No Drunk Turkey
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: mountain states, Montana and Wyoming
Posts: 246
No Drunk Turkey
Thanksgiving is approaching and this will be my first sober T-Day. It used to be one of the drunkest days of the year. Irish coffee for early morning cooking, then bloody Mary's, then white wine followed by red and beer in between. The hangover was unspeakable, but I have always done it this way since I started cooking a bird at 22.
This year just me and my wife and kids. Takes a lot of anxiety out of the process since I am not responsible for other people having a great Thanksgiving. Going to buy at least 4 bottles of martinelli's sparkling cider to celebrate the dinner(kids have been drinking it forever, now it is time for Dad to join in too).
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and I have a couple of tips.
Don't brine a turkey which has already been injected with solution, you get a salt block instead of a turkey.
Citrus adds a lot of flavor to turkeys. Use the juice, the fruit and the rind if you really want some flavors. I always tuck a crushed up orange into the cavity of the bird before I cook it. Along with a sliced onion, two flavors that really make the meat good.
Take the time to pull the skin away from the meat. I use a huge wooden spoon for this to separate the meat from the skin on the breast and thighs. I then pack the meat under the skin with fresh herbs salt(smoked salt is fun) a little red pepper. I make a paste with olive oil , salt, red pepper, fresh thyme(or dried), sage, oregano, orange zest and use the spoon to locate it deep into the thighs and breast area.
Make sure the bird is fully thawed, and I let mine come to room temp for two hours before I cook it. Always, and I mean always cook the bird breast side down, an hour or two before it is finished take it out and flip it over to brown the breast. Use a heavy duty wooden spoon and heavy fork to flip it. (I can't wait to try this sober, past years this has been "difficult") If you cant get a brown on the skin, baste it with the juices or hit it with a little butter or Pam and it will brown in 15 minutes at 375 to 400. Keep an eye on it though, a burnt bird is irritating.
Try to tent the bird for 15 to 20 minutes after you remove it from the oven. It settles the juices better and you wont have a dried out bird.
For dressing I make a sage dressing and a old German sweet dressing which is bread, eggs, gizzards(sliced), butter onions, and sugar, lots of sugar. Sounds disgusting, but is AWESOME!!
Good luck to all, I wish everyone a safe, sober Thanksgiving.
This year just me and my wife and kids. Takes a lot of anxiety out of the process since I am not responsible for other people having a great Thanksgiving. Going to buy at least 4 bottles of martinelli's sparkling cider to celebrate the dinner(kids have been drinking it forever, now it is time for Dad to join in too).
I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and I have a couple of tips.
Don't brine a turkey which has already been injected with solution, you get a salt block instead of a turkey.
Citrus adds a lot of flavor to turkeys. Use the juice, the fruit and the rind if you really want some flavors. I always tuck a crushed up orange into the cavity of the bird before I cook it. Along with a sliced onion, two flavors that really make the meat good.
Take the time to pull the skin away from the meat. I use a huge wooden spoon for this to separate the meat from the skin on the breast and thighs. I then pack the meat under the skin with fresh herbs salt(smoked salt is fun) a little red pepper. I make a paste with olive oil , salt, red pepper, fresh thyme(or dried), sage, oregano, orange zest and use the spoon to locate it deep into the thighs and breast area.
Make sure the bird is fully thawed, and I let mine come to room temp for two hours before I cook it. Always, and I mean always cook the bird breast side down, an hour or two before it is finished take it out and flip it over to brown the breast. Use a heavy duty wooden spoon and heavy fork to flip it. (I can't wait to try this sober, past years this has been "difficult") If you cant get a brown on the skin, baste it with the juices or hit it with a little butter or Pam and it will brown in 15 minutes at 375 to 400. Keep an eye on it though, a burnt bird is irritating.
Try to tent the bird for 15 to 20 minutes after you remove it from the oven. It settles the juices better and you wont have a dried out bird.
For dressing I make a sage dressing and a old German sweet dressing which is bread, eggs, gizzards(sliced), butter onions, and sugar, lots of sugar. Sounds disgusting, but is AWESOME!!
Good luck to all, I wish everyone a safe, sober Thanksgiving.
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Join Date: Sep 2013
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Posts: 551
You sound like an amazing cook with excellent attention to detail! I'll bet your bird is scrumptious!
As for the drinking, I had my first sober Thanksgiving last year and it was awesome. I was able to focus on the food, and I enjoyed the clarity. I laughed much more than I had during previous, alcohol-drenched Thanksgivings--definitely in the moment with my family. You're spot on about the morning after--so lovely to go to sleep, knowing that you aren't going to feel like hell the next day.
P.S. What sides do you make?
As for the drinking, I had my first sober Thanksgiving last year and it was awesome. I was able to focus on the food, and I enjoyed the clarity. I laughed much more than I had during previous, alcohol-drenched Thanksgivings--definitely in the moment with my family. You're spot on about the morning after--so lovely to go to sleep, knowing that you aren't going to feel like hell the next day.
P.S. What sides do you make?
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Join Date: May 2012
Location: Wisconsin, USA
Posts: 16,945
I am usually the main cook for thanksgiving in our family too. Unfortunately i didn't get to enjoy the fruit of my labors for many years as I pretty much drank all day too. I cook our turkeys on the grill, so that was a great excuse to spend a lot of time away from everyone else drinking.
Everything will taste much better an you'll enjoy it much more without the booze this year, have a great day!
Everything will taste much better an you'll enjoy it much more without the booze this year, have a great day!
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: mountain states, Montana and Wyoming
Posts: 246
I do a green bean casserole but add a little bacon to it and when I use fresh green beans I cook them in bacon first, then drain all the fat so you get the flavor without the oil.
Yams or sweet potatoes with fresh cinnamon and grated ginger, and marshmallows for the kids. Cranberries with lime and fresh mint, sounds odd, but very exciting to the palate.
Homemade mashed potatoes with cream turkey gravy, leave the skins on add some milk or better cream and butter when mixing, cook a clove or two of garlic in the butter on low heat so you don't burn the garlic, you just want to soften it and give it a little color, then mash the garlic into the potatoes. Mix it all together well, but don't "beat" it because it makes the starch overreact and becomes gluey. Just a good mix on it, then I top 1/2 with parsley, and the other half with fresh cilantro and dusting of thai chili's to add some heat.
Rolls, are imperative to the meal, but I cheat on these and use frozen Rhodes dough and bake them off right before we are ready to feed.
Looking forward to it!
Pumkin pies and banana cream are left to my wife, she is good at baking, me, not so much.
Yams or sweet potatoes with fresh cinnamon and grated ginger, and marshmallows for the kids. Cranberries with lime and fresh mint, sounds odd, but very exciting to the palate.
Homemade mashed potatoes with cream turkey gravy, leave the skins on add some milk or better cream and butter when mixing, cook a clove or two of garlic in the butter on low heat so you don't burn the garlic, you just want to soften it and give it a little color, then mash the garlic into the potatoes. Mix it all together well, but don't "beat" it because it makes the starch overreact and becomes gluey. Just a good mix on it, then I top 1/2 with parsley, and the other half with fresh cilantro and dusting of thai chili's to add some heat.
Rolls, are imperative to the meal, but I cheat on these and use frozen Rhodes dough and bake them off right before we are ready to feed.
Looking forward to it!
Pumkin pies and banana cream are left to my wife, she is good at baking, me, not so much.
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Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Ireland
Posts: 25,826
Originally Posted by ArtFriend 
So when will you be coming over? I 'll have the oven ready!!!
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Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: milwaukee wi
Posts: 3,574
my hubby does the Turkey on the grill every year... I prep for that 6 hours before.. have a card this year from a special place to pick up all the stuff I need for our Turkey day.. for free whick I am very thankfull for .. as my pay does not go far.. and this will help so much.. have 2 coming to dinner from a rehab building for vets.. Charlie and Ralph.. first real dinner with a Military family for them in years. hahahaha my co worker Jeff is banging things all over ehehheh he is a dry drunk on Monday.. long weekend of hunting for Deer with buddies he is so funny.. and someone here had 4 new Tires dropped off ahahahahha I am waiting for a sliegh and reindeer he will have afit. oppps Iam out..
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Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: PA
Posts: 12,000
that sounds mighty good heddy,
something you might try some day - as I have them in the yard still - try mashing some turnips in with your potatoes + garlic. YUM
I'm starting to bum. I think my t-day dinner is going to be, hmmmm, prolly deer steaks on the grill, unless I can make it up to my sister's place, but they started making something a few years ago that I cannot stomach - cheesy potatoes. It must be some coal region thing that caught on over the years. eeeeeeewwwwwwwwww
something you might try some day - as I have them in the yard still - try mashing some turnips in with your potatoes + garlic. YUM
I'm starting to bum. I think my t-day dinner is going to be, hmmmm, prolly deer steaks on the grill, unless I can make it up to my sister's place, but they started making something a few years ago that I cannot stomach - cheesy potatoes. It must be some coal region thing that caught on over the years. eeeeeeewwwwwwwwww
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