Let's Talk Turkey-Thanksgiving

[MRD]

So Thanksgiving is not all that far away. I thought we might want to share ideas, menus, dishes, tips, funny stories or whatever involving upcoming Thanksgiving. Sorry I didn't think about it last month so that our Canadian FORTERS could benefit before you celebrated yours, but feel free to jump in now.

And please someone start off with telling me why you celebrate yours in Oct.? Because I am really curious about that.


Our local grocery gives points starting in Sept. for every $35 or more you spend at a time. 8 points equals a free turkey. I have earned my free turkey so I'n happy. They usually are smaller ones, about 12 pounds, which is actually perfect as there will be 6 of us and one of those is 4 years old, so I'm thinking she may not eat a lot of turkey.

[Lil Bit]

We always get free turkeys at Thanksgiving time. My husband and son both get them. I always make a turkey for Thanksgiving and then we usually end up smoking one. I'm thinking of trying a turkey brine (or whatever it's called) this year. I have to do some more checking on the recipe sites but does anyone have any thoughts on this process?

[MRD]

We always get free turkeys at Thanksgiving time. My husband and son both get them. I always make a turkey for Thanksgiving and then we usually end up smoking one. I'm thinking of trying a turkey brine (or whatever it's called) this year. I have to do some more checking on the recipe sites but does anyone have any thoughts on this process?

I have brined chickens and they are FABULOUS!!!! I've never brined a turkey because I've never had anything big enough to do it in and refrigerate it for the time it needs to be brined.

But the chickens were the best I've ever eaten.

[luvsginger]

We had our Thanksgiving dinner last night because my daughter was home from school. I just want to add that if you don't make your own cranberry sauce, you should really give it a try. I only started making fresh a couple of years ago. It is so simple, boil one cup of sugar with one cup of water...add one bag of cranberries and cook for 10 minutes. It is simply the best! A friend of mine does not even add sugar, she loves it tart! The recipes are on the bag of cranberries and there is one for jellied cranberry sauce if that is what you prefer.

[Stargazer]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one to cook early, luvsginger. My in-laws had to come down to visit separately this past month, so we had two Thanksgiving dinners. One with my mother-in-law and one with my father-in-law. I told my husband that after cooking Thanksgiving dinner twice, I think we should go out to eat on the actual holiday.

I have a confession as well. I hate turkey. Well, perhaps "hate" is too strong of a word. I'm ambivalent about turkey. I'd eat just about anything else in lieu of it and usually fix a ham alongside it (as I did with Thanksgiving #1) so I have have something to eat. So my first turkey this year was actually only the third one I've ever fixed in my life. So I dont really know squat about cooking turkeys, but I am a decent cook. My favorite thing to cook with is olive oil (must be the years I spent at an Italian restaurant). I just dumped a bunch of olive oil out in a bowl, mixed it with sea salt and pepper and then brushed the bird with the mixture. Then, I covered it in aluminum foil for all but the last twenty minutes of cooking. I received so many compliments on that bird, it was crazy! My brother-in-law kept declaring it the best he'd ever eaten and ate half the turkey by himself. So there's a cooking method you guys are free to use if you think it'll work. It seemed to work for me, even with my no-turkey experience.

[luvsginger]

Ok, this is going to sound gross but we have been doing it for at least 20 years and it comes out the BEST!!! Lather the turkey with mayonnaise, lots of mayonnaise! Use only Best Foods or Hellmans. The egg yolks in the mayonnaise seal the pores of the turkey and the oil crisps the skin. We made one yesterday using this method and the while meat was so tender and moist! I kid you not!!! The only seasoning you need is sea salt or kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Try it!!!

[coltnlasma]

Must say I've never heard of the mayo-method, but your discription of it makes a lot of sense. We usually deep-fry our turkey (injected first with a marinade for extra flavor), and it turns out a lot like yours... the hot oil seals it, the skin crisps, and the meat is sooo moist and tender inside. An added bonus is that the turkey becomes my husband's responsibility, and my oven is free for baking dressing and all those other yummy sides.

[luvsginger]

Same here! My husband makes the turkey on our charcoal Weber so I have the oven for the other items.

[DesertRose]

Regarding MRD's Canadian Thanksgiving: Originally, thanks was given at the end of the Harvest season. Since our Harvest season generally ends before yours, we celebrate Thanksgiving before.

[brunette trixie]

We always get free turkeys at Thanksgiving time. My husband and son both get them. I always make a turkey for Thanksgiving and then we usually end up smoking one. I'm thinking of trying a turkey brine (or whatever it's called) this year. I have to do some more checking on the recipe sites but does anyone have any thoughts on this process?

Brining makes a turkey so tender and delicious, I highly recommend it. The hard part is making enough room in the refrigerator for the large pot/bowl.