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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 10/18/2008 2:21:48 AM | hahahahahaha Miss Moonie!!
I just saw those posts. Sorry, I have been out of it lately. Awww that is SO SWEET! LOL
It is so funny. Most women, I just, just barely get along with, but the ones that I get along well with....are few and I JUST LOVE THEM! It is so cool that I have found several here...very cool. I guess because the pool is so much bigger here than just in my immediate area.
Moonie, I agree, if you were a man, you would be it. LOL Isn't it funny how that little difference makes all the difference? LOL I have always had a lot more male friends than girl friends, so when I get a nice female friend, I keep her!
I am in here looking for ideas to change up my entire life tradition of Thanksgiving meal, well since I made the menu at about 13.
I am thinking these butter tarts, though I didn't see them here, would be wonderful. I got some great recipes in another thread, but I really want to save those for Christmas. I don't know if I can actually change my Thanksgiving meal....maybe make it smaller, no matter who comes. | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 10/18/2008 12:59:14 PM |
Thanksgiving means roasted turkey and at the very least...cornbread dressing, Brussels sprouts, roasted sweet potatos, homemade whole cranberry sauce......the rest I really don't care about, but those thngs I MUST have.
I'm with SS on this (well, maybe not the brussels sprouts--deep greens with onions and black-eyed peas for me). And, don't forget the ... GRAVY!!!!!!!
Actually, I can pass on all the rest and would be just fine with the gravy.
Ever since I started brining birds years ago I've never gone back. One thing, though, there's no need for alcohol in any brine mix. If you want to add that stuff, fine, but cider, poultry seasoning, black pepper, bay leaves, and orange zest are all the flavorings you need.
Roast the bird hot hot hot at first to get it good and brown. (I start mine at 500F if the oven will go that high.) Then turn it down and roast it covered so that all the carmelized skin flavors circulate through the meat. It cooks much faster and tastes much better that way. I roast mine breast side down, since the dark meat needs to reach about 180F to get done while the white meat dries out at 165F. The brine helps the white meat stay moist.
At the end, I flip the bird over and quickly recrisp the skin under the broiler. Flipping a hot bird is tricky. I skewer it from stern to stem with a knife-sharpening hone, lift it slightly, and roll it against the bottom of the roaster or rack.
When it's done I make ... GRAVY !!!!!!! | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 10/21/2008 8:34:38 AM | Sides at my house:
Sweet potato soufflé.
Sweet sausage and apple dressing.
Mashed potatoes.
Fresh Green Beans sautéed with bacon and onion.
Dinner rolls with Lightly Herbed whipped butter.
Cranberry sorbet – A pain to make but oh so good!
Pumpkin Praline pie with vanilla and cinnamon ice cream. | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/17/2008 12:26:37 PM | raxarsr!!
I just read your brined, smoked, honey wood and spice rub idea....WOW 
Sounds out of this world!! Can ya ship me some??
I would love to come across a bee tree like that, as long as it wasn't too old, because I wouldn't cut any of it if it were old. I would rather protect the life of the tree.
I just had lunch, but I am still hungry and feel like crap...that doesn't sound good. I have a huge paper to do ASAP! Damn. I just want to sleep.
raxarsr, I think you have a winner there with that turkey thing. PLEASE tell us about it.
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/17/2008 4:24:54 PM | well..................i cant make any more that way...... it dissapeared in less than 3 hrs of comming off the smoker....hadda be the rub combined to dissolve the meat......but not the bones???????...........................both my sons claimed to have barely tasted it.......and i know i only had 3 or 4 sandwitches..plus the tiniest of crumbs that fell off while carving........
ok ok....we ate every scrap and licked the bones.......................the rub almost carmelised into a glaze.....smoked paprica and cracked pepper go wonderfull together with brown sugar.......i thought it was great.....then i squeezed a lil orange and lemon juice on the meat............thats when i told my sons to leave............i have enough honeywood for one more smoke..next time...i'm doing 2 whole breasts that are split.......plus as much chicken breast as will fit in the smoker | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/26/2008 7:35:30 AM | | well i like my stuffing i melt the butter cut up the celery onions have the bread in bowl and then just add it all mix it up with sage and poultry stuff and mmmmm not much to it but its so good then i do potatoes in big pot vedgies in other pot warm buns then later pie and cookies oh and i have to have sliced ham my mom always had that for me and thats it really xxxxxx oooo | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/26/2008 8:44:21 AM | What are your secrets for a gravy and/or stuffing.
I prefer flour over cornstarch for the gravy and a little smoked kielbasa in the stuffing adds a nice kick to it. | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/26/2008 8:48:16 AM | I'm making the pies today, sweet potato, apple and chocolate. Then a Tres Leche cake and maybe a banana cake, too.
Later in the afternoon I'll get the veggies cleaned and ready to cook tomorrow.
The turkey is in the brine water with cloves, allspice, sage, thyme, bay leaves, black pepper, garlic and slices of apple, lemon, orange. OMG! It smelled so good when I mixed it up.
The cornbread and biscuits for the stuffing are all done and the fresh stock is in the freezer.
I'm trying to get as much as possible done today, so I can enjoy the day with family tomorrow.
Good Cooking ~ that comes from the heart,, thanks to all for sharing so much of yours with all of us other foodies.
Hope ya'll have a wonderful day tomorrow.
Fonda | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/26/2008 9:35:29 AM | Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Happy Thanksgiving 
I know everyone is busy with family, cooking and chopping, even last minute shopping, but have a wonderful Thanksgiving and try to keep it under 3000 calories for that one meal LOLOL
I read on a medical website that 3600 calories is the typical caloric intake just for Thanksgiving meal alone, which included dessert and drinks. I don't actually think my stomach could hold 3600 calories in one meal, but I am sure it is high because there are so many carbs in that meal, though I have always tried to make it sensible on my plate. There are many items that I don't eat on Thanksgiving. The only high carb dishes I consume and would be my downfall are the cornbread dressing, if I am cooking because here in Michigan people don't cook that, and the homemade cranberry sauce. I usually get 1 piece of pie in, but I rarely eat any of the crust. Pumpkin, or sweet potato if it is there.
I am much more into turkey and cranberry sauce and Brussels sprouts, but I would never skip cornbread dressing if it is there!!
Bring on the FEAST!!! | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/26/2008 3:41:42 PM |
rub it good with a mix of smoked paprica,cracked peppercorns and a bit of brown sugar...........any thoughts on how it might turn out?
It should turn out great! That's pretty much the combination I used to use every time I smoked a turkey breast, except I used honey instead of sugar and added butter (had to give up the smoker when I moved to a condo). It should be moist and flavorful, and probably won't last very long.  | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/27/2008 6:22:36 AM | I'm doing a turkey breast on the wood pellet fired grill!
My Traeger pellet grill is perfect for this, it is actually a wood burning convection oven, it cooks with indirect heat, it flavors the food with whatever wood the pellets are made of and you can choose from hickory, mesquite, apple, cherry, alder, the list goes on and on. I use what they call the "perfect mix" that is a combination of hickory, cherry, pecan, and apple. Just for added flavor and color, I also lay some hickory chips on top of the firebox for more smoke. The food is never overcooked, it stays juicy, and the taste of food cooked over wood is just fantastic!
Stuffing will be cornbread, WITH oysters of course!! And coarsely chopped pecans. This makes a wonderfully crunchy nutty addition to traditional southern style stuffing.
Collards cooked with chunks of smoked ham and jalapeno vinegar round out this holiday meal.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING Y'ALL!! | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 11/30/2008 4:40:40 PM | Wow!!!
Awesome stuff going on here.
Anyone have leftovers???
I was out of town the week of Thanksgiving and had no access to a computer. Hope everyone had a great and safe holiday.
Mightbeme: How do I wrangle an invitation to next year's Thanksgiving dinner? You even made oyster dressing sound good.
I'll be waiting... | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/22/2009 7:36:40 PM | I had to bring this back up. It has been on my mind lately. I am thinking of making Thanksgiving dinner for a couple of families that are friends, well at least 1 of the families. Depends on where we can have it because ther two families do not know each other, so if it isn't at my house, probably only one family.
I am in the mood to change my lifelong tradition. Oh Not drastically, but somehow. I have said this for three years and haven't changed one thing. I guess I just want it lighter so I can eat more!! LOL I can never eat more than a small plate at a time and so I usually have 1 Thanksgiving Day and one the next. I can never eat two the same day because the time of eating the meal is never the usual time to eat. Ever notice that, or is it just southerners who do this? The two families I am talking about are also from the south as I am, and they eat the Thanksgiving meal between two meals too.
I noticed I asked the Butter Tart question last year too.... What the heck?? I need a Canadian to unravel this mystery for me.
SS | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/27/2009 12:43:56 PM | Found the missing ingredient, and now I have 3# of Minnesota long grain wild rice that I got just for cornbread stuffing with oysters and pecans, this adds yet another crunchy nutty dimension to it!
I like infusing my recipes with things I pick up along my travels, and this wild rice is local to the boundary waters region. I loved cooking with it while I lived in Minnesota, it's especially nutty and flavorful, no other rice tastes like it. I will also be adding it to gumbo, chicken soup, salads and other dishes it looks like it might belong in.
This stuff can be sorta hard to find, but thanks to our favorite online auction sources, once again it graces my kitchen...
Now bring on that bird! | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 10:02:45 AM | MMMMmmmmm, turkey time! I just wish I had more people to cook for. Who do you cook for, singles and empty nesters?
I can't find the brine post - can someone tell me what # it is? I got exhausted trying to read through everything!
This year, I will probably get a deep-fried bird from a girlfriend who specializes in them....although I always laugh at the thought. I had a guy friend whose neighbor tried this on his deck, and his only comment afterward was "the deck is charcoal ." LOL!!! | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 10:12:05 AM | Justbunky: message #18 has a brine recipe by Pistols and Pearls. You can't go wrong with any recipe she posts. There might be more on here that I missed.
Also, here is a link to a simple (but I'm sure good) brine...it says for chicken but I'm sure it's good for turkeys too.
http://forums.plentyoffish.com/datingPosts7885236.aspx
SS: Thanks for resurrecting this. 
I have a feeling you have some brine recipes yourself??? | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 10:27:02 AM | brine recipie
1 gallon of good cider
1 to 1 1/2 cup of salt
juice from 2 lemons and 2 oranges
soak the bird or breasts for 24 hrs.....breast down
make a rub from smoked paprica.......fresh cracked [med. fine] black peppercorns and bown sugar
slowly smoke the bird for 8 to 10 hrs over hickory and or applewood..........and if you can find some honeywood........mmmmmmmmmm
you can proubly make honeywood by covering a few chunks of hardwood with honey and letting it set a year or so............i know.a long time.....but man does honeywood impart a flavor like you cant believe | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 2:19:56 PM | Hi Naughti! You now I love this thread
I have to make a small correction, so please forgive me. Msg 18 is the full brine recipe, but it is Denim and Pearls, not Pistols and Pearls. I do not recall seeing Denim and Pearls except in this thread, but her recipe is wonderful. Pistols and Pearls is a wonderfully educated woman about food and the food industry, it is her profession. Yes, any recipe from her is gonna be good. Her former name on here was AmericanRover, so those are wonderful as well.
I do have a brine recipe on here somewhere in some remote thread, but I am all open to learning more and better brining methods. Here I refer to Random Entry. Her recipes are always good as well and she takes a lot of care and time in her cooking. She has a few messages here on pages 3,4,&5. She talks of her frozen brining method.
I have only brined a few times and always for wild turkeys only, which is what I thought brining was for and never considered doing it on a farmed turkey. Well, now I know how much I have missed out. I have only one dilemma. I must have roasted turkey drippings for my dressing and gravy, so brining would greatly alter that flavor.
I used to roast three small turkeys before Thanbksgiving to get enough of the roasted pan juices to make all I needed for the meal. All that meat was so easy to give away ro take to the local food kitchen. Now, I do not have, or cook for such a crowd and the laws have changed and I cannot take meat to the local food kitchen. In fact, where I live today there is no food kitchen.
I have been facing this dilemma for the last 2 years, this will make 3. This is why I am looking for a change in my Thanksgiving line-up. It is hard to change a lifetime of tradition.
It isn't all that urgent ,though. I spend Thanksgiving, when not at one of my kids, which is rare these days, with a group of professors form the local University, one of my recent schools where I was a student. I made a lot of good friends and it seems a lot of us are single, men and women, so we spend every Thanksgiving together and just bring whatever we want. It is always a massive feast and crowded seating. One entire dining table is taken up with wine LOL The same sweet lady always hosts. It always looks like one of those magazine articles on Thanksgiving at a 140 year old farm house that is rustic with simple decor and natural decoration from outside, all set in the woods with rocking chairs on the back porch. Which also serves as the second refrigerator in these parts come fall. Heck today it is in the high 30's. You have to watch out for robbing animals at her back porch fridge, though. There is one lady that made the very first ever bread (not cornbread) stuffing I ever liked, in fact, I LOVED it. It was huge chunks of toasted sourdough and root veggies. She cooked it in the turkey, which I never do. I have never liked the way any of my "stuffing" came out when stuffed, so I cook it separately. So I definitely bow to her and her Bread Stuffing! 
I have a second dilemma. The last few years I have been confused by the drippings of the turkeys being weak and flavorless, even almost clear after roasting for hours. I did a research last month and found that now turkeys are bred not only for even less dark meat, but also for a lighter more chicken-like flavor, because consumers are saying turkey is too strong a flavor. Turkey growers contributed this one thing to lower sales over the last decade, so now we have turkeys with no flavor. I am so fed up with this all bland, all alike world, taste, fashion, looks, blah blah blah....I even threw out my cookie cutters!!!!!
I came up with what I thought was the perfect wild turkey brine once. I will see if I can't find it.
SS | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 3:08:29 PM | My apologies to Denim and Pistols for mixing up there names. Thanks, SS for catching it and correcting it.
Also, SS, I tried to catch you by private mail in time for you to edit your post. Seems you made a little mistake, too.
Random Entry is a "he", not a "she".
(promise this wasn't tit for tat)
Raxarsr: Thanks for your brine recipe. Always nice to have you posting on here.
I am going to finally try this brining thing for myself this year. Just so many good sounding recipes to choose from.
Dinner tonight is...OOOPS, wrong thread 
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 3:31:09 PM | OMG Random is a man??? LOLOL
Okay, I am mixing up a picture of someone that used to have one up for a short time, but didn't beofre that and not since. I was thinking this woman in the picture was Random Entry...so I have a name and a one time pic confused. My apologies Random Entry, but everything I said about him is true
Okay, help me out here Naughti. The pic I am talking about is a cute woman in her 40's, early 40's I think. She has short brown hair and in her pic she was wearing jeans and a light blue sleveless top, standing in front of an old-type store or barn, looking away from the camera and there was a goose in the pic walking around, I think. Who is this? I used to think she was a male poster until she put her pic up. There are several I used to confuse. She posts regularly, but not often.
And Thank You Naughti for having my back. Always feel free to correct my error.
SS
Edit: I found her!!! I knew she posted in the Hey Good Lookin thread. The top is black and there is no goose LOL. Talk about a mix up! It is Been There Done That. I do not know why I had her and Random Entry mixed up, but I did. | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 4:27:55 PM | SS,, I almost always brine my turkey, then roast as usual. I find the pan juices to be just as good as ever.. But, I normally mix that with stock I've cooked seperately, in order to have enough for the stuffing and the gravy. Just taste for salt before you add any more.
tb | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 7:31:21 PM | You don't think there is a flavor change TB? Do you use juices in your brine?
I am very into pairing ingredients with what the animal would come in contact with in nature, so this is why I chose these ingredients.
2 quarts pear nectar
1 cup salt
a handful of sage fresh leaves
10 juniper berries
Heat until salt is dissolved completely. Do not boil. Remove from heat and add
1 1/2 gallon more pear nectar. Chill.
In a large, heavy, thick plastic bag, place chilled dressed turkey and nectar. Squeeze out as much air as possible, tie tightly and place win an ice chest with a large dry ice bag in the bottom, about 3 flattened paper grocery bags on top, then the turkey, then more grocery bags and another large bag of dry ice. Turn the turkey in 12 hours and check on the temperature.
At that time make the next brine
2 quarts apple cider
1 cup salt
4 large carrots, ground completely
a hand full of sorrel
Heat until salt is completely dissolved. Pour in 1 1/2 gallon more apple cider and 2 large onions pureed. Chill.
Next day, change out dry ice bags and put turkey in a new bag with the new brine. Set up the same as before in the ice chest. Turn in 12 hours.
Next day, rinse turkey well and let drain and dry well. Put the tip ends of the wings under the breast. Use string to tie thighs and legs close to the body and legs together. Roast in 250 degree oven in a shallow roasting pan. Beneath the pan and off to one side, put a triple heavy duty foil packet of pecan wood that has been soaked in Burgundy and worcestershire. Poke holes with a fork all in one side of the foil packet. You will need several of these. Start the wood smoking on the stove top burner before putting into oven with turkey. Baste with your brine ingredients minus the salt.
**These days heavy duty foil is so thin that you may need a few more layers.
I made this with the wild rice dressing recipe I gave Rax last year.
SS | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/28/2009 10:19:43 PM |
I need a Canadian to unravel this mystery for me.
What mystery do you need unraveled ... I missed the original butter tart post (far be it for me to miss posts about tarts and recreational applications of food products ... someone get me my rubber sheets, please). Me, I prefer mince or even pumpkin, but in a pinch, butter tarts are tasty. Hold the raisins. How may I be of assistance in the service of my country?  | |
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| Let's talk turkey......and stuff(ing).
Posted: 9/29/2009 5:58:34 AM | SS,, I use fresh cubed fruits and veggies, along with fresh herbs in the brine water, no juices tho.. I'm also fortunate to have two refrigerators and a huge pot that will hold a turkey. So, I don't have to mess with the cooler and ice, my bird just goes into the frig in my pantry.
Your brine sounds yummy, but the nectar might change the flavor of the pan juices more. Actually, I keep thinking of a roasting chicken brined using apricot nectar, then incorporating dried apricots some how, when cooking it.. As always, your post triggered new ideas..
tb | |
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