Thanksgiving General - Veeky Forums

if you cover food in a material that reflects heat, it wont get as hot. it's not that hard.

What's the best way to brine?

>for braising meats fat is the main factor

Straight out wrong. High collagen content is the primary factor to look for in a cut of meat to braise. A prime ribeye steak has a buttload of fat, but only a simpleton would braise it.

>turkey
>roasted chicken
>mashed potatoes
>corn on the cob
>green bean casserole
>stuffing
>pecan pie
>pumpkin pie
>ice cream

What am I missing?

Ham, or roasted chestnuts to name a couple.

>mashed potatoes
>roasted chicken
Are you white? Also sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. And macaroni too

deviled eggs for hors d'oeuvres.

Whiskey

>in-laws want me to make a turkey this year
>get turkey, get the brine all ready to go
>check the turkey, it's already been soaked in a solution

FUCK

Any tips on turning this turd into a real turkey? I was thinking about covering it in a nice herb butter before roasting, but that's all I've got so far.

>finished bread dough
>about to have it rise until tomorrow morning
>turkey is almost done defrosting
>sweet potatoes are precut for tomorrow
>cranberry sauce is finished
>apple and pumpkin pies are finished

Tomorrow is going to be great! Good luck Veeky Forums!

I rotisserie our turkey every year now, because it without a doubt is the best method (And I've done them all, roasted, smoked, fried, etc)
Anyway, I'm softening some butter right now to make a compound butter for the turkey. The day before (today), I slather the turkey inside and out with a compound butter that has salt, pepper, chives, rosemary, parsley, lemon zest and juice, garlic, shallots, paprika, sumac, and as much white wine as will blend in. And when I say slather, I mean I fucking coat that bird. Then I stuff the cavity with more aromatics (cut up lemons or oranges, sprigs of rosemary and thyme, quartered onions, and garlic cloves) and truss the bird right up, using a trussing needle to make sure the cavity stays closed. Then, I let it sit overnight, and gently put it on the rotisserie on my grill outside, and there she goes....And it gets basted occasionally with the drippings.

I always hear people say that the turkey is their least favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. Not if you've eaten at my house. Best turkey ever. It's my favorite part. I went to three different stores to find my perfect bird this year, because I was after a specific kind. Unfortunately, I had to step foot in my most hated of all grocery stores, Whole Foods (ugh, I hate even typing their name) because after searching elsewhere, I found out they were only store that had the turkeys I was looking for. So, I purposely put on as much leather as possible (shoes and jacket), grabbed my grocery bag that says "Groceries and Shit" on it, and went in as fast as possible past all those hipster fucks and their devil's spawn at the food bars, back to the meats, found my turkey and literally carried it above my head like it was on display, straight through their "cruelty free" section, up to the registers. That was fun. A dad with two little kids with a basket full of vegan crap looked at me in horror and pulled his kids back away from me as I walked by.

Look at the nutritional breakdown, it'll tell you how much extra sodium was put in by the solution. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

500F? You're insane. You'd end up with ashes.

Starting with the breast down and then flipping after an hour of cooking is the way to go, right?

Just shy of a 20 pounder.

Anyone have a good recipe for a cauliflower mash?

You sound like a douche but that turkey sounds good. Got any pics?

So I've got turkey, corn, sweet potato, normal potato, pumpkin and cranberries. Is there any recipe for cranberry sauce that doesn't involve orange juice?

>cranberry sauce that doesn't involve orange juice?
ew.

I can be a douche sometimes, but in general I'm a very nice person, certain things just set me off. I REALLY hate Whole Foods and it made me pissed that I had to buy my turkey there.
Anyway, I don't have pics yet (nothing interesting anyway), but I'll take pics tomorrow of it on the rotisserie and the finished product on the table, with all the sides. As long as I have that rotisserie, I'll never cook turkey any other way, it comes off perfectly browned, tender, and juicy. But, you can't use a huge turkey. The turkey I bought is 13 lbs. If you had to make turkey for a lot of people, you'd have to do 2 turkeys on the rotisserie (it's big enough for 2). We only have 5 people, so a 13 lb is just about right.

Is it better to roast with a lid or without? Every recipe I see says to cover it

So you're that asshole. My wife's daughters had to go to counseling, jackass.

...

Why? Obviously you cook it for less time than if it were at 350.

>Finished cranberry sauce with some blackberry wine and mint.
>No white bowls to show off the beautiful color.
I had one job...

aren't cranberries nice enough on their own with a little sugar?

yeah, orange is over kill, not everything needs a secondary flavoring

Sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest/juice, mint.

I'm this guy:
Also added walnuts for garnish and some crunch.

stock started : ))

Bad post

Cranberries and orange is GOAT flavor combo. I even like toasted walnuts with it

stuffing awaiting the stock

what are your thoughts in a dry brine for the turkey?

That its called Pre-Seasoning

Its fine as long as you baste the living shit out of the turkey until the last second where you let the skin get crisp

Don't be like me every year and not have a bowl or w/e big enough, i just end up flipping it over every 8 hours or so for a few days lolol. Tastes fine but is annoying

My brine was: like 2c salt, .5 c soy sauce for color, 1c brown sugar, fresh herbs from my garden, peppercorns, fennel seed, cinnamon stick, smashed garlic and a quartered onion

Is there a simple stuffing recipe, even though I'm missing celery

rip up a good crusty loaf of bread, let it get kinda stale or toast in oven.

saute onions, add mushroom.

in a big bowl combine with celery and seasonings (rosemary, sage, parsley, whatever)

add stock from your turkey, salt pepper, and heat the stuffing in the oven before serving

We sticky now

Walmart chemical box.

its literally dry bread senpai calm down

How should I alter a recipe if I want to cook the turkey without the lid

>dad bought a fresh turkey almost a week in advance
>keep warning him that it was going to spoil but he wouldn't listen
>today we started injection brining
>the neck skin was fucking grey with what was probably mold
>"The heat will kill any bacteria"

my guests are all going to be sick and I'm never going to get to cook thanksgiving dinner again

google.ca/amp/s/allrecipes.com/recipe/166160/juicy-thanksgiving-turkey/amp/ As a former vegetarian this is my first thanksgiving. Is this recipe BS?

>Thanksgiving

Do amerifattieclaps really do this?

I'm cooking leg of lamb cause fuck turkey. It's gonna be good.

Also what's best recipe for pumpkin pie? I've got pumpkin puree, any spices I could possibly need, eggs, whipping cream, molasses, sugar, etc... Want to make a gingersnap/gingerbread type crust too, might just wing it lol.

No all the posting about it is actually a huge, coordinated troll just to fuck with you.

>3rd world countries have nothing to be thankful for.

Just be thankful for the U.S.A m8.

>yuropoors have nothing to be thankful for
I actually kind of pity them.

You don't need to brine I cook my turkey with aluminum on top until there's only an hour left than I remove the foil.
>just baste the fucker.

irish sammich

I'm doing oyster stuffing but I fugged up and didn't go to the fish market.

I've got 3 dozen whole oysters though. I am going to use some of the oysters of the stuffing, should I mix a half a dozen fresh and a can of smoked can oysters to sub for stock?

Brining denatures proteins in the meat making it moister. Not to mentioning the seasoning that soaks into the meat also making it seem moister. You don't NEED to do a lot of things that improve taste.

Is it normal for turkeys to have grey shit on their neck skin, or is it rotten?

All basting does is flavor the skin. The downsides are that it keeps the skin from getting crispy, and each time you open the oven to baste, you lose heat, which enables the turkey to dry out because it needs to be cooked longer

>Brining denatures proteins
wrong, that's curing

Wrong. Don't you know that brining uses salt to do this, just like curing?

post a photo

I have the distinct impression that Veeky Forums is going to be a very quiet board tomorrow evening since half these dumbfucks will be at the emergency room with salmonella.

Half of Veeky Forums has never and would never attempt to cook on their own. This is a fast food board for cross posters. The people around here that do cook and post OC are all decently skilled, though.

>get put in charge of making Thanksgiving desert
>never made desert item in my life because I'm not a fatty
Should I just buy a pie or something? What the fuck do people eat for desert?

pate a choux is your friend. Learn it. There's tons of desserts and meals created around it. For dessert look at profiteroles.

do you want a mash or puree?
Here's a puree recipe, the secret is in roasting the cauliflower before.

1 head (about 1.5 lbs.) cauliflower
1 bulb garlic
3 tbsps olive oil
salt
pepper
1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped (or use whatever herb you like)
1 cup (or more) chicken broth (or vegetable broth, milk, or water)

Preheat oven to 400 °F. Trim the leaves off the cauliflower and slice the head into florets. Place the cauliflower in a medium bowl and set aside. Slice the very top of the bulb of garlic off with a sharp knife, just enough so you can see the meat of the topmost cloves. Place the bulb in an oven-proof ramekin or wrap it loosely with foil. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the top of the bulb. Cover the ramekin with foil or loosely seal the bulb in a foil pouch. Roast the garlic for 45 minutes. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the cauliflower. Season with salt and pepper and fresh thyme. Toss together to coat. Spread the cauliflower florets out on a baking sheet or baking pan in a single layer. Roast for 35-40 minutes until the edges begin to brown.

Heat the chicken broth (or liquid of your choosing) in a small saucepan until it begins to simmer. Turn off the heat. When the garlic is cooled enough so you can safely handle it, remove the cloves from the skins. They should peel or slide out easily. Place the roasted cauliflower and the peeled roasted garlic cloves in a blender with 1 cup of the heated liquid. Purée to desired consistency, adding more liquid as needed. You could conceivably use a food processor, but I think the blender results in a smoother mash. Makes 3 cups.

If you want to sub or make additions:
Green onion OR garlic don't do both
NO HERBS DE PROVENCE OR ROSEMARY
don't sub in parsnip
ricotta is the best dairy to add in don't be lazy and go for the cream cheese

make tres leches cake. it's the ultimate dessert, regardless of occasion.

i had an excellent yam dish at a restaurant and i'm trying to recreate it for thanksgiving.

it had lemon creme fraiche on the bottom of the plate and was seasoned with za'atar. anyone have experience with that type of thing?

If your family is big on "tradition" they'll get butthurt if you don't have a pumpkin/pecan pie. Whipped cream and vanilla ice cream are mandatory as well if you go the pie route.

Tarte tatin would take more prep but it tends to impress if you lay the apples or pear slices down clockwise.

Its going to be a small thanksgiving this year, only three people, so I thought it would be a waste to buy a big huge turkey, so I got a duck instead.

I was told that its a rip off buying a turkey at the white grocery store so I got one in Chinatown, where it was nearly half the price for a bigger bird that wasn't frozen.

Thing is it came with the head on it. Is there anything special about removing the head or is it just chop it off where ever I feel.

You're the one that wants that specific turkey. They're the only one offering it. You should be thankful if anything.

>Bought 10 lb frozen turkey for $0.59/lb
>10 lbs of sweet potatoes at $0.15/lb

I'm not even making thanksgiving dinner tomorrow but this was the most excited I ever got for food shopping.

>Thanksgiving desert

I'm not sure if you'll find any recipes for the Sahara, but might I suggest the Pecan Pie recipe on the back of Karo corn syrup for a dessert? Pretty hard to fuckup if you buy store made chemical pie crust.

Probably gonna be busy here tomorrow, lots of drunk fucks who would rather fuck off on Veeky Forums than spend time with family.

>putting your dick in something your going to eat

i want to make a turkey gravy but my mom always just roasts and serves the turkey right from a disposable foil pan. any ideas to get browned bits and such? she's vegetarian btw.
her turkey's nasty but damn if i'm going to be bothered to cook

Thanks. What happens if I'm lazy and go for cream cheese? Will you yell at me?

Is it something I can learn in a day? Because I need this shit done tomorrow.
>cake made of milk, milk, and more milk
Are you sure? I'm not can't say I'm a big milk fan so it'll be tough to judge whether it's good or not.
I don't think they care about tradition. Either way, they asked me at the last minute so they'll get what they get and like it.
What you posted actually looks pretty good.
Anything "hard to fuckup" sounds good.

Take the neck and giblets before she throws them away, brown them, and use them to make stock in advance. Use the stock (plus any worthwhile pan drippings, if any) to make proper gravy immediately before serving dinner.

this. foil shields work to insulate against heat from the oven.

I did a friendsgiving on saturday where I dry brined and spatchcocked the turkey serious eats style. The skin kind of got ugly whilst carving but was delicious and super good with the right gravy and everyone had a good time (pic related).

Cooking the turkey at my gf's thanksgiving early tomorrow because my parents are assholes and took thanksgiving away from me after promising to let me cook, but instead we're going to our rich second cousin's nice apartment (which is nice but the food is always terrible and the kids who show up are always afwful and we only go so my mom can live out her rich person upper east side fantasy).

At least I'll get the adoration of my gf's family.

can you learn this in a day?
youtube.com/watch?v=xCSKLOuthU8

thekitchn.com/recipe-ginger-pumpkin-pie-with-graham-cracker-crust-36857

^this dessert is calssic and hard to fuck up

Okay Veeky Forums, I need your help.

I have pre-cooked spiral ham that I have to heat for almost 3 hours at 275, and right after taking it out I'll be baking other shit for 50-60 minutes and then I'll be done with all the cooking and it will be time to eat.

My question to you anons is this: how do I keep my ham warm in that 1 hour time frame?

I was thinking about putting it in the crock pot with some broth on "warm", but I'm worried that will dry it out. Do you guys think that will happen? If so, do you think a better plan instead would be to put the ham in the oven, but for an hour less than planned, and then have it sit in the crock pot for that one hour I'm baking the other stuff?

Thoughts are appreciated.

No but cream cheese will mute the toasty flavor and make the texture coagulate weirdly. 2/10

My family did TG a day early this year, so now I've got the kitchen cleaned, the china dry and put away, and I'm sipping on the last bottle of wine (that somehow did not get opened during dinner) while occasionally checking on the stock pot that's simmering away on a turkey carcass. Another Thanksgiving success here, feels good.

Just cover the ham with foil and it will stay warm enough - nobody expects meat served on a platter to be oven-hot, just warm. If you really want to serve it hot, warm the ham and pull it out before you glaze it - save that step for the very last thing you do with the oven before serving.

>this. foil shields work to insulate against heat from the oven.
No, it only keeps moisture in contact with the skin thus keeping the skin from browning.

>You should be thankful if anything
What do you think this is, some sort of thanks giving or something?

>shamelessly spreading misinformation

This recipe looks a little different than what I'm used to eating. I'll take your advice and skip the cheese then, I won't have time to grab any other ingredients tomorrow.

>thought it would be a waste to buy a big huge turkey, so I got a duck
>was told that its a rip off buying a turkey at the white grocery store so I got one in Chinatown
get ur story straight

why would you want to want to insulate against heat in AN OVEN WHOSE PURPOSE IS TO CREATE HEAT

to prevent the turkey breast from overcooking, as it requires less cooking than the thighs

Frankly there's more than enough fat in Turkey that you don't need to rub it in butter. Just season it and stuff with herbs. Add the missing butter in later when making the gravy with drippings.

>cook turkey at 1200 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes

secret method unlocked

>food obviously rancid
>serve it anyway I DONT HAVE ANY CHOICE

are there really idiots like this?

In the time that the other shit you baked is cooling, pop the ham back in and crank the heat for 5 minutes, should get it sizzling a bit but the inside should still be warm too