Hey there. Ms. @crandc! You're definitely the Queen of epicurean offerings and affairs! We will be hosting the fam for Thanksgiving and I would love to lean on your expertise for some really off-the-wall yet "winner" Thanksgiving recipe ideas. Please note: I'm still relatively new to my wife's extended family. Me wants to impress! Thanks in advance, my friend.
I invented the Gravy Bar a few years back. It has grown to be very popular at family Turkey Day. Last year's gravies were: Gravy 1 - Wild Mushroom Gravy 2 - Stout Beer and Orange Juice (A very unique and tasty combination for turkey) Gravy 3 - Bourbon and Bacon (The King of gravies. Rich & smooth taste.)
Make sure the turkey has crusty brown skin. This is one of the most delicious foods on the face of the Earth. Make giblet gravy. boil the giblets plus the neck in some water for a long time. Before dinner add the pan drippings to the giblet water, then add some flour and cook until the flour is done. Gravy is done. Reserve some of the giblets plus a can of water chestnuts for adding to the dressing which is nothing more that bread cubes plus sage plus the giblets plus the water chestnuts. Boil some peeled russet potatoes, mash, add some butter and some half and half. Then whip with an egg beater. Side dishes are really unimportant but candied yams are very nice. Dessert should include pumpkin (sweet potato) or mince meat pie. A football game on TV before, during and after dinner is a must. In fact, I think it's a state law.
Dry brine and spatchcock turkey. Get fresh turkey, not frozen. Mash potatoes with masher, they should not be puree.
Great calls on the dry brining, and spatchcocking. I have no advice on American sides, but I do know about roasting. Dry brining allows the salt to penetrate deep into the flesh. It will do so at the rate of about 1” per 24 hours, so you can dry brine a few days in advance, but it needs to be at least 24 hours before cooking. Use 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound, or 1/4 teaspoon of table salt per pound. Leave the bird uncovered in the fridge whilst dry brining, this will dry the skin and help it crisp. Spatchcocking the bird will drastically cut cooking time as you aren’t having to heat up all the air, or stuffing in the middle of the bird. If you are concerned about the lack of stuffing, make stuffing muffins. That way everyone gets a muffin. Put the giblets, neck, and any trimmings in the roasting pan, along with 2 onions (skin on), 2 carrots, 1 celery rib, all roughly chopped, 2 bay leaves, a few sage leaves, a few sprigs of thyme, and 2” of water (and a cup of apple juice if you want a little sweetness to your gravy). Keep the water at the 2” level by topping up with boiling water every hour, do not let it dry out, do not top up with cold water. Put the bird on the grill (or a rack) above the pan, not in the pan. This will allow the heat to circulate all around the bird. My preferred temp for cooking poultry is 325F. Any lower, and the skin won’t crisp. Cook to internal meat temp, not time. I like to remove the bird from the heat at 155F for breast, 165F for dark meat (it will continue to cook while it rests). The different temps can be achieved by positioning the legs closer to the heat source, or by portioning the bird before cooking. As a rough guide a 14 pound bird would take about 1.5 hours at 325F, a 30 pound bird would take about 3 hours, but please use the internal meat temp. Do a practice run. Even more than one if you are using equipment that you aren’t experienced with. Use a chicken for practice. If you’re really worried about cooking time, start cooking early, and hold the bird at temperature in a faux cambro. That is, put the bird in your cooler after cooking (with no ice obviously). It should stay at a safe eating temperature for up to three hours in there. Leave a temperature probe in just to be safe. The skin will lose crispness, but you won’t be stressed about finishing on time. Either way, pick your poison, stress or rubbery skin. All of my advice comes from personal experience, and BBQ guru Meathead Goldwyn. https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/turkey-recipes/bbq-and-grilled-turkey-recipe
Also, never use canned sweet potatoes. In fact, nothing at a Thanksgiving dinner should come from a can. ABM, if you want specific recipes, message me. I have volumes.
If you are going to leave the bird uncovered in the fridge whilst dry brining, don’t leave it uncovered the whole time, just the last few hours. I wouldn’t use a strong wood like Hickory or Mesquite to smoke it. I’d use Oak, or a fruit wood, or Casuarina wood (I think the seed pods are too sweet for poultry, and go better with lamb). And less is more with smoking, you want to be able to taste the meat.
That reminds of the days when I was a practicing Catholic and couldn't eat meat on Friday. We went to a restaurant called Carmen's in the Hollywood district and they had actually had a crab pizza on the menu so I ordered it and it was actually delicious.
How long do you dry brine it for? I’ve only ever left poultry uncovered for 48 hours at the most (not for any specific reason), so I was uncomfortable recommending leaving it uncovered for any longer than that.
Yeah, I always use a wet brine. I completely submerge the meat/turkey in a brine in a large stock pot and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days...just my preference.
I personally prefer dry brining because I feel that I have better control of how much salt the flesh is absorbing, and because it dries the skin at the same time.
Yeah, I understand the dry brining concept but when I use the wet version I take the bird out in plenty of time for the skin to dry out a bit so it's nice and crispy after roasting/smoking. Plus, in a water based brine I don't need nearly as much salt because like I said it's in the brine for a couple of days and there's less of a chance of "over-brining". ...But ultimately it's a matter of preference.
Generally dry brine about 24 hours. Problem with wet brine is the container takes up so much space at a time when both my refrigerators are full. And by all means add spices or dried herbs to dry brine.
