 teaspoon black pepper. 1 teaspoon garlic powder. 1 teaspoon onion powder. 1 teaspoon dried thyme. 1 teaspoon dried rosemary. 1 teaspoon dried sage. 1 cup chicken broth. 1 onion, quartered. 3 cloves garlic, minced. 2 stalks celery, chopped. 2 carrots, chopped.

Instructions: Clean the turkey with water and dry it with paper towels. This is a rub: melt butter, add olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, and sage; mix well. Spread the spice mix all over the turkey, even under the skin. In the slow cooker's bottom, put the garlic, onion, celery, and carrots. Set the slow cooker on low and add chicken broth. Toss the turkey with the spices and put it on top of the vegetables. Put the lid on top and set the heat to low. Cook for 6 to 8 hours, or until the turkey reaches 165F 75C. After the turkey is done, take it out of the slow cooker and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. Then you can cut it up.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 360 minutes

As you can probably tell, I'm on a New York Times recipe kick. I'm not sure how I found this recipe, but it is definitely one to save and make again!

The pork chops are rubbed with a very flavorful herb mixture. Take a quick look before you read the ingredient list.

You can find the original recipe on the NYT website, but here is my modified version of the recipe.

Ingredients:

2 pork chops, bone-in, thick cut

4-5 sprigs rosemary, finely chopped

6-7 sprigs thyme, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, grated

1 cup fresh cherries, organic if possible, pitted and halved

1/2 cup "fruity" red wine (see note below)

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

So, I had to look up what "fruity" red wine meant. Based on what I read, my recommendation is to buy a Pinot Noir from California or New Zealand. I shopped at Whole Foods that day, so I also looked at the categories that were checked for each wine and picked something that said "fruity."

Preparation:

Cook the Pork Chops

Combine the garlic, rosemary, thyme, 3-4 grinds of black pepper, and two small pinches of salt. Rub all over the pork chops. Marinate anywhere from 2 hours to overnight in the refrigerator. I marinated mine for about 4 hours.

Remove the pork chops from the refrigerator and let them get to room temperature. I often forget to do this, so my goal is to have the chops out at least 30 minutes before I cook them. That is usually how long it takes to heat up the grill. Speaking of which, heat the grill to 400 degrees!

We cooked the chops over direct heat, about 3 minutes per side to start. We kept checking the temperature until the internal temperature reached 140 degrees. I cannot remember the actual cooking time and to be honest, the cooking time is going to vary depending on how thick the chops are. If you start with 3 minutes per side as a rule of thumb, then go to 2 minutes per side until you reach the correct internal temperature, that usually works well. Once you take the chops off the grill, let them sit, covered, until they reach 145 degrees. They will continue to cook, so don't worry. It should take about 5-7 minutes.

One thing to note. The NYT recipe calls for a combination of direct and indirect heat. That actually is a great method. We were a little lazy last week, so we did everything over direct. Also, if you have a Green Egg and are going to use the direct/indirect method, try starting with indirect heat first, then sear the chops on direct heat at the end for only 2 minutes per side. After watching a lot of the videos on the Green Egg site, this sees to be the most common method. This made me uncomfortable at first, because it is against everything I have learned to date. However, we have cooked steaks like this multiple times now and they turn out like butter, with the perfect amount of char.

Make the Cherry Sauce

Add a tablespoon(ish) of butter to the skillet. When the butter stops foaming, add the shallots and cook until tender. This will take 2-3 minutes.

Add the cherries and wine and let that cook until the mixture reduces to a thin syrup. This will take about 5-6 minutes.

Add another 2 tablespoons of butter, one at a time, until it is incorporated Add another pinch of salt and a couple of grinds of black pepper. Give the sauce a taste and adjust the flavor to your liking.

I wasn't sure if I was going to like the sauce, so I served the sauce on the side. It definitely added something to the dish, but the chops alone had a great garlicky-herb flavor and didn't need the cherries. It is a great way to use cherries that you have not finished eating yet for sure!

And, here is the final product...

I definitely recommend giving this recipe a try. The herb rub is versatile and could be used on anything. I think this would be great to serve on steaks!