Turkey Poll!

[SpinDr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister I've cooked turkey just about every possible way, but realized I've never done it on a rotisserie so that's this year's method. I have a fairly small 14 pound bird that should just fit. We both love turkey, and even love the leftovers, but in recent years we have often done a prime rib roast instead. It's all good. For me the treat is DW's pumpkin pie.

Braumeister, a quick tip on rotisserie turkey. Make sure to truss it really, really well. With the size of a turkey there can be a lot of shifting and moving on the rotisserie. If it moves too much the skin splits toward the end of cooking. Especially if it is a brined turkey with sugar in the brine.

You get a great turkey on the rotisserie but it took a couple of years of trial and error for myself. Enjoy!

[MOSAT]

We usually host Thanksgiving with friends and their family. We've been doing it for about 20 years. Kids started to grow and bring boyfriends/girlfriends, dinner grew to be quite large! This year our friends are traveling to visit their new grandson for this week. Other family commitments for our DS means it'll be DW and I only this year We can't decide on a small turkey breast or a couple of Cornish Hens for dinner, probably come down to a last minute choice.

[braumeister]

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpinDr Braumeister, a quick tip on rotisserie turkey. Make sure to truss it really, really well.

Thanks, I figured that would be important. I'll also ice the breast down before putting it on the spit.

[SpinDr]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braumeister Thanks, I figured that would be important. I'll also ice the breast down before putting it on the spit.

Great idea on the breast meat! You should end up with a very juicy turkey. I love it cooked this way.

[imoldernu]

Turkey... Family... at home ... for the past 60 years. Most from out of state. Wednesday through Sunday. Our annual celebration.

[NW-Bound]

My brother is hosting Thanksgiving this year. The tradition in the family is that the host will provide the turkey. As we have more than 20 people, other guests bring additional meat dishes such as roast beef or roast pork, and side dishes. It can also be grilled meat, chicken satay, etc... And we always have a smorgasbord.

This year, I will bring golumpki, and a canapé of duck prosciutto on fried polenta. Still thinking about how to decorate the canapé.

The OP talked of serving duck. This reminds me that one year when I hosted Thanksgiving, I skipped the turkey and served Duck à l'Orange. I was able to buy a big frozen box of duck legs. First time I made the dish, and have not made it since. It was not bad, as I recall. Maybe it was for Christmas, instead of Thanksgiving. Boy, it has been at least 15 or 20 years.

[Gumby]

For the last 29 years, our tradition has been to drive from CT down to the in-laws in NJ. We always went down the night before and stayed over. The young wife would get up at 4:00 am to start cooking the big turkey, the stuffing (two different kinds), cranberry sauce (also two kinds - sweet and savory) and a green bean dish. The rest of the family, who all live in NJ or just across the Delaware River in Bucks County, PA, would arrive in the early afternoon with the remaining side dishes and desserts. The normal complement was 17-18 people around the table, and we would feast well into the night, when everyone would pack up and go home. We usually stayed for another two days to visit.

This year, however, things will be different. The mother in law sold the family home last month and nobody down there has a house big enough to handle the crowd. We do, and have invited everyone up to CT. I'm not sure how many will want to make the drive, particularly since we can only sleep a few. So far, I know of only two, but that could change as the young wife and her sisters confer by phone. I just do whatever I'm told (and go get the wine).

[brett]

Ours has past.

But it is not a big deal for us. Never was growing up either. A turkey once in a while. For us it is another day really. Sometimes a family gathering but not very often. DW's family on the other side of the country do celebrate. She was there there this year. I stayed home...joined her a week later. She had two family dinners, different days. Turkey, ham, the whole enchilada as it were. I was at home batching it-barbequed something or other along with a very nice bottle of red plonk.

[Janet H]

A TMI moment....

We have a bunch of friends coming for thanksgiving and staying the weekend. Most of them love to cook so we share the fun with everyone cooking something that is special to them. It seems that most folks find the t-day meal is laced in tradition. Seemingly reasonable folks who love gourmet food suddenly want traditional dishes or it's just not thanksgiving. Here's the menu and it's big... we have 11 coming to stay the weekend and this year no kids. There will be 3 additional dogs here, 1 vegetarian, 1 celiac and 1 diabetic - challenges.

Menu:

• Turkeys: 2 @ 16 lbs cooked in the BIG Easy
• Gravy: 3 kinds. vegetarian, regular and no gluten
• Stuffing: 2 kinds. Vegetarian and regular
• Cranberries: 3 kinds (yes, really) cooked, raw and canned with ridges. Really dreading this BTW - we've had some difficulty in past years with cranberry relish. Details here (cooking forum): Cranberries vs. Hubby - Round 1 - Discuss Cooking - Cooking Forums
• Corn Puff: Gluten free corn casserole with chilies, eggs, cream and cheese
• Hot green veggies: 2 ways. Green bean casserole and roasted Brussels Sprouts
• Crunchy bits - Pickles, veggie sticks, olives, etc
• Potatoes 2 ways: whipped and a yam-apple bake with maple syrup and pecans
• Dessert 3 ways: Pumpkin pie w/ no gluten crust, chocolate Bourbon pie and a fruit crumble - all with whipped cream
• Wine, beer, tea, water

The birds are in the freezer and I'm busy making shopping lists. The whole crew of guests arrives late Wednesday night and Thursday we will cook this together with bowls of popcorn, hot cider and cold beverages to keep us going until dinner is ready. Over the weekend we'll eat leftovers, play music and games, read, talk*, walk dogs and generally do not much of anything. I live in a rural area with no Black Friday shopping - it should be fun

* we have rules: no politics, no religion, noaches&painsmydoctorsaysthis topics... helps us share space for a few days.

A moment of silence please for my septic system, my electric bill, my waistline and my liver

[CoolRich59]

An unusual Thanksgiving for us this year.

We are meeting and having DS1's fiancee's family for Thanksgiving but they won't be here until Friday. So, Thanksgiving dinner will be Friday, not Thursday.

Then DS2 is having a second Thanksgiving dinner with the same crowd on Sunday.

With two full dinners, I hope there are lots of leftovers!

[Red Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Janet H A TMI moment.... * we have rules: no politics, no religion, noaches&painsmydoctorsaysthis topics... helps us share space for a few days. A moment of silence please for my septic system, my electric bill and my liver

We have same unwritten, unspoken rules. We have one sister who like to "bait the hook" with political snarks occasionally. No one bites and it passes.

Moment of silence duly observed.

[Rianne]

Information I gathered about turkeys:
The Meier, local grocery store, turkey $.87/lb. injected with all sorts of stuff, raised in crowded conditions, given anti biotics
Local butcher, $3.87/lb. raised in Omish country near by, free range, no filler, no antibiotics
Harvest Market, upscale grocery store, $2.67/lb, also raised on local farm, free range, no filler, no antibiotics.
I like a turkey who enjoyed their life in free range conditions. We're going for the $3.87/lb happy turkey.

[aja8888]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne Information I gathered about turkeys: The Meier, local grocery store, turkey $.87/lb. injected with all sorts of stuff, raised in crowded conditions, given anti biotics Local butcher, $3.87/lb. raised in Omish country near by, free range, no filler, no antibiotics Harvest Market, upscale grocery store, $2.67/lb, also raised on local farm, free range, no filler, no antibiotics. I like a turkey who enjoyed their life in free range conditions. We're going for the $3.87/lb happy turkey.

I'm sure the bird will be thankful you picked her!

[Rianne]

Quote:

Originally Posted by aja8888 I'm sure the bird will be thankful you picked her!

Just like happy cows and pigs, the meat tastes better. They do feel stressed in crowded conditions. That stress transfers to the meat.

[Red Badger]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne Just like happy cows and pigs, the meat tastes better. They do feel stressed in crowded conditions. That stress transfers to the meat.

Mass market animals are often raised conditions we should be ashamed of. Additionally, the diet may include growth hormones (etc) that is in the meat we feed to ourselves and our family.

We try to consider food as medicine, buy local farm raised meat and poultry, and grow a lot of our veggies. But that just us. To each their own.

Happy Turkey Day!

[ugeauxgirl]

Mom doesn't want to do Thanksgiving at her house anymore. Somehow that translated into- "so we're having it at Ugeauxgirl's house." 13 people! It will be an unusual combination of Cajun and Redneck dishes. In addition to the fried turkey and smoked turkey breast, there will be eggplant rice dressing and collard greens.

[RAE]

Yes, we are having a turkey cooked at home, as always. And this year it is a farm-raised turkey I got from a former co-worker's farm.........really looking forward to eating this one. I am planning to cook it on the Weber grill, using chunks of sugar maple, after wet brining it for a day or so.

[skipro33]

I buy one of those price leader turkeys, this year 39 cents a pound, then brine it for a few days before smoking it in my smoker. Everyone loves it and it takes very little work.

We hold a poker tournament and then there's karaoke later. The kids play outdoors if weather is good, or have their own video gaming tournament, ping pong, croquet, ride the mini bikes, etc.

Next day we head to the forest to cut down a Christmas tree. Permits are only $10 a tree.

[RAE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rianne Information I gathered about turkeys: The Meier, local grocery store, turkey $.87/lb. injected with all sorts of stuff, raised in crowded conditions, given anti biotics Local butcher, $3.87/lb. raised in Omish country near by, free range, no filler, no antibiotics Harvest Market, upscale grocery store, $2.67/lb, also raised on local farm, free range, no filler, no antibiotics. I like a turkey who enjoyed their life in free range conditions. We're going for the $3.87/lb happy turkey.

Good choice. I paid my former co-worker $3.00/lb. for a 15-lb. turkey she raised on her farm.......I know it is going to be delicious.


Since this is a thread about Thanksgiving dinner, we really should talk about side dishes also. I would be interested to hear what others are planning to have, along with their main course. This is what we are planning this year:


-garlic mashed potatoes with homemade gravy (a must-have in our house)
- traditional bread stuffing with celery, herbs, butter, etc. (my wife's favorite)
- baked blue hubbard squash, with honey and butter (my favorite. We got the squash from a friend who grows lots of winter squash in his garden).
- roasted green beans with bacon (new this year)
- corn muffins
- cooked cranberry relish (with cloves, cinnamon, a little honey, and a touch of Triplesec)
-nice bottle of white wine.......maybe a Sauvignon Blanc

- two pies for dessert........one pumpkin (gotta have it), and the other one is a combination of blackberry and raspberry that we tried last year, and everyone loved. The berries are from our berry patch in the backyard.


I am going way off my usual diet to eat a meal like this, but I have to make an exception for Thanksgiving. I have many happy memories of Thanksgiving dinners with my big extended family when I was a kid, and I want to carry on that tradition for my two young grandsons, who will be here with us for dinner along with their mom and her boyfriend. After the leftovers are all gone, I will go back to my usual diet, and all will be good (hopefully)........

[RAE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Red Badger So, turkey or no turkey? We're doing duck this year. We do the traditional sides, but mix up the meat every year. Goose, venison, pulled pork, bulgogi, pizza, etc. How about you and yours?

Sometimes I think it would be good to mix up the meat for Thanksgiving, but something keeps pulling me back to turkey.........probably because turkey was always the main course for all the Thanksgiving dinners when I was growing up, and I have such fond memories of those times. We often have meats like ham, venison, and lamb for other holiday meals throughout the year, but I have a feeling Thanksgiving is always going to be focused on the turkey for me.