So, I tried something new this year. And I learned some interesting lessons from it.
What I did is turn the turkey into parts and debone the breasts. This is very easy to do. Much easier than spatchcocking, actually. And it leaves you with the full carcass of the bird, minus the leg bones, to start making your turkey stock with immediately.
But, it cooks MUCH faster this way. I did a 13 lb bird this year. I would expect that to take 90 - 120 minutes when I spatchcock it. Deboned into parts, the breasts were done in 60 minutes and the legs/thighs were done in 75 minutes. Put them on first so that everything gets done at the same time. I had to hold the breasts while the legs were finishing and ended up with a bit dry white meat.
Here’s the full day and what we did, with notes on recipes and outcomes!
Brunch at 10:30 AM
Sourdough French Toast (5 eggs, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, beat well, 5 slices from a sourdough round, cook until golden brown)
Fletcher’s bacon
Prosecco
Coffee
Spend an hour recovering from that, then prep everything for cooking dinner
Make Fig appetizers, serve with a cocktail … so more like Hors d’Ouevres than appetizers during the meal. Cocktail was gin, soda, lime wedge, cranberries …. Nice contrast to the sweet, smoky figs
Get SnS running, peel potatoes, chop Brussels sprouts, pull out prepped, but not cooked, dressing. Prepare garnish dishes (black olives and Cornichons).
I followed Chef Jean-Pierre’s approach to turkey and gravy done in 2 hours with the one exception that I smoked the gravy stock under the turkey for about 45 minutes. He is absolutely right about being done in 2 hours.
Standard mashed potatoes (boiled potatoes, salt, butter, milk)
Dressing is my usual of bread crumbs, apples, onion, carrots, celery, bacon, sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic, pepper, chicken stock, and butter. Cook in the oven for an hour
Brussels Sprouts sautéed with bacon and almond slivers
Cranberry sauce that I make at least 1 day ahead
Get the turkey stock off the smoker, separate the fat, and reduce a bit in a saucepan, then stir in fresh sage leaves, then stir in a roux and thicken some.
Pull the turkey and rest 20 minutes ….. reminder, it cooks faster than you expect and you will start to feel very rushed. Prep as much ahead as you can.
Carve the turkey.
Set the table.
Pour the wine …. We had a nice GSM from Gigondas in the Rhône Valley, France.
Say a thanksgiving prayer
Enjoy!
What I did is turn the turkey into parts and debone the breasts. This is very easy to do. Much easier than spatchcocking, actually. And it leaves you with the full carcass of the bird, minus the leg bones, to start making your turkey stock with immediately.
But, it cooks MUCH faster this way. I did a 13 lb bird this year. I would expect that to take 90 - 120 minutes when I spatchcock it. Deboned into parts, the breasts were done in 60 minutes and the legs/thighs were done in 75 minutes. Put them on first so that everything gets done at the same time. I had to hold the breasts while the legs were finishing and ended up with a bit dry white meat.
Here’s the full day and what we did, with notes on recipes and outcomes!
Brunch at 10:30 AM
Sourdough French Toast (5 eggs, 1/2 cup cream, 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, beat well, 5 slices from a sourdough round, cook until golden brown)
Fletcher’s bacon
Prosecco
Coffee
Spend an hour recovering from that, then prep everything for cooking dinner
Make Fig appetizers, serve with a cocktail … so more like Hors d’Ouevres than appetizers during the meal. Cocktail was gin, soda, lime wedge, cranberries …. Nice contrast to the sweet, smoky figs
Get SnS running, peel potatoes, chop Brussels sprouts, pull out prepped, but not cooked, dressing. Prepare garnish dishes (black olives and Cornichons).
I followed Chef Jean-Pierre’s approach to turkey and gravy done in 2 hours with the one exception that I smoked the gravy stock under the turkey for about 45 minutes. He is absolutely right about being done in 2 hours.
Standard mashed potatoes (boiled potatoes, salt, butter, milk)
Dressing is my usual of bread crumbs, apples, onion, carrots, celery, bacon, sage, thyme, rosemary, garlic, pepper, chicken stock, and butter. Cook in the oven for an hour
Brussels Sprouts sautéed with bacon and almond slivers
Cranberry sauce that I make at least 1 day ahead
Get the turkey stock off the smoker, separate the fat, and reduce a bit in a saucepan, then stir in fresh sage leaves, then stir in a roux and thicken some.
Pull the turkey and rest 20 minutes ….. reminder, it cooks faster than you expect and you will start to feel very rushed. Prep as much ahead as you can.
Carve the turkey.
Set the table.
Pour the wine …. We had a nice GSM from Gigondas in the Rhône Valley, France.
Say a thanksgiving prayer
Enjoy!
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