Spatchcock and wood roast your turkey or GTFO. End of story.
Who is cooking Thanksgiving?!
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Why? It's a terribly unattractive presentation without any benefit. Maybe quicker?
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Spatchcock = quick even cooking time with the breast hitting ~155-160 when the leg/thigh hits ~165-170.
Presentable turkey on Thanksgiving = over cooked dried out bird.
Presentable turkey on Thanksgiving = over cooked dried out bird.
Yup, and when smoked or wood roasted, it allows much greater smoke/flavor penetration. Plus, you get to say Spatchcock all night..
Only reason not to do it is because you love soggy-ass disgusting inside-the-bird stuffing.
So yeah... more even cooking and greater flavor development in 1/3rd the time... or in PP terms "without any benefits".
Yup, and when smoked or wood roasted, it allows much greater smoke/flavor penetration. Plus, you get to say Spatchcock all night..
Only reason not to do it is because you love soggy-ass disgusting inside-the-bird stuffing.
So yeah... more even cooking and greater flavor development in 1/3rd the time... or in PP terms "without any benefits".
Smoke penetration won't change. You made that up. It's ridiculously easy to oversmoke fowl anyway; it's not an issue.
I don't stuff turkeys that I smoke. I assumed nobody did, but I don't know.
1/3 the time? Maybe, but who cares? It always takes between 3 and 3.5 hours for a 20# bird. Last time I did a turkey, I lit the coals, went to a soccer game, and when I got back the turkey was done. If it's a race, you win though.
And it didn't look like a truck ran over it.
Keep on pretending... it's ok... you have the same smile on your face when you're carving your overcooked 1950's turkey as the guy in your avatar.
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Every year I say I'm going to make Alton Brown's bourbon pecan pie, but every year I fail to buy (online) the Lyle's Golden Syrup.
Has anyone made this?
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/bourbon-pecan-pie-recipe.html
Thanks... Not yet...
The golden syrup should be interchangeable with Karo, rice syrup, or similar.
Oxyclean does wonders.
I'm tempted to brine two Birds in the same brine, fry one and roast one, just to see the difference. Problem is there will only be 6-7 of us. And I really like turkey, but not enough to have 5# of left overs.
But the definite thing on the menu is sausage-stuffed-deep-fried-stuffing balls.
Yup, and when smoked or wood roasted, it allows much greater smoke/flavor penetration. Plus, you get to say Spatchcock all night..
Only reason not to do it is because you love soggy-ass disgusting inside-the-bird stuffing.
So yeah... more even cooking and greater flavor development in 1/3rd the time... or in PP terms "without any benefits".
Wait... did you just use 'spatchcock' and 'penetration' and 'soggy-ass' all in one post?
Randar you win.
Thanks, but it was staged a bit. Check out he resemblance to this Norman Rockwell pic. I printed the pic out, everybody at dinner studied it and tried to imitate it. I have the remote shutter release in my hand there.
Wow great idea. I'm frequently the guy called on to take the family photo and my people are getting tired of it (or maybe me). Next time I'll hit them with a photo to re-enact.
Hmm ive used Karo for pecan pie forever. Just ordered some Lyles- probably try just switching it into the standard pecan pie recipe to see if I can tell the difference. Too many changes I will have people saying "this Alton Brown pie is really good, but where is the pecan pie"
We've used the dark karo in pecan pie with good results as well. Dark nutty flavor was good. Nut brown ale went well with it.
popquizkid
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Anyone rotisserie a Turkey on the weber?
That is my plan for this year. Everything else I have done (chicken, ribs!, pork butt, lamb) has been fantastic on the rotisserie so I figure it will work well for Turkey.
That is my plan for this year. Everything else I have done (chicken, ribs!, pork butt, lamb) has been fantastic on the rotisserie so I figure it will work well for Turkey.
It was a bit heavy for my rotisserie. So I set it to one side of the coals/wood for low-n-slow offset cooking. Breast-side down first, then right side up. Then swap sides to evenly cook it all day.
ha!
We've done fried Mac n Cheese balls, but sausage stuffed stuffing? How do you keep it together?
Don't forget to make your Scotch Eggs while you've got the fryer going.
As for the spatchcocking, you do get better smoke penetration because you've increased the surface area. You do get more even cooking. You do get crispier skin because you are cooking at a higher temp, and you do get more tender meat because the skin/fat is all up and basting the bird as it cooks. Unless you just HAVE to carve a whole bird at a table to feel like your family is out of some 1950's commercial, you can carve the bird up and have all the legs/thighs, white and dark meat, sliced breast, etc in a very nice presentation and all ready to serve when you put it on the table. Works better for us because our Thanksgivings are often 20-30 people... ain't nobody got time to stand over a bird and slice-to-order for 30 people while they all wait for you before digging in.
I'm sorry are you saying Meow?
I've make pecan pie. I am sure I used Karo syrup. Turned out good, but they are so rich! I'd prefer to do one every year, but almost nobody else in the family lieks them better than pumpkin, apple, etc.
We seem to like them all around here. So we make a few different ones. I like to add a cup of cranberries to the apple pie. Great stuff. I got beat out by a woman that worked for me at Ford. She liked the apple-cranberry so much she got it in the bake-off first & got credit for my invention.
Cook up some small link sausage. Let cool. Your choice of meat and flavor. Sage breakfast sausage is good, so is hot Italian. I may use bratwurst this year.
Cut into cubes (okay cylinders) the same width as the links.
(Or use loose sausage and make 3/4" balls)
Make stuffing.
Old bread ( I chop it up the night before and leave it out on the counter overnight.) make it mostly white/French/Italian with some other thrown in for flavor.
Season the broth.
Put a few cups of chicken broth on the stove. (Or turkey broth if you have it. I usually just grab a block out of the freezer)
Chop up an onion (the old frozen part you have in the freezer is fine.) Add it to chicken broth.
Add salt, pepper, sage, and any other stuffing spices you like.
Boil for a few minutes to combine flavor, let cool.
Pile the bread on the counter (or a big bowl) dump some of the broth on the pile and mix. Crack an egg or two over the pile and mix in. Keep adding broth and mixing until you get a somewhat wet mixture.
Put some stuffing in the palm of your hand, add a piece of sausage, add a bit more stuffing on top, then smoosh into a ball. Try to keep the meat:stuffing ratio 1:2, so there's the same width of stuffing-meat-stuffing.
Make a bunch, cover them, and put them in the fridge until ready to fry. I pull the plate/tray out when the turkey goes into the fryer. It gives them an hour or so to warm up before going into the fryer.
Once the oil gets back up to 350*, lower a few into the fryer at a time.
They should float when they're done. Cook to desired brownness. Blot on paper towel covered cardboard.
The first one out of the fryer never makes it to the kitchen for some reason.
They're good cold the next day. But they never make it that long.
Cut into cubes (okay cylinders) the same width as the links.
(Or use loose sausage and make 3/4" balls)
Make stuffing.
Old bread ( I chop it up the night before and leave it out on the counter overnight.) make it mostly white/French/Italian with some other thrown in for flavor.
Season the broth.
Put a few cups of chicken broth on the stove. (Or turkey broth if you have it. I usually just grab a block out of the freezer)
Chop up an onion (the old frozen part you have in the freezer is fine.) Add it to chicken broth.
Add salt, pepper, sage, and any other stuffing spices you like.
Boil for a few minutes to combine flavor, let cool.
Pile the bread on the counter (or a big bowl) dump some of the broth on the pile and mix. Crack an egg or two over the pile and mix in. Keep adding broth and mixing until you get a somewhat wet mixture.
Put some stuffing in the palm of your hand, add a piece of sausage, add a bit more stuffing on top, then smoosh into a ball. Try to keep the meat:stuffing ratio 1:2, so there's the same width of stuffing-meat-stuffing.
Make a bunch, cover them, and put them in the fridge until ready to fry. I pull the plate/tray out when the turkey goes into the fryer. It gives them an hour or so to warm up before going into the fryer.
Once the oil gets back up to 350*, lower a few into the fryer at a time.
They should float when they're done. Cook to desired brownness. Blot on paper towel covered cardboard.
The first one out of the fryer never makes it to the kitchen for some reason.
They're good cold the next day. But they never make it that long.
Am I saying meow?
No, but it's on my list now!
I saw a pumpkin cheesecake pie recipe last night that I think I want to make. I've had pumpkin cheesecake BITES and they are good!
I have a spring form pan that I like to use to make the pumpkin cheesecake recipe in Todd Wilbur's Restaurant Secrets book. Good stuff!
I could have sworn you said meow.
MaddBaggins
cervisiam vitae
Do you see me eating mice?
MaddBaggins
cervisiam vitae
We are doing the traditional Thanksgiving dinner w/ a fresh turkey & my wife's dago stuffing plus a the usual sides a week early because we can get the whole family together.
On Thanks giving my wife and daughter are making a Beef Wellington!
Immediately following these two feasts I'm doubling my gym schedule!!
On Thanks giving my wife and daughter are making a Beef Wellington!
Immediately following these two feasts I'm doubling my gym schedule!!
Brettomomyces
LHBS Curmudgeon
Is that a cookshack? I got an electric cookshack last fall and I love the thing so much, it's a monster and is super efficient on wood. Definitely doing a brine and smoke this year, it will be my first year smoking the thanksgiving bird. Last year I did a roasted duck.
Make a herb-infused butter (sage, oregano, and black pepper) and stuff it between the skin and the meat before you put the bird in the oven.
Showed BC's balls to my wife. She likes them.
I have to work afternoon shift on turkeyday. I am saddened that I get to miss turkeyday dinner. It being my favorite holiday and all.
gratus fermentatio
Well-Known Member
Thanksgiving day is just another workday for me & since it'll be just me, I'll likely just do something simple; turkey sandwich maybe.
Regards, GF.
Regards, GF.
The Pol
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It's actually a Smokin It Model 2. Very similar to the Cookshack. 100% stainless, insulated walls, 3-4oz of wood per smoke, and easily smokes in temperatures well below freezing! One of my best cooking purchases ever.
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I am considering grilling a whole turkey this year.
