Thanksgiving Meal prep
 

I know it's a little early and we already have a food thread, but I thought it would be cool to have a thanksgiving only thread to throw around some ideas.

I'm smoking the turkey for our "friends and their kids" turkey day tomorrow evening. Anyone have any cool smoked turkey recipes I could use? I know how I usually do it, just wanting to change it up a little. Any recommendations are welcome.

What is everyone else doing, food wise?

This year, my meal prep is reservations.

I normally smoke a turkey as well. I don't do anything unusual, just a basic brine with some quartered oranges, garlic cloves, and ginger.

However, this year since we don't have any close family around us, we've been invited over the a friends Thanksgiving. Super nice gesture, but walking into a somewhat strangers menu causes reservation with me. Thanksgiving, especially the sides are very personal. I mean, will the potatoes be lumpy, will the stuffing be overloaded with onions, will people attending be super slow eaters as I like to sit down and crush while everything is piping hot. It's just such an unknown to eat Thanksgiving around people you don't have any idea on their taste preferences and eating habits. I'm nervous.

That's an unusual, but interesting brine. Sounds Asian.

I usually just use honey and some vinegar in my brine

I use thyme, juniper berries, salt, onion and garlic.

Ha, I left off the apple juice in that list. I can't really say any of those flavors are noticeable in the final product, probably more aromatic than anything.

http://cdn2.hubspot.net/hub/131366/f...250&height=173
Not even kidding. These things are great.

I am going to make cooked red cabbage on Sunday so I just have to heat it up on Thursday. I may bake dinner rolls Wednesday evening to have them out of the way, as well. I will have mashed potatoes and a salad and something lemony for dessert, maybe custard. I will prepare the turkey by making a stock with the neck, liver, heart, and gizzard in water, a bottle of Moose Drool brown ale, some Worcestershire sauce, chopped onion, garlic, parsley, carrots, and celery, with black peppercorns, sea salt, thyme, sage, mustard seed, oregano, and a dash of cayenne pepper. I will let that boil then simmer for 2 hours, strain the stock over the turkey in the pan, brush the top with olive oil, sprinkle sea salt, coarse black pepper and oregano over it, and brown the top of the bird in the oven before covering the pan and roasting it for 3 hours at about 275 F.

Then I will make gravy from the liquid in the pan and dinner will be served. The gravy turns a rich brown once it boils, so no coloring is needed. I can hardly wait!

I'm doing a dry brine this year and cooking on Big Green Egg. Did dry brine last year and was quite pleased. We always get fresh turkey not frozen.

Sounds amazing!

Thanks! I've been doing it this way for a few years now. The turkey always ends up so tender that when you go for a drumstick, the bone slides right out of the meat. The gravy tastes delicious, too. I always add some seasonings to it to suit my taste, a little more salt, pepper, and thyme, until it's where I want it to be. I use corn starch shaken in a small bottle of water to thicken the gravy, by the way.

My recipe is going to work to make sure money is in the bank. Turkey day at Cracker Barrel isn't going to pay itself.

You should make your brine with antifreeze.

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/chick...ed_turkey.html

I did a turkey with this recipe last year and it came out great.

I can't get excited about Thanksgiving at all because my company only allows for Thursday off. With my work hours that's pretty much no time off.

That sucks.

Thanksgiving Meal prep
 

Smallish dinner for us, just the Mrs. and me. Wife requires mashed taters and dressing. So aside from those, probably will just do turkey thighs and legs. We haven't done turkey at all in the past few years, I don't think. I might bake off some of those frozen roll dough balls.

She'll make a pumpkin pie.

I hate my relatives, so my Thanksgivings and Christmases usually consist of me going out for Chinese food and catching a couple of movies.

Join the club. Although I am using some of my PTO to take Friday off this year. I have worked Thanksgiving before as well. Not cool.

Hmmmm, are you Jewish? I ask because of the Christmas thing you do. Seems to be a tradition.

I doubt it.

I do the same.

Mostly out of a desire to avoid the family...

Heading to my favorite golf course for a fantastic buffet. This will be 7 out of the last 9 years.
The food is fantastic and not your typical buffet. The pork loin is the best I've ever had and can't wait. the shrimp are giant size and peeled and deveined. Last year was with an ex-girlfriend, this year I will be solo at the bar. They also allow a take-home package for a small fee.

THANKSGIVING BUFFET

12pm Seating

•Chilled Shrimp
•Mixed Field Green Salad

•Sliced Dijon Crusted Pork Loin
•Smoked Naturally Raised Turkey

•Garlic Mashed Potatoes
•Mashed Sweet Potatoes
• Long Grain Wild Rice Pilaf
•Home Made Ginger Cranberry Sauce
•Sautéed French Green Beans with Shallots
•Homemade Stuffing
•Turkey Gravy

•Assorted Fresh Fruit and Dessert Display

•Fresh Brewed Coffee, Tea, and Juice Station

Kids Fare
Chicken Fingers, Mac & Cheese and Potato Barrels

http://princewilliamliving.com/wp-co...ass-cannon.jpg

http://s3-media1.fl.yelpcdn.com/bpho...h255H-yA/o.jpg

https://c2.staticflickr.com/6/5474/1...22acd228_b.jpg

I'm not hosting this year, and we're only having 9 people together for Thanksgiving this year, so I can pretty much go free form on what I want to make, or make nothing at all. As of now, I'm leaning towards making three items:

1. Soup - Creamy mushroom soup (made 2 days in advance)
2. Side - Spinach with almonds and raisins (whipped up while the turkey rests, post-cook)
3. Dessert - Mini cheesecakes (made the night before)

I'm gonna try this, thanks

Im calibrating my oven right now.

going to be the guest this year, instead of the host. driving down to georgia to spend the holiday w/my son(air force) and his family.

usually when we go there, the wife takes a load of her home made noodles, but she talked w/him the other night, and said they were doing a ham or a roast. i said those noodles would work fine w/either of those meat choices, but wtf...aint my home, and i'm a guest. i'll just buy a bunch of booze.

expecting to have a great time, but noodles will make it better.
sec

:clap::clap:

Have a good time.

And thank you to your son for serving. Very grateful.

Bake mode is done. Will check convection tomorrow.

So the lesson from this assignment is on average, my oven runs a little hot, about 15 degrees. So pretty good.

The enlightening thing for me is how drastic the temperature waxes and wanes. I mean, I knew it would, but I didn't expect a 56-degree swing.

I don't see a calibration button on mine, I guess it came pre-calibrated (never mind, just watched the video). The wife did clean it the other day.

I'm bringing the dressing again this year, already bought a couple of bags of the Pepperidge Farm stuffing mix. Going to add celery, onion, Italian sausage. I pulled up some recipes yesterday and a lot of them had adding apple. If I remember correctly, CP was not big on apple in the dressing?

I spatchcocked mine and was very happy with the results.

If you make the simon and garfunkel spice, be sure the bay leaves get blended small because they don't soften up much.

Will do, although I think I've got my own spice I'm gonna use. I'm gonna try the gravy though for sure

Chinese places are almost the only open places in some areas

Yeah, no offense, Buzz. But **** apples

None taken, I have never had it with apples, seamed to me it would go well with the sausage. What is it you don't care for, is it the taste or the texture? The reason I ask is one guy shredded the apple because he didn't care for the soggy apple texture and buried it in the dish.

Actually, I was just ****ing around. However, it would be the texture I'd have a problem with in the stuffing. I believe you're right when you mention the apple flavor going well with the sausage. If you do it like the fella that shredded it, it would probably be pretty good.

Tonight I'll be making as much turkey stock as will fit in my 12-quart stock pot. Will probably crank out the cranberry sauce, too. Wife will make pumpkin pie.

Lucked out and am going to my brother in-laws (wait, did I just say I lucked out?!?!) Anyhoo, they insisted on something home made. I'm making spinach cheese puffs and the Mrs is making a desert of some sort to bring.

Since they don't drink, I'm also planning on being wasted before I go. Should be loads of fun...

Been cooking all day with my mom. My brother is smoking meats on his BGE.

Napa cabbage salad
Green bean bacon bundles
Garlic cheese grits
sweet potato casserole
Purple hull peas
Cornbread dressing
Chocolate pie
Pumpkin pie
Pecan Pie
Lemon squares
Cranberry torte

Spatchcocked and smoked turkey.
roasted root veggetables with an apple cider vinegarette
sweet tater casserole
brussel sprouts with bacon and maple syrup
roasted butternut squash with maple and lemon.

We eat Chinese food every Christmas day. All our family does Christmas on Christmas eve together. So we get up open presents chill then go eat Chinese. Just us and our kids

I finally talked the owner of a local meat distribution wholesaler into selling to me direct which saves me a ton of money. I decided to take advantage of my new found luck and get a 19 pound Prime Rib so that's what I'm rolling with this year.

I told him I would see him around New Years for another one and a box of king crab.

Thanksgiving Meal prep
 

The turkey stock I started some 18 hours ago is done and in the fridge, and it smells in. cred. i. ble.

I'm ****ing hungry