Thanksgiving!

[thatjonguy]

Sorry my dear! Did I jack this thing? I think not.

Gravy will (as has been stated) make or break the meal.

The better the gravy, the better the turkey.

The better the gravy, the better the "stuffin"

The better the gravy, the better the mashed potatoes.

The better the gravy, the better the conversation.

The better the gravy,.....ahem.......THE BETTER THE EFFING THANKSGIVING.

lol.

Last time I checked, gravy doesn't make it easier to deal with the in-laws; beer does.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Cheezy my darling... I was teasing you. Take it like a man.

Last time I checked, gravy doesn't make it easier to deal with the in-laws; beer does.

It is easier to deal with the inlaws because they are busy SUCKING down side dishes coated in gravy, their mouths far too clogged to complain, nag, or make small talk.

Also, with properly administered gravy, they get FULL and need to leave early to take a nap...

In extreme situations, a separate batch of PROZAC gravy is called for.

 

[roastquake]

Also, with properly administered gravy, they get FULL and need to leave early to take a nap...

.

Ohh I've seen this backfire. They could just nap on your couch! :cross:

 

[Melana]

Ohh I've seen this backfire. They could just nap on your couch! :cross:

This is why hosting a holiday will never be on my to do list. Well that and a number of other reasons!

 

[cheezydemon3]

This is why hosting a holiday will never be on my to do list. Well that and a number of other reasons!

I can get behind halloween

 

[Melana]

I can get behind halloween

Naughty Halloween is fun!

 

[cheezydemon3]

Naughty Halloween is fun!

Exactly.

Thanksgiving is non-religious, but there is the expectation of lots of cooking and lots of company.

Christmas is almost non-religious, but the expectation of consumer decadence that it has come to represent is pretty ugly.

Yep!

Halloween is the best. I do like to cook though!

 

[Stauffbier]

Mmmmmmm! Gravy!!

 

[roastquake]

Wassail anyone?

 

[Cider123]

mashed potatoes with good rich gravy and a turkey leg

sausage stuffed mushrooms

Brown ale

and my favorite dish: dessert. My wife's side have traditionally had Shoo Fly Pie. I love it so much that I have perfected my wet-bottom version of this totally awesome, sugary, diabetic coma pie. It has to be dripping with lots of black strap molasses. A big blob of vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream and a glass of milk.

 

[Subsailor]

Gravy, home made only! on everything. I'm a huge fan of giblets so we always have to buy extra to make sure there is enough for the gravy.

Oyster dressing.

And I wouldn't be me if I didn't have bacon somewhere and that is included in our green bean casserole with homemade cream of wild mushroom soup and (storebought) onion strings.

Single malt scotch.

 

[Philip_T]

Anyone here baste the turkey with beer? I recently heard about this technique and it supposedly yields great results.

 

[Subsailor]

My Wife is in AZ for 2 more weeks, so I am doing Thanksgiving with her Brother and his family. We decided to break with tradition and are having grilled moose steaks and snow crab, penne pasta in a garlic cream sauce with reconstituted morel mushrooms (from spring picking and drying) and grilled asparagus. My sister in law is making creme brulee for desert. We will be drinking some of my 3 year old simple mead, Angry Orchard Cider and some oaked stout homebrew.

Unfortunately, this will use the last of our dried morels so we will have to wait for Spring for some more.

 

[cheezydemon3]

My Wife is in AZ for 2 more weeks, so I am doing Thanksgiving with her Brother and his family. We decided to break with tradition and are having grilled moose steaks and snow crab, penne pasta in a garlic cream sauce with reconstituted morel mushrooms (from spring picking and drying) and grilled asparagus. My sister in law is making creme brulee for desert. We will be drinking some of my 3 year old simple mead, Angry Orchard Cider and some oaked stout homebrew.

Unfortunately, this will use the last of our dried morels so we will have to wait for Spring for some more.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!

Surf and turf might have been more historically accurate anyways!!


LOVE me some snow crab.

People that really know crab love snow crab. My favorite, hands down.

My dear departed mom did something similar 10 or so years ago....well, at least she did NO turkey and TONS of snowcrab.

Awesome.

 

[bob1852]

Culinary semantics. Anything that is cubed bread, herbs, veg, etc to me is stuffing.

Those freaks in Pennsylvania call it "filling."

Good gravy is key no matter how it is made. The first year I went to Thanksgiving at the in-laws I noticed there was no gravy going on the table! I found the flour, butter, drippings and giblets and got to work quickly. Ever since I am in charge of gravy.

Same thing happened to me one time. Except everyone was panicked and yelling if anyone knew how to make gravy. I had to order everyone to get the **** out of the kitchen and let me work.

Sorry my dear! Did I jack this thing? I think not.

Gravy will (as has been stated) make or break the meal.

The better the gravy, the better the turkey.

The better the gravy, the better the "stuffin"

The better the gravy, the better the mashed potatoes.

The better the gravy, the better the conversation.

The better the gravy,.....ahem.......THE BETTER THE EFFING THANKSGIVING.

Truer words have never been spoken...




Menu this year:

2 smoked turkeys
2 types of stuffing: wild mushroom & bacon, sage & sausage
green bean casserole
swiss medly vegetables
cranberry sauce (from the Thug Kitchen blog)
roasted garlic & parmesean mashed potatoes
maybe a salad (like anyone eats salad on Thanksgiving)
rolls

Someone else is making/brining dessert because I don't eat dessert. Well, dessert is smaller portions of the above menu.

Turkey carcass soup will be made over the weekend unless I get too lazy.

EDIT: oh, and I need to cook an epic Chinese feast on Wednesday night: lettuce wraps, pot stickers, spring rolls, char siu bau, and Singapore noodles.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

My Wife is in AZ for 2 more weeks, so I am doing Thanksgiving with her Brother and his family. We decided to break with tradition and are having grilled moose steaks and snow crab, penne pasta in a garlic cream sauce with reconstituted morel mushrooms (from spring picking and drying) and grilled asparagus. My sister in law is making creme brulee for desert. We will be drinking some of my 3 year old simple mead, Angry Orchard Cider and some oaked stout homebrew.

Unfortunately, this will use the last of our dried morels so we will have to wait for Spring for some more.

Truly a most awesome Thanksgiving Day feast!
Regards, GF.

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

Ok so I think this is as good a place to ask as any. To brine or not to brine? Thoughts please

 

[niquejim]

Ok so I think this is as good a place to ask as any. To brine or not to brine? Thoughts please

http://www.seriouseats.com/2012/11/the-food-lab-the-truth-about-brining-turkey-thanksgiving.html

 

[cheezydemon3]

BRINE

That link is almost laughable.

Make your brine YUMMY, and you are good.

 

[Homercidal]

I remember when we used to get together for the big meals and someone would always have CANS of gravy. "Making gravy is too hard and it's not as good anyway!"

Well, I respectfully disagree. Making gravy is not hard AT ALL. I prefer the roux method now, but I still usually add just a bit of cornstarch.

 

[cheezydemon3]

I remember when we used to get together for the big meals and someone would always have CANS of gravy. "Making gravy is too hard and it's not as good anyway!"

Well, I respectfully disagree. Making gravy is not hard AT ALL. I prefer the roux method now, but I still usually add just a bit of cornstarch.

You should see the gravy conversation going on in the tap room.......bizarro to see non foodies discuss food!

*shudders*

 

[Randar]

GRAVY.....must be made on the spot, no packets!

I start with a little butter and the giblets. Brown the giblets a little bit in the butter.

Remove the giblets and add more flour than seems needed. Brown the flour slightly. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

Stir in chicken stock (or turkey if you have it) slowly, stirring vigorously to avoid lumps.

Add garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper and the giblets back in and allow to steep on LOW while everything else cooks.

Add more stock or even flour as needed, but keep in mind to add the juices after the turkey rests and is carved.

You should see the gravy conversation going on in the tap room.......bizarro to see non foodies discuss food!

*shudders*

Non-foodies? Says they guy not making a proper roux and using powdered garlic and onions? Do you use powdered carrots, giblets, and bouillon cubes too, Mr Foodie? Might as well stir in some giblets with a package of powdered gravy if that's what you call being "foodie"

 

[Melana]

Non-foodies? Says they guy not making a proper roux and using powdered garlic and onions? Do you use powdered carrots, giblets, and bouillon cubes too, Mr Foodie? Might as well stir in some giblets with a package of powdered gravy if that's what you call being "foodie"

Point to Randar.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Non-foodies? Says they guy not making a proper roux and using powdered garlic and onions? Do you use powdered carrots, giblets, and bouillon cubes too, Mr Foodie? Might as well stir in some giblets with a package of powdered gravy if that's what you call being "foodie"

A proper roux????? The flour is a tool which I can control as I see fit. We are making gravy, not gumbo.

I can make a proper roux all day. I can make a dark chocolate roux without burning it.

I use fresh onions and garlic whenever called for. In my gravy? NO THANKS.

There will be real onions, garlic, carrots and celery in my stock which goes into the gravy, but onion and garlic powder are, in fact, different ingredients than the fresh, not substitutes.

I suppose you grind up fresh onions to rub on a pork butt?

NON FOODIE!

 

[Melana]

I dont know... I'm not a fan of any onion in the finished gravy. As yousay CD I like onion in the stock. Flame me all you want... Gravy is not my favorite.

 

[cheezydemon3]

Maybe because there is no ONION powder in your gravy!!!!lol.

Garlic and onion powder go into ANY gravy.

Beef, chicken, sausage. Hell, they go into most anything, even if it has fresh in it too.

 

[Kittyfeet]

Ok so I think this is as good a place to ask as any. To brine or not to brine? Thoughts please

Brining is definitely good; we've done it like that the last few years.

This year, just to do something different, we'll try just salt and herb rub on the bird.

 

[BigDaddyBeard]

I am about to dunk my bird in the brine now a little short on time but better late than never. Added rosemary, sage, thyme, garlic and bay leaves to the liquid and boiled it for ten minutes. Added salt and sugar then topped up with cold water.

 

[JonM]

Bird is in the brine, giblets (except the liver) and the wings are in the crockpot to simmer overnight for the gravy, not much left to do tonight except have a homebrew.

 

[HoppyDaze]

back to gravy. Would you guys consider drippings from the pan the same as turkey stock? I see recipes that call for both but in all of them it only provides the amount of stock to use. I haven't mastered the gravy yet, but I got the bird dialed. I've been salting it the night before like the dude in the article that cheezy posted.

I could certainly make a nice stock tonight, but then I'm not sure what to do with the drippings of the bird? I used just stock last year and very little drippings and the gravy was little bland.