Who’s NOT doing a turkey for Thanksgiving?


 
We are not having turkey or ham this year which is fine with me. At the moment the plan is smoking (2) pork shoulders, a rack of ribs, grilling hotdogs, sausages and vortex some wings.
 
I smoke a turkey breast a few times a year. Did one a few weeks ago and just did another one the other day.

Can't imagine thanksgiving without turkey. Besides the big oven-baked bird we always have several small ones that are spicy injected and deep-fried to snack on while the meal is cooking and that's the best part.

Turkey is a uniquely American bird. Benjamin Franklin lobbied for it to be the symbol of the United States.
 
We're doing ham, sweet potatoes, and maybe some carrots and parsnips. Not having a crowd for dinner so keeping things to a minimum. A turkey would be way too much.

For crisp turkey skin, try poking some holes in the skin, particularly in areas where there's obvious fat under the skin. This will allow the fat to render, ooze to the outside, and help fry the skin.
 
Barb and I are alone this this year so we invited some friends to come over. We will be doing a turkey for sure as I'm a turkey junkie. But not smoking one for the first time in about ten years, going to do it the oven (Gasp). Looking forward to the smell of the bird wafting through the house. Using a recipe from Weber's Charcoal Grilling, Brined and Barbecued Turkey with Pan Gravy that I've made a few times before on various grills and smokers. There will be a Weber involved though the E320 will be doing the dressing and 'tater casserole.
Usual sides, dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, cranberries and pumpkin pie for dessert.
Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving Day with friends and family.
 
Timothy F. Lewis said:
OK Larry, I’ll pick you up and drop my mixer off at the same time
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I think the holiday "rush" may be starting. I am starting to get "hits" and repair requests off my web site and FB page. I wonder how it will go this year. At the beginning of last year I was like a one armed paper hanger. 4 to 6 weeks out on repairs, plus added to that parts were driving me nuts. Stuff I ordered ended up being on 3 week backorder. So I had customer stuff stacked up here
 
russ olin said:
No turkey here for us. I will be smoking some pork spares while we are up at hunting camp.
Were having Thanksgiving camping/hunting.
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Sounds like an awesome Thanksgiving. When the kids were young we used to do Thanksgiving at Stonyford for dirt biking. Nothing like a camping Thanksgiving. Good luck on the hunt
 
JKalchik said:
@Dustin Dorsey , I have gotten very crispy skin on a smoked turkey right out of the smoker, so crisp it almost shattered. It has to be smoked in a very dry environment, and unfortunately, always seems to start getting soggy as soon as the rest starts.
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That's been my experience. However, like Charlie Brown I'm going to take another kick at that football. I'm cooking mine on the Franklin pit this year. Cooking with wood naturally adds moisture but I'm hoping the high convection works in my favor. I typically cook at 275 on it, but I'm going to try to crank the temp up to 325 at least or 350.
 
Chris Allingham said:
Not really. I think my wife uses the recipe out of the old Better Homes & Gardens New Cook Book.
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This one looks pretty good, I might do this using Yukons

Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Caramelized Onions​


These creamy crunchy potatoes are so delicious...simple to make and always a crowd favorite!

Prep Time30 mins
Cook Time2 hrs 30 mins
Total Time3 hrs

Servings: 8

Calories: 495kcal

Ingredients​

  • 3 tablespoons salted butter
  • 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • 1 pinch cayenne
  • 3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 6 russet or yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Instructions​

  • 1. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

    2. Melt together the butter and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally until softened, about 10 minutes. At this point, you'll want to add the wine and continue to cook another 5 minutes until the onions are deeply caramelized.

    3. Add the garlic and thyme, then season with salt and pepper. Cook another 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.

    4. Butter a 9x13 inch casserole dish. In a large glass measuring cup, combine the cream, milk, a pinch of cayenne, salt, and pepper. Then add the Gruyere cheese. Pour 1/3 of the milk mix into the bottom of the baking dish. Layer in 1/3 of the potatoes, and 1/2 of the onions. Add another 1/3 milk mix, then 1/3 of the potatoes, and then the remaining onions. Add the remaining potatoes, then pour over the last of the remaining milk mix. Try to get the potatoes in an even layer.

    5. Cover and bake 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours. Remove the foil and top with cheddar cheese. Bake another 20 minutes, until the cheese is golden and melty. Serve the dish warm, topped with fresh thyme.

Notes​

To make Ahead: prepare and bake through step 5, but stop cooking after 2 hours. Let chill, then cover, and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Before baking, bring the dish to room temperature, add the cheddar cheese, and bake another 20-30 minutes.
 

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I will probably make spaghetti, because we had smoked turkey breast Thanksgiving (2 whole breasts) last week with my son and his girlfriend who flew over from Seattle to miss the travel rush. I’ve been making leftovers since then. Today will be smoked turkey breast club sandwiches.
 
We have done Thanksgiving for our kids and grandkids for as long as I can remember. My wife has had some health issues and I told her we will not do it this year and we should just stay home. Will be doing chicken breasts and some traditional fixings. Less work, less cleanup, less stress and no arguments. For once, I an looking forward to it.
 
I am so ahead of the curve as far on tomorrow’s project which has turned out to be really more beneficial than I could have imagined since, last night I broke my pinky toe and walking (standing or pretty much anything else vertical) is rather uncomfortable. So, I was much smarter to have gotten sweet potato crunch, cornbread sausage stuffing done
last night. Then this morning, I made up a massive batch of mashed potatoes. That leaves little prep work for tomorrow, things which will need attention are just Brussels sprouts and creamed pearl onions! Slip the various pans in the oven, make the sprouts, and onions whilst the pork hums along on the kettle!
I’ve made it as easy as I can, I think.
Full pix to follow, if I remember!
 
We now need a little more protein than what the Kroger prepped meal includes, so I'm dusting-off an oldie and I'll rotate a turkey breast in the Ronco :p.

I don't think it has ever let me down; here's one from a few years ago.

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With it only being Pammi, my mom and her husband and myself, even a turkey breast or half a turkey was way too much food! Sooo many leftovers!
Pammi and I have been going camping over Thanksgiving weekend for the last 4 years, using this weekend to winterize it.
This year, we have a bigger camper, so the winterization will be held off until New Years weekend.
It was always such a pain to either cook the meal and transport it to mom's or to have them come an hour and a half to our house, then get going to our campground.
This year, we're letting Cracker Barrel do the cooking! I'll even get my mom's husband a meal to go so he can have his leftovers!
Then we'll head to the campground after that!
 
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