Then there is Stove Top turkey dressing comes in a box, and turkey gravy in a jar, and canned cranberry sauce.
Butterball produces bird-in-a-bag you just pop in the oven. Nothing is to good for my in-laws, I mean nothing.
I usually make a separate oven stuffing with a french baguette thats cubed up and left to go a little stale, ground sausage, apples, peppers, and onion. Noms
y'all are missing the best thing about the dressing... you'll have left overs... which make fablous Belgian waffles. No, I'm not kidding. Fire up the waffle iron, scoop in some stuffing/dressing (if it's dried out you will likely need to remoisten it a bit). Close the waffle iron. Cook like a regular waffle. You can use regular syrup, syrup spiced with hot sauce or bourbon-maple syrup. mmmmmmm
Smoker:
Landmann Smoke Master Series Heavy Duty Barrel Smoker (COS) - With mods including 2 level rack system with pull-out grates
Masterbuilt ThermoTemp XL 40" Vertical Propane Smoker
Weber Smokey Joe with mini-WSM Tamale Pot modification
The Good One Marshall
Gas Grill:
BBQPro (cheap big box store model) Stainless steel 4 burnerswith aftermarket rotisserie.
Brook King Regal S490 Pro
Charcoal Grill:
Weber Smokey Joe Charcoal Grill 14"
Thermometer:
2 x Fireboard 2 with Drive cable and 20 CFM fan and Competition Probe Package
ThermoWorks Mini Instant Read
Lavaworks Thermowand Instant Read
ThermoWorks IR-GUN-S Industrial Infrared Thermometer
ThermoWorks ThermaPen Mk4 x 2
ThermoWorks Thermapen ONE
Govee Bluetooth Thermometer with 6 probes
Miscellaneous:
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - 1st generation
Anova Sous Vide Immersion Circulator - wifi/bluetooth connected
Favorite Beer:
Anything to the dark side and malty rather than hoppy. Currently liking Yuengling Porter and Newcastle Brown Ale. In a bar or pub I will often default to Guiness
Favorite Spirit:
Bourbon - Eagle Rare for "every day"; Angel's Envy for special occasions, Basil Hayden's, Larceny
Favorite Wine:
Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Super Tuscan Sangiovese (Including Chianti Classico Riserva) Brunello di Montalcino
Favorite Meat(s):
Pork - especially the darker meat. I love spare ribs and anything made from shoulder/butt meat
Chicken - Mainly the dark meat and wings
Beef Ribeye steak
Favorite Cuisine to Cook:
Can't list just one: Indian, Chinese, Thai, West Indian/Carribean, Hispanic/Latin American, Ethiopian, Italian, BBQ
Favorite Cuisine to Eat:
Indian, followed closely by BBQ.
Growing up, my mother always stuffed the bird. It didn't really come out mushy. I believe you put less stock or water in the stuffing when it's going inside the bird. I always loved it that way and used to do th same myself. Nowadays, though, I cook it outside the bird in a casserole dish. It's a side dish which is awesome with gravy on it. Also I've never had cornbread stuffing. Always regular wheat bread. The bread should be dried out and/or toasted before making stuffing.
Last edited by Dewesq55; November 27, 2020, 02:13 PM.
Panhead John, don't think I'll find it up here in the sticks but I'll take a look.
Stuffing should be made from scratch IMHO to be authentic....probably why my family insists on Stove Top!!!! Henrik asked a great question here, its neat to here peoples opinions on stuffing
I read somewhere that early Thanksgivings here did not include turkey, or likely not any bird whatsoever. However, stuffing originally was chestnuts, onions and herbs stuffed in the cavity as aromatics. It evolved from there.
When I was a kid it was always bread based stuffing, didn't matter whose house you went to, and nearly always in the cavity. Recipes did vary some, and for me the holy grail was the portion coming out of the bird because it got this very crunchy exterior. Often the interior was very soggy, but it did depend on the cook and the recipe. I don't remember anyone getting sick, but I don't know if salmonella was as big of a problem then as it is now.
Nowadays my mom has celiac, so we use gluten free bread and keep it outside the bird. This year I am attempting my first cornbread dressing.
I have one celiac, so severe that her spouse has gone gluten free because if they kiss after she has eaten gluten it causes a reaction in my daughter. So that's two, and then our daughter in law is gluten intolerant, not nearly as severe as our daughter, but to much is not good. So I've done gluten free stuffing a number of years. This year it won't be a problem, just the wife and me.
In "On Plymouth Planation," Bradford’s famous account of the founding of Plymouth Colony, he remarked of the fall harvest that year that: "there was great store of wild turkeys, of which they took many, besides venison, etc."
Edward Winslow noted in his journal that the colony’s governor, William Bradford, sent four men on a "fowling" mission in preparation for the three-day event:
"Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together, after we had gathered the fruits of our labors; they four in one day killed as much fowl, as with a little help beside, served the Company almost a week.â€
I’ve actually been making a slightly altered version of Meathead’s stuffin muffins the last few years. I really like how they have lots of crispy bits but stay moist in the center. I grew up with my family always stuffing the bird. My mom will never cook a turkey without stuffing it...the turkey is always over cooked and dry too!
My wife did not realize that turkey could actually be edible until she had Thanksgiving with my family. Her mom believed turkey should be cooked low and slow in the oven. 200 degrees for 14 hours. Or something like that. She'd be up all night basting it, which didn't do a bit of good.
So much good info! Thanks! So now I know the difference between stuffing vs dressing, and the two ‘camps’: bread vs cornbread. I’ve done a few birds, but never done the dressing (which will be my choice). Will give it a try.
The only reason he’s doing it that way is because he said cornbread is rare around there. The Swedish are highly intelligent people who know they should scoop up all the cornbread mix and stockpile it before Thanksgiving. Henrik accidentally missed out on getting his ahead of time. THAT’S why he’s doing it your way. Bogy
Last edited by Panhead John; November 26, 2020, 04:36 PM.
Cornbread and crumbled breakfast sausage, giblets (not the liver) with onions, celery, sage, eggs and turkey/chicken stock. This is what I grew up on. My grandmother and mother always stuffed it in the bird. It was always too mushy but it tasted like Thanksgiving. They always put the bird in one of those big enameled roasters which, like roasting bags, ensured that the turkey was steamed with rubbery skin.
I make the same stuffing but I cook it in a casserole now because I spatchcock my turkey and like to grill-roast them.
Last edited by Bkhuna; November 25, 2020, 04:57 AM.
Panhead John Brother I got my schoolin from Merry Melodies and Loonie Tunes.
No Rhodes Scholars around our house, grade 12 and off to work.
My father didn't want over educated bums around the house, he got his way....under educated bums....
LSG Adjustable Grill/Smoker, MAK Pellet Grill, Large BGE with Several Attachments from the Ceramic Grill Store, Weber Genesis E335 Gasser, Cast Iron Pans & Griddle, Grill Grates, Mostly Thermoworks Thermometers, Anova SV Stick, BBQ Guru Controller and Fan
My Mother always stuffed the turkey and yes it was quite moist. I really prefer the dressing made on the side and having it kind of dry. As IowaGirl stated we never had corn bread dressing in Minnesota either. Now a family favorite is Trader Joe's Cornbread Stuffing. I do doctor it up a bit though, a few craisins etc. We have one person who is gluten free for health reasons and this year I found a GF version at Trader Joe's. Happy Thanksgiving everyone.
Something that is overlooked on the stuffing and needs to be tried is meatheads stuffing muffins (recipe is on the free side). I tried his recipe a few years ago and was really surprised at how well it went over at the dinner table.
everyone is perplexed at the way they look but loved the idea of having them in the individual serving.
a lot of stuffing are either to wet or to dry but the way the stuffing muffins comes out is great. And they are easy enough to do anytime of the year.
I cook the turkey in two phases. First, unstuffed and nothing in the cavity and untrussed, starting around 400F when you put the bird in, and drop the heat to 325F. If using a ceramic cooker, drop the heat right away. Otherwise give it about 20 minutes, then drop. Let it cook ~1-1/2 hours total for this part. Pull out the bird, but keep the cooker at 325F. This gets the even cooking most of the way done.
Second phase is stuff the turkey when it's cool enough to work with and put it back in the cooker to desired temps. I don't truss the bird. This finishes the skin and cook, and gets more drippings into the stuffing.
The stuffing/dressing runs in parallel.
First, make a dry stuffing. That means melt some butter in a big pan and toss in the prepared stuffing ingredients. Mix it up. Remove from heat. NO LIQUID ADDED TO THE STUFFING! At the point where you put the bird in for phase 1, also put the stuffing mix in another or the same cooker preheated to 325F (or it's cooling down to 325F if using the same cooker. Cook with a tight lid on. The "no liquid in the mix" rule prevents mushy stuffing, and the drippings during phase 2 are enough moisture with what will cook out of the veggies in the mix.
Stuff the bird at end of phase 1. Leave what's left in the pan. Add some or all of the drippings from phase 1 into the pan. If it's still dry and crumbly, you might add a little white wine (don't turn it to mush here. Put it back in the "dressing" cooker at 325F, _uncovered_ until you have a bit of browning or crustiness.
So now you have stuffing and dressing. As you can see, except for the initial prep of the mix and putting it in the bird, it doesn't take up much of your time.
My wife has four imperatives for turkey: gravy that’s not smoky, stuffing in the bird for drippings, the turkey is “doneâ€, including good skin, and no
Here's a bread and sage dressing/stuffing made the way my mother and grandmothers made it --
Notes --
All amounts and proportions are approximate.
You can make this dressing and bake it the same day. Or you can make it 1-2 days in advance and refrigerate, covered, until ready to cook it.
You can fill muffin cups with this mixture to make "muffings" a la Meathead.
Turkey stock (optional, but recommended) --
Open the packet of turkey giblets. Feed the liver to the pups or use it for other purposes.
Make stock with the turkey neck, other turkey trimmings, and remaining giblets (the heart and gizzard). When done, separate the stock from the solids and reserve the stock for use in the gravy. If you have more than enough for the gravy, use the rest in the dressing (see below).
Pick out and reserve the edible meat bits in the solids from the stock preparation. Dice up the heart, gizzard, and other larger pieces and add to the other meat bits. Use this meat in the dressing (see below).
Dressing --
In a large bowl, break up dried bread into pieces 1 1/2 to 2 inches across (3-5 cm). I recommend using mild flavored wheat and/or white sandwich-type bread. I've never measured, but I estimate you would want to start with 5-6 quarts (5-6 liters) of dry bread pieces to end up with about 3-4 quarts (3-4 liters) of ready-to-bake dressing.
Saute a diced medium to large onion and a double handful of sliced celery (include some celery leaves) in a stick of butter (1/2 cup, 113 g) until veggies are just tender and translucent. If you're short of celery, add some celery seed to boost the celery flavor - perhaps 1/4 to 1/2 tsp celery seed. Season with 2-3 tsp rubbed, powdered, or minced sage as well as salt and pepper to taste, and other seasonings as desired.
Drizzle this butter/veg mixture evenly over the bread and gently mix.
In 2-3 cups (450-680 g) of cooled stock (or chicken stock, or milk, or water in a pinch, or a blend of all), beat 2-3 eggs until well blended. Drizzle the egg mixture and the meat bits (if using) over the butter-coated bread, tossing gently to coat the bread with the egg mixture.
The goal is to evenly moisten and mix the ingredients without breaking the bread chunks up too much. Don't use a heavy hand when mixing.
When that liquid is absorbed, add 1/2 to 1 cup (125-250 g) additional broth or milk and gently mix until absorbed. Continue adding liquid and gently mixing until the bread chunks are softened and have absorbed enough liquid to be moist most of the way through, but are still in distinct pieces.
The amount of liquid needed will vary depending on how dry the bread is. Err on the side of a little drier rather than a little too wet. You don't want to add so much liquid that the bread chunks stick together in a wet lump.
Grease a casserole dish (upper-Midwest-speak for "baking dish") with butter. Pour the dressing into the dish and distribute the bread in an even layer. Lightly press the bread into place without packing it down heavily. You can drizzle the top with a little extra butter (perhaps 1/4 cup) if you like.
Cover the dish with aluminum foil or the casserole lid. Refrigerate the dish at this point for a day or two if you want to make the dressing in advance.
Bake at 350 F (or whatever temp at which you are cooking the turkey) until the center of the dressing is, oh, around 180-190 F / 82-88 C. You can remove the foil and bake 10-15 minutes longer to crisp up the top if you like.
Serve hot with gravy on the side.
Last edited by IowaGirl; November 25, 2020, 10:41 AM.
IowaGirl Believe it or not me and you is like 2 peas in a pod. (kinda) 😂 You are so right about a kindly tease or a declaration of war. 😂 Now, you didn’t hear this from me....but, one of my favorite shows from the 90’s was Designing Women. It was really funny and a true barometer of The South.
Another of those Southern tricks that I learned when doing business there is the "Why I'm just a country boy"! When negotiating with someone who starts behaving that way, you know it's time for high alert!
Have to admit, it soon became a very effective part of my own arsenal.
On another site someone was on a rant about traditional things related to cooking such as an air fryer is not really frying. That person also proclaimed that it isn't stuffing unless it is stuffed in the bird. Otherwise it's dressing...
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