Thanksgiving 2022

[DoctorShavegood]

One nice trick is to debone the raw turkey, then stuff it and tie it back together.
It is a lot of work at first, but then there are no issues carving, you get neat slices of turkey and stuffing.

The other bonus is that with the raw bones, rib-cage etc. is that when you roast them with veggies to make stock, the raw bones make a very nice rich stock.

There are many good videos on doing this.
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Great idea!!

 

[Utter Lie]

The worst time of year to be a turkey!

 

[The Count of Merkur Cristo]

One nice trick is to debone the raw turkey, then stuff it and tie it back together.
It is a lot of work at first, but then there are no issues carving, you get neat slices of turkey and stuffing.

The other bonus is that with the raw bones, rib-cage etc. is that when you roast them with veggies to make stock, the raw bones make a very nice rich stock.

There are many good videos on doing this.
View attachment 1035177View attachment 1035180View attachment 1035179View attachment 1035178

Pepin:
Turducken is awesome too!

Happy Thanksgiving . . .

We get to start early up here in the Great Northern climes . . . so what is on the menu for Thanksgiving? I am providing the fest for about a dozen family members tomorrow. We are going to be doing the traditional oven roasted turkey wrapped in bacon and I will be smoking a ham (bone in) in my...

www.badgerandblade.com

"Turducken: It's like 'Inception' with poultry". Author Unknown

 

[shavefan]

We haven't even planned it yet, beyond staying local, not visiting family out of town. When my wife gets back from Ireland later this week we'll discuss it. Stay tuned...

Decision is in. Standing rib roast

 

[kelbro]

Decision is in. Standing rib roast

You could do much worse!

 

[shavefan]

You could do much worse!

For sure! In-laws want to do turkey for Christmas so prime rib was my T-day suggestion. Yum yum!

 

[DoctorShavegood]

For sure! In-laws want to do turkey for Christmas so prime rib was my T-day suggestion. Yum yum!

I'm with ya...although, for Christmas, throw out the yard bird and make a big igloo of craw-fish.

 

[emwolf]

We host Thanksgiving every year at our house. It's our opportunity to bring all those dysfunctional family members together so that we have a greater opportunity to witness psychotic meltdowns induced by too much alcohol consumption, followed by lots of yelling and cursing. You know. Really setting a great example of the kids. Anyway, my wife has perfected the art of cooking a turkey in the oven. I don't much like turkey but I really like hers. Nice and moist and great flavor. The dark meat is the best. We have fried turkeys in the past but went back to the oven for some reason that I cannot recall. Now for the accompaniments. To start, I'm responsible for the appetizers/hors d'oeuvres. I've been doing cheeses for the past few years. I get large blocks of some amazing cheeses and try to get different kinds. So, a mix of cow, sheep and goat. I usually have some aged Manchego, Midnight Moon, a soft french cheese, a strong blue cheese like Stilton and something else. I think this year I'll make that fifth cheese something infused with truffles. I get a bunch of different crackers to go with it. Cashews and almonds. Some green and red grapes, sections of mandarins, kumquats, dates, figs. And I'll get some good salami, both mild and spicy.

My contribution for dinner is going to be brussels sprouts. I'll make them using a balsamic glaze that has some brown sugar in it and they'll be roasted. My wife makes an amazing cranberry sauce that uses both fresh and dried cranberries and some port wine. It's absolutely the best cranberry sauce I've ever tasted. My sister in law brings her famous stuffed mushrooms. My mother will do a salad. My wife is trying a new stuffing made in a pan this year. My sister in law usually makes a sweet potato thing but she won't be here this year so now that I think about it, I'll have to make one. One year I remember having a baked sweet potato dish that had corn flakes drizzled with some kind of sweet syrup or glaze. I'm going to have to find that one. It was delicious.

Of course the wine will be flowing. I usually find some nice reds to go with dinner. My wife and I have a great bar. Even though we aren't alcoholics, we probably have more different spirits than many real bars do. I always have Lagavulin 16 on hand and now I also have the 8. Clyde May's Bourbon or Alabama Whiskey, Ketel One, Hendricks Gin...... You name it, we probably have it. And later on we'll break out some after dinner drinks like Sambucca, Drambuie, Port....

I recently came across another real winner of an appetizer/hors d'oeuvres that I won't make for this Thanksgiving but will make for Christmas. Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with a blue cheese (cabrales if I can find it) and drizzled with honey. Last year I made three trays of them and burnt one of them pretty badly. I kept that tray in the back and put the good ones out. When I meandered to the back where I stuck the burnt ones, most of them were gone, having been eaten any way. They are that good.

So, that's basically it but I'm sure I'm missing several things. The only thing that gets us through the day is everyone's agreement not to talk politics. We have some very diverging political positions in the family so if the conversation ever headed in that direction, someone is bound to get hurt. I think the challenge will be that much greater this year for obvious reasons. I remain hopeful.

what time? That sounds fantastic!

 

[TexLaw]

I'm with ya...although, for Christmas, throw out the yard bird and make a big igloo of craw-fish.

I don't know where to find crawfish in November. Even if I did, I'd leave them there.

 

[MntnMan62]

what time? That sounds fantastic!

Thanks. People start arriving around 1 or 2 PM. We go all out because it is our favorite holiday. No presents to open. No prayers to say (other than before we eat). No asking for forgiveness (Yom Kippur). No lengthy history lessons (Passover). Just there to hang out, drink, eat and chill out. And every once in a while, watch the s**t show when my drunken sister in law decides to make a fool of herself. I'm just hoping that our successful absence of all political discussion continues this year. Things are heating up and I'm a little worried that someone won't be able to hold back this year. Then all h**l will break loose. I don't want to see that happen. And it won't be me who breaks the tradition, that's for sure.

 

[Buster]

My in-laws always host thanksgiving. Always a turkey, possibly a ham as well? Rice instead of potatoes. First time I had thanksgiving with them i thought the rice was odd but I’m use to it now. They always make this tater tot sausage stuffing that I’ve never gotten use to. I usually bring cornbread stuffing, a dip of some sort, pies. If I really want to make my mother in law happy. I’ll bring Li Hing pineapple. She always fries shrimp and pork won ton for starters. No one goes home hungry.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

I don't know where to find crawfish in November. Even if I did, I'd leave them there.

My point is...anything but turkey. A shrimp boil, duck or even prime rib, rack of lamb. Sorry, I'm just not a turkey....fan. Now that I think about it, fried alligator tail sounds pretty good. Throw in some frog legs and we've got a wonderful Thanksgiving party. I'm almost certain one of the original pilgrims was coonass.

 

[TexLaw]

I'm almost certain one of the original pilgrims was coonass.

. Considering that the Cajuns were up in French Acadia (now Nova Scotia) and were Catholic, I'd bet against that proposition, but I love the idea so much that I'm stealing what you said.

I hear what you're saying about turkey. You're not the only one at all. My grandmother wouldn't touch turkey (or any other poultry or fowl). That had more to do with the fact that she killed, prepped, and fried more chickens than anyone ever would want to think about, but I also know plenty that just don't go for turkey. Accordingly, we always had an alternative at Thanksgiving, usually some form of red meat.

I happen to love turkey, but I also enjoy having some other animal on the table. A lot of the time, that's boiled shrimp and, maybe, some crab claws. Those work will both as appetizers and on the buffet.

 

[oc_in_fw]

. Considering that the Cajuns were up in French Acadia (now Nova Scotia) and were Catholic, I'd bet against that proposition, but I love the idea so much that I'm stealing what you said.

I hear what you're saying about turkey. You're not the only one at all. My grandmother wouldn't touch turkey (or any other poultry or fowl). That had more to do with the fact that she killed, prepped, and fried more chickens than anyone ever would want to think about, but I also know plenty that just don't go for turkey. Accordingly, we always had an alternative at Thanksgiving, usually some form of red meat.

I happen to love turkey, but I also enjoy having some other animal on the table. A lot of the time, that's boiled shrimp and, maybe, some crab claws. Those work will both as appetizers and on the buffet.

My grandparents were both country folk during the Depression, and killed their share of chickens growing up. I don't think I ever saw them eat chicken- they tended toward beef and pork. They would, however, do a turkey on Thanksgiving. I think that is the only poultry I ever saw them eat. Christmas was always a ham. One thing I regret, though, is not paying attention to how my grandfather did liver and onions. My grandmother was a legal secretary and worked 9-5. My grandfather was a minister, and basically set his own hours (with the occasional call at 3 AM to visit a family in the hospital), so he did most of the cooking. I guess that I learned from him that it is important for a man to know how to cook, and that it is not just women's work.

 

[Buster]

Making a batch of this holiday salsa for tomorrow. It’s a real crowd pleaser and it’s easy. I made it for the break room for the last day of work before Christmas and a bunch of people asked for the recipe.

Holiday Salsa

When we offer this cream-cheesy salsa of fresh cranberries, cilantro and a little jalapeno kick, everyone hovers around the serving dish until it’s scraped clean. —Shelly Pattison, Lubbock, Texas

www.tasteofhome.com

Also bringing Li Hing pineapple to win points with my mother in law. Putting a little aloha in thanksgiving.

 

[oc_in_fw]

Our little cottage (rental) in Fredericksburg. We are settled in for the night, watching Gunsmoke. Got a breast for tomorrow, a few yams, cauliflower and broccoli, and stuff for dressing.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

For some reason the best dessert was fruit cake cookies.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Like ive posted before...not a fan of turkey. However. My uncle Jim fried one up that was pretty tasty. The better part was my Grandads (he died many years ago) giblet gravy recipe. The two married together may have been the hit of the party.

 

[DoctorShavegood]

Well, it’s another year for Thanksgiving. I posted this back in 2019 and I wanted to update it. A lot has happened since that time. I still don’t like turkey but I plan on smoking a small breast on my stick smoker along with a small ham. Maybe I’ll put some glaze on the ham of some sort. If I’m going to fire up the smoker then I’ve got to throw on a brisket, ribs and sausage right? For the sides I’m going to do a cheesy, hominy dish that includes green chilies. Every time I make the dish people go nuts over it. Also I will plan to make Dinner rolls. Do you know the kind of dinner rolls that make the whole house smell awesome? Anyway what are y’all making for Thanksgiving?

 

[kelbro]

Our daughter is coming in from Seattle this year for Thanksgiving so I will probably over-cook! Haven't landed on a menu yet since we just got notice yesterday that she was coming.

Same this year. Baby girl coming home. Sister and niece from N. Texas also coming in. Turkey, duck and brisket and then all the rest of the sides. Two pies, bourbon pecan and buttermilk.