Beer Can Turkey, Turkey Salad & Turkey Soup

Open beer and pour one third into a glass for the cook. Pour the rest into a mixing or measuring bowl, and mix the spice in the bowl. Add enough chicken stock to make 16 ounces.

Using the empty beer can, fill it with the beer, stock and spice mixture. Place the can in the cavity of the bird. Balance the bird upright, on top of the can, in a baking dish, tent with aluminum foil, and cook until done. (Most afficianados say to poke holes in the top of the can, to let the steam out.)

When the bird is finished cooking, pour the stock and spice mixture into the roasting pan and use it to de-glaze the pan. Pour off the deglazed liquid (and veggies) into a smaller sauce pan or bowl. Spoon off the fat with a spoon, retaining the fat separately. Throw the degreased liquid and veggies into a large stock pot. I find a six quart pot is just large enough to hold the soup from a 12 pound bird.

Let the bird cool enough to use your hands. Completely separate the meat from everything else, and retain it for later. Keep the breast meat as whole as possible--we are going to chop it later. Throw the skin, bones, and fat into the stock pot. Fill it with enough water to cover everything about an inch or two. Cover and simmer very low 6-12 hours. (Sometimes, I leave it on over night. A crockpot should work for this purpose. I put a couple of bricks on my gas stove under the pot to cut down the heat. Otherwise, simmering turns to a boil.)

Now that the soup stock is cooking, we can make the turkey salad for sandwiches.

Chop the breast meat into medium to small pieces. Clean the grapes, and slice them in half. Wash and chop the celery into medium to small pieces. Clean and chop the green onions very fine.

Put the turkey meat, grapes, clelery, and green onions in a large bowl, and mix, adding the spices and mayonaisse. Even though the turkey was cooked with the Milwaukee Ave Steak Seasoning, this flavor does not carry over into the breast meat when the skin is removed.

(There is a lot of disagreement in our family about the exact quantities of the green onions and the mayo. The spices are always to taste, since each batch varies.)

Spread on bread for a sandwich, or on flatbread for an hors d'oeuvre. Slosh it down with a leaf of washed Romaine for an Atkins "sandwich".

When the stock has simmered enough, put a large strainer in the top of a pot large enough to hold the liquid, and strain the stock into the second pot. Remove the larger bones with a slotted spoon. Let the strained liquid cool on a cutting board. Strain the liquid again through a smaller mesh strainer, let it cool enough, and skim off fat with a large spoon. While the liquid is cooling, sort through the strained flotsam with your fingers, and pick out any larger bits of meat before throwing the rest away.

Towards the end of simmering the soup, cook the pasta separately. I use a pound of pasta for a 12 pound bird. Cook it very soft, drain, and set aside for later. (Do not rinse the pasta.)

Wash and chop all the veggies, to soup spoon sized pieces.

Wipe out the empty stock pot, and put the stock back into the pot. Pour in the can of Chicken stock, add the veggies, and 1 tablespoon of the Milwaukee Ave Steak Seasoning. Bring to a boil and simmer until the veggies are soft, but not mushy.

While that's cooking, go through the meat one more time. Completely trim out any fat, tissue, bone, etc. Chop the meat into bite sized pieces, small enough to fit on a soup spoon.

When the veggies are done, turn the heat off. Add the pasta, meat, and enough water to cover it all. Usually the pot has enough heat to warm it all. If not, turn the burner back on, but try not to cook it any further. Add another tablespoon of the spice and the ground peppercorn. Mix 4 tablespoons corn starch with a bit of water, stir it up, and throw it in. I always add the salt last. Adjust the spices to your own taste.