It's my favorite Holiday. We do it every year. Share favorite recipes/foods, stories of Frankengiving disasters, family flubs and so on.
I have waited for this thread for a while now because people needed help last year with their cornbread. My father's side of the family has roots in south Georgia that go back enough generations for us to be pretty sure that the original recipe was most likely learned from, uh, the help. I was reluctant to post it all over the internet, but I did find a variation that gets awfully close. (Actually, this version tastes better. At the very least, it's more moist.) If you do not have a cast iron skillet, now's the time to pick one up. Use it as much as humanly possible and it will develop its own patina. The reason cornbread is important is because so many people want good dressing. Don't stuff this in the turkey. Cook in in a casserole dish like God intended. If you try this, you'll wind up making two skillets of cornbread. One to eat, one for the dressing. Have at it. PM me and tell me how it goes.
Jerked Fried Turkey anyone? 1 T ground allsppice 1 T thyme 1.5 tsp cayenne pepper 1.5 tsp ground black pepper 1.5 tsp sage 3/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 tsp cinnamon 4 cloves garlic, minced 1 T sugar (real cane sugar, not that bleached white shit) 1/4 cup olive oil 1/4 cup soy sauce 3/4 cup white vinegar 1 ounce lime juice 1 Habanero/Scotch Bonnet pepper 1 cup onion, finely chopped Mix it all together, slop it on/in a turkey for a good 24 hours. If you have an injector, do that. Then fry/bake as per the instructions of your cooking medium. Since the fryer is ready to go, going to par boil some potatoes until soft, chop into quarters, then fry those suckers in the turkey oil. Sex. Also doing "creole" chorizo stuffing. 1/2 Green pepper 1/2 celery stalk 1/2 red onion 2 garlic cloves 2 dried/fresh chorizos Ground bread (about 1/2 loaf... not canned breadcrumbs, get a real loaf, any loaf) Chicken stock Black pepper Salt 2 tsp Creole seasoning Chop chorizos, cook in a pan with a touch of oil. Reserve meat in a bowl. Finely chop first 4 ingredients, sautee in the pan with oil from the chorizo and olive oil (butter?) if needed until translucent and soft. Grind bread. Mix together with seasonings and then add stock until it is sticky, moist, but not dripping wet. Put it in a greased pan and cook at 350F until brown on top and set. Please tell me I'm not the only one addicted to that gelatinous mess of canned cranberry jelly/sauce. That's one of the few things from childhood that stuck with me. That nastiness is sex on a beach to me.
I'm cooking American Thanksgiving for ten people next weekend and I'm really tempted to buy a turkey fryer and give it a go. Any advice?
It's pretty easy. Your best results will be with a 10-12 lb. bird that has had the opportunity to come up to roomish temperature. With ten people, you may need to fry two, which isn't a big deal. Be sure to fry in peanut oil, follow the instructions on minutes per pound, get an extra oil thermometer because they are pieces of shit, and have at it. Don't go crazy seasoning the skin and pat it as dry as possible before you dunk it. A lot of seasoning will wind up in the oil and you can re-use it several times to fry fish and such.. I inject mine with butter/herbs/garlic/and white wine. I inject the breasts, legs, wings, and thighs. When you're getting close to completion, start using a meat thermometer to test doneness and remember that the turkey will raise a few degrees even when it's out of the oil.
Re: Re: The Gobble Day Thread Or buy an indoor turkey fryer and do it that way, I have one and it makes great turkey and chicken.
Seconded. And only really valid if the way you serve it is sliced, so you can still see the ripples from the can on the outside.
Think it was last year but we went to my mom's boyfriend's place to have Thanksgiving. He's a brit and his brother and daughter were in town. My mom did most of the cooking and the brother and daughter each made an English dish. My mom pulled me and my brother aside repeatedly to tell us that the daughters dish was going to be great, it has to be better than his brothers, just say it's good even if you don't like it etc. Well it was the first time I had Yorkshire pudding but it fucking sucked. I am usually a vacuum but it was bad enough I left it unfinished after two bites. HIs dish was some sort of nutmeg cinnamon pudding (American pudding consistency) and it was fucking bomb, mixed with with the turkey, stuffing, and vegetables. A perfect side. (Ill ask him for it and post it here I dont have it now). Lots of cream and I think oatmeal. The situation was hilarious in the dry bland British humor sort of way. I guess the worst embarrassing story I got is from about five years ago. We ate at my dad's cousin's place in Florida. It was my first time having deep fried turkey and the shit is titties. Anyway this cousin's daughter is older than I am, is a super duper know it all college hippy type (you know the type that wears biking shorts and magnesite necklaces 24/7) AND paradoxically a super Christian. In a Larry David'esque moment I refused to hold her hand during the saying of grace as the whole prayer thing has made this non believer uncomfortable always. Then almost immediately I plucked up a piece of dark meat from the huge stack of turkey carvings with my hands, you know to sample a bit. She FLIPPED OUT, yelling at me about how I wouldn't touch her but found it alright to touch food. Before anyone else could tell what was going on her mom shouts her down yelling not to ruin another dinner with her same old shit. I sat there stunned the rest of the night. My mom didn't even know the whole situation was my fault until we got home and she asked if anyone knew why those two had been yelling.
Thanksgiving is the best holiday: 4 days off, food, football, and I don't have to buy anyone anything.
Thirded. My mom makes a fancy cranberry sauce with cranberries and shit. I hate it. Please give me the canned stuff. I will eat a can by myself over the week. On turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole. It's fabulous.
I'm spending Thanksgiving with my sister, her husband, her husbands brother, my mom, twin and dad at my sisters tiny condo, the place is maybe 800ft. I'm expecting some classic awkward tension during the big day, and the days before and after. My brother in law drinks like a Puritan and his brother is judgmental about drinking like a Puritan. To them having three beers is getting wasted. I'll be spending most of the day avoiding them and drinking, which furthers their thoughts that I'm the Charlie Sheen of the family. My mom is either demented (seriously, my brother had one surgery, she thinks he had six) or so tweaked on sleeping pills and psychotropic drugs her perception of reality changes hourly, fun. I try not to talk to her, it makes me sad and angry at her drug abuse. Fortunately my twin, dad and I always have a hell of a time. I imagine we'll be in the garage sneaking drinks trying to make the time pass. I'm looking forward it. Nothing makes awkward less awkward like five beers and not giving a fuck.
We have a great paradox in our house when it comes to Thanksgiving and Christmas: I like turkey but not ham, my wife likes ham but not turkey. So every year we have to "endure" each other's family dinners. At least we always have those cool yank-cracker things with the tissue crowns inside.
I am going to spoiler my elaboration of my rant about Thanksgiving because it is me being a Spoiler I wrote a brief rant about how I hate Thanksgiving, but the more accurate rant is that I hate the month leading up to Thanksgiving. I usually end up really enjoying the actual day and have only had one really bad Thanksgiving that I can't even talk about because it makes me too upset. But the whole holiday bums me out due to being heavily focused on Family and my total lack of one is something that I'm really sensitive about. Every Fall my dad and I ignore that it's coming until November starts and we start having the "What the fuck are we going to do this year?" conversations. I am so envious of the people who have a set plan for what they're going to do for Thanksgiving and don't even have to think about it. The anxious scrambling of trying to, let's face it, get someone to invite us to their Thanksgiving is utterly depressing and we almost never know what we're going to do until, like, a week before when someone extends the invitation in what almost always seems to have at least a shred of pity with it. The early stage when we're trying to casually bring up a Thanksgiving Plans conversation with potential hosts (or guests - we like hosting) with the loaded "Well, we haven't figured out what we're doing this year" line slipped in is bad, but the end of the month is worse when we end up flat out asking "Hey, can we come to your Thanksgiving?" I hate it. And there aren't many things that are more sad and more awkward than when they answer with a "Well, we kind of want to do a 'family-only' thing." And you can't get mad, it's not like they're in the realm of people who have that kind of obligation to include you. (Although, I mostly feel that way about one family and they've only invited us/been open to an invitation once and it's something that really bothers me.) At least Christmas is a more inclusive tradition that's more open to the idea of spending it with your Friends Family. Anyway, for the first time this year, my dad and I never found a plan. It was just the two of us last year, too, but we made that decision early - we decided to celebrate by ourselves the day-of, and then I hosted a Leftovers Potluck with my friends the next day, and I loved it. But this year it's not by choice. It's just going to be two people sitting at a table piled with food for 8 because no one else wanted to spend Thanksgiving with us. Like I said, depressing. HOWEVER, all that being said, I have allowed myself to be mopey about it for the week or so since we realized what was happening and have gotten it mostly out of system. I am very almost looking forward to it, even. My dad and I have a great relationship - it's not like I have a tradition but one with family that I hate. There is a low potential for holiday drama. We're both good cooks and like cooking together a lot. (This has become even more fun in the past few years now that this also includes drinking together from our morning bloody Mary's to our wine with dinner.) The food is awesome, and we don't have to share any leftovers. And while I see my dad a lot for not living in the same place, it has been a while since we've spent a good amount of time just the two of us just hanging out and being able to talk. And the rest of the trip home will be good since almost all of my friends will be there - including one I get to see maybe once a year. I do have a Thanksgiving tradition of a night-before party that my friends host and that's always lovely, even though it has a high potential for embarrassment for me due to Boy Stuff. And just in general my trips home almost always result in a good helping of warm fuzzies. It's mostly going to feel like Just Another Dinner and Just Another Trip Home, but I think, in the end, it'll be nice. Now, food. I am really excited about making bourbon mashed sweet potatoes. I don't have a recipe, yet. Just wanted to throw that out there to put it in your brain because I feel like a lot of people here would appreciate that idea. I'm also in charge of dessert and I've been stuck for ideas. I really don't feel like making an apple pie, my dad doesn't care much for anything having to do with pumpkin, and I want to make something more desserty than sweet potato pie. But, in my head, those are basically the options for Thanksgiving Dessert. (Also pecan pie but for whatever reason that has always been something I have a lot of desire to eat but no desire to make.) Does anyone have a good un-run-of-the-mill dessert that they make for Thanksgiving or are trying out this year? Right now I'm kind of leaning towards an apple upside down cake, but I'm not particularly moved by the idea.
Challenge: making Thanksgiving foods, desserts especially. Difficulty: no oven, only gas range. Suggestions?
Uh oh. I ordered a 15 lb turkey. Should I cancel the order and get two smaller ones, for frying? And ideas for how to season one that you're frying? Do you brine? Do you use a dry rub? Do you use nothing? Do you use a meat injector (I have no idea if that's the proper term, but it sounds dirty and I like it) for flavour?