I am having another use-the-smoker party. This is the e-mail I sent out.
(If I forgot anyone in the Philadelphia area, let me know if you’d like to stop by. It will be fun and delicious.)
DEAR FRIENDS, ROMANS, COWORKERS:
THE TIME IS AGAIN UPON US to put more formerly-alive foodstuffs (yes, soybeans count*) into my beautiful vertical water smoker oven contraption. (* Because if turkeys and I both have souls — a big if — then so do soybeans.)
THE CONCEPT FOR THIS EVENT will be something of an early Thanksgiving. A warmup, if you will. A practice round. The centerpiece will be a brined, smoked, basted, delicious turkey. Apparently smoking is a really nice treatment for turkey, and the recipe is coming from the same cookbook as the pork shoulder from last time (i.e., I have high high expectations).
I WILL ALSO SMOKE A TOFURKEY (or something similar) for the herbivores, and probably sausage, mushrooms etc to make meat and vegetarian stuffings (though it won’t actually go into any avian orifices).
THEREFORE, GOOD PEOPLE, it is incumbent upon you to bring your favorite Thanksgiving side dishes. Or beer. Beer is always good. Last time we had 2.5 cases and went through them like they were, well, beer at a barbecue. (That is to say: very quickly.) But I have good, tasty, easy recipes for mashed potatoes, cranberry relish, sweet potato dishes, and various vegetables if you would like to flex your culinary muscles.
THE DATE OF THIS SHINDIG is to be November 21st, the Saturday before Thanksgiving. (Probably. If there’s a popular uprising against the 21st, the 14th may be considered.) The festivities will begin at 5 pm to catch the last of the late Fall twilight. Come early to soak up the sun (along with the best of the beer selection). I live at 1130 S 26th St. It’s a bit out of the way, but very easy to bike to (I have space on my back patio to secure bikes) and there’s always plenty of parking.
PLUS ONES ARE WELCOME. Please RSVP (again, yes, I know that’s redundant) when you can; let me know if you’re bringing anyone, any dietary restrictions, and let me know what you might be so kind as to bring along.
YOU WILL BE REMINDED approximately a week before the event.
CARRY ON, GOOD PEOPLE.
–Patrick
(Henceforth known as Señor Coconut. See below.)
