Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
So I'm out here in Oregon with my in-laws. This is my first family Thanksgiving in quite some time. When I first moved out of Colorado 15 years ago, I called my mother to ask her about when I should come home for Thanksgiving. "Why would you come home for Thanksgiving?" she asked. "Won't you be home for Christmas?"
Now, this hurt me so terribly that I vowed I would never, ever go home for Thanksgiving ever again. What's funny about this is that it has turned out awesome for everyone. I am pretty sure my family has barely missed me and I've had a blast celebrating Thanksgiving all over the world (flights to Europe are super cheap during Thanksgiving!) and in the homes of new friends and old friends.
One of my best friends and I developed some great Thanksgiving traditions and we've marked the holiday in NYC, D.C. and Ohio. I've done the weird expat Thanksgiving thing in Prague, Paris and London. I've joined some of the strangest gatherings in New York that you can imagine. And in recent years I've had a blast at the home of my first editor just outside of Washington, D.C. He invites all of his family and friends and the tenants who rent homes from his family's real estate business. It's a veritable United Nations of fun.
My mom is right about ... everything. I hate it.
Anyway, I get to cook this year (and I do mean "get to" -- I love to cook) and have my own standard fare I like to make -- butternut squash soup, fresh cranberry relish, roasted vegetables, spinach gratin. But my sister-in-law and I are shopping for everything Monday and Tuesday and I'd love to hear of any awesome recipes you have that you're willing to share.
Including turkey tips. Thanks in advance!
Turkey image via Shutterstock.
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Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
I like to smoke my turkey on the grill. Works best with a large charcoal grill.
Cut the turkey in half lengthwise.
Make a rub out of butter, olive oil, cayenne pepper, ginger, salt, maple syrup, brown sugar, sage and thyme - apply to bird when rub is hot. Apply liberally to bird and under skin (A deni works best). Save some for basting.
Get some hickory or applewood chips, soak them in water overnight, then put in grill in a smoker tray above the coals (but not right on top).
Start your fire early in the morning, bank the coals only on 1 side of the grill (small fire), drop bird halves onto grill on other side (nearest wherever the smoke goes out) - breasts up.
Don't touch for about 2 hours - your fire won't get super hot and you lose heat every time you lift the lid. Open only if you need to toss in fuel. At 2 hours baste the bird, add some fuel.
After about 5 hours total, take bird off, wrap tightly in foil, put in oven set to warm (say 170 degrees) - let it rest at least 1/2 hour, serve and enjoy.
May '10
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
In the fall of 2000 Cook's Illustrated presented a recipe for roast turkey done at 500°F. It is much faster, and is amazingly moist and tender (brined overnight). It is cooked unstuffed, which might be a downside for some, but I don't mind at all. That issue also has recipes for gravy and cornbread stuffing that I will vouch for.
This year we are going to the home of very dear friends, so I am only bringing a turkey breast, cornbread stuffing and mashed potatoes. It will be fun to see what others bring as their own Thanksgiving favorites. Anything we miss we will cook over the weekend, like sweet potato puree with goat cheese.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you, my Ricoteers.
Edited on November 19, 2012 at 3:17pmJul '10
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Since I started celebrating Thanksgiving with my wife's family, the turkey has become my responsibility. In that time I've tried a variety of methods, but what I've found to be the important starting point for all of them is brining the turkey. I was a bit skeptical of brining, but Cook's Illustrated and experience convinced me that this is the most important technique.
I've also, with great reluctance, taken to cooking the stuffing outside the bird, and using some of the juices to give the stuffing that great flavor. It's my reluctant conclusion that stuffing inside the bird makes it really difficult to get an evenly cooked, tender-all-over turkey. Alas.
This Thanksgiving I'm trying out Thomas Kellner's mayonnaise-basted turkey. I'm skeptical, again, but willing to try it out if one of America's greatest chefs says it's fantastic.
Oct '10
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
This is the best cranberry sauce - from Saveur
1 cup ruby port
1 cup sugar
1 12-oz. bag fresh cranberries
1. In a medium nonstick saucepan, combine port, sugar, and cranberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat,
stirring occasionally. Lower heat and cook until liquid reaches a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes.
2. Remove from heat, pour into a serving dish, and cool to room temperature before serving. For a smoother
texture, press sauce through a strainer, pour into a serving dish, and refrigerate before serving.
Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
First, Thanksgiving ought to be celebrated with family and the menu ought to be essentially the same from year to year. No tinkering. Otherwise, it's just a Thursday dinner with people.
And speaking of tinkering... Can we stop it now with the pumpkin cheesecake? Why is everyone so proud of their pumpkin cheesecake? If there is one thing in life I can guarantee it is this: Half of the people you're serving are secretly disappointed it isn't pumpkin pie and the other half is disappointed it isn't cheesecake.
Dec '10
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Not a full recipe, but my advice for stuffing/dressing is to use a classic recipe but add dried cranberries and chopped apple. Simply amazing. Of course, being from Texas, I have to say that if your stuffing doesn't have cornbread in it you are wrong.
Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Casey: First, Thanksgiving ought to be celebrated with family and the menu ought to be essentially the same from year to year. No tinkering. Otherwise, it's just a Thursday dinner with people.
And speaking of tinkering... Can we stop it now with the pumpkin cheesecake? Why is everyone so proud of their pumpkin cheesecake? If there is one thing in life I can guarantee it is this: Half of the people you're serving are secretly disappointed it isn't pumpkin pie and the other half is disappointed it isn't cheesecake. · 2 minutes ago
My mother in law is bringing such a confection - make of that what you will.
Biggest problem I have is that everyone starts arguing about who will bring what - this is especially a problem with my in-laws who never met with an action plan they couldn't complicate. One side is supposed to bring potatoes and pies, the other the cheescake and some vegetable thing. My wife and I are betting that we get 4 potato dishes instead.
Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Agreed, except for the cornbread.
Jun '12
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Ya shoulda been watching Food Network yesterday, Mollie... Alton Brown (my favorite food geek ever) was hosting two hours of Thanksgiving Live with seven other well-known Food Network chefs. They had tons of ideas for ya.
You can find them here, but it's not the same as watching Alton and the gang laughing and having fun.
Jun '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Your mom sounds awesome.
My favorite cranberry relish is nothing but a bag of cranberries and a whole orange (peel and all, but not seeds), chopped finely or ground coarsely together, and sugar to taste (around a cup.) No cooking. Best made a few hours or more ahead. Pretty easy, even easier with a food processor, and easiest of all when your sister always brings it.
Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
skipsul
Casey: First, Thanksgiving ought to be celebrated with family and the menu ought to be essentially the same from year to year. No tinkering. Otherwise, it's just a Thursday dinner with people.
And speaking of tinkering... Can we stop it now with the pumpkin cheesecake? Why is everyone so proud of their pumpkin cheesecake? If there is one thing in life I can guarantee it is this: Half of the people you're serving are secretly disappointed it isn't pumpkin pie and the other half is disappointed it isn't cheesecake. · 2 minutes ago
My mother in law is bringing such a confection - make of that what you will.
I'm sorry to hear your Thanksgiving will be ruined. These pumpkin cheesecake people really have no sense.
Feb '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Jojo: Your mom sounds awesome.
My favorite cranberry relish is nothing but a bag of cranberries and a whole orange (peel and all, but not seeds), chopped finely or ground coarsely together, and sugar to taste (around a cup.) No cooking. Best made a few hours or more ahead. Pretty easy, even easier with a food processor, and easiest of all when your sister always brings it. · 13 minutes ago
This is very nearly our family's longtime favorite cranberry relish, but along with oranges, cranberries, and sugar, we finely chop roasted walnuts. It's amazing stuff.
May '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Most important: 5% brine. Nothing wrong with letting it sit in the solution for a couple of days. Next important thing that is often ignored: let turkey rest a dayout of the brine. This is very important. Dry it off completely and let it sit in the fridge for a day. There is some science behind this, but I won't bore anyone here with it. Feel free to Google on your own. :)
Don't stuff the bird with stuffing. Stuff it with citrus. Lemons and limes work best.
Add fat to the outside of the bird. People often use butter. If you really like your guests and want them to come back next time, use duck fat! It's like fairy dust for turkey. It will fly off the serving plate.
Also, if you have access to turkey necks or "scrapes" you can make a small batch of roasted turkey stock ahead of the event. If you don't, then make roasted chicken stock instead. Depending on what you are making it's likely you will want stock for soups, sauces, stuffing, etc. Homemade stock vs. store bought stock is akin to a Porche vs. Prius.
May '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
oh, goodness. I think the best recipe comes from Martha Stewart (I will look for the link on her website). Brine overnight (that seems to be the consensus here!)... when you put the bird in, you drape a piece of cheesecloth over it first. The cheesecloth is soaked in a white-wine/butter mixture and basted periodically. It will turn dark brown, but when you pull it off, the bird is perfect!
Apr '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Casey: Pumpkin Cheese cake is awesome and doubly American! How can you diss it so? We in my family we have been getting it for Thanksgiving oh for a decade now. It is clearly a superior product to regular pumpkin pie.
Dec '10
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Cooks Illustrated brined turkey is being served at the Chauvinist home too. SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: you need a "natural" fresh turkey (rules out Jennie-O, Honeybaked, and others treated with a "saline solution") and about a 30 hour head start. The turkey rests in the brine for up to 8 hours and then has to be refrigerated on a rack, uncovered, up to 24 hours. But, it's worth it!
And, yes, KP. Cornbread stuffing. I speak with authority having come from a conventional bread/onion/celery/sage Ohio tradition and having married into a cornbread/onion/celery/sage/sausage Oklahoma tradition. Don't argue with me people. You'll never convince a zealous convert.
P.S. Some dense grainy bread cubes and water chestnuts in the cornbread stuffing make it the bomb!
Every year is the same... the family waits in suspense for the un-molding of the cranberry salad. The excitement has sustained nearly two generations of Chauvinist fun. We're simple people.
Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
Repeat steps 4 and 5 for about 14 minutes per pound of turkey.
No turning. No basting. No problem.
Oh, and whatever else transpires, make sure you bring a can of cranberry sauce that retains the shape of the can when it has been served – just like Squanto brought to the first one.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
Jun '12
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
By the way, if any of you are considering deep frying your turkey, please do yourself, your family, and your insurance company a huge favor and take 22 minutes to watch how Alton Brown does it.
He goes over the dangers in detail, and then shows you how to avoid them, so you can get that wonderful golden deep-fried turkey without setting yourself or your house on fire.
Apr '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
My mom grew up in the Middle East (born in Palestine raised in Lebanon to be specific) and so when my parents were first married she went to the store and bought a box of stuffing mix. My dad still laughs at how she opened it up and said.....its all bread!! So my mom proceeded to show my dad what stuffing REALLY was and introduced him to Hashweh (pronounced roughly Hush-Way this is pretty close to my moms recipe). I don't think I had bread stuffing till I was a teenager.
I have never bought into the don't stuff the bird nonsense.....I will defend my right to stuff to the death. The hashweh that comes out of the bird is one of the greatest things you will ever taste.
Mar '11
Re: Let's Talk Turkey (Open Recipe Thread)
BAH! It's a postmodern remix of 2 perfectly wonderful desserts.