Thanksgiving Meat Ideas - HBO

[Craigar]

Hey kids, how ya been? I need some of your ideas for some meat to go with the gawd awful dried out tasteless sawdust better known as the Thanksgiving turkey. In all fairness, Jill does a great job...as long as she can keep her mother's fingers out of the mess. Please, don't get me started. No, I am not allowed to smoke the turkey or season it as MIL would have a pissy-hissy fit. So I told Jill, fine, you all can have that garbage again this year I will smoke/grill/burn my own protein...and I will reluctantly share with the rest of the fam, but it will be under protest.

So help a brother out here (@Huskee this is where you can substitute HBO ). I have thought about all of the regular cast of characters...ham, beef, lamb, etc...but nothing really gets my juices flowing thinking about the regular BBQ fare. Crown roast? We will have plenty of dressing since Jill kills it with the dressing (don't tell her, but it's better than my mother's) so that's a possibility, but the kitchen is not big enough for the two of us. Prime rib? No, we're already going to spend a thousand bucks or so on turkey this year for 8 people. My mind is mush, so I need some ideas. Dinner is at 2:00, so I would have plenty of time to babysit a smoker.

Maybe I need to come at this from a different angle. This will be my 58th, allegedly, Thanksgiving and I don't remember anything else being on the table for protein besides the aforementioned sawdust molded into a turkey. What are some your traditions for having other options besides that damn turkey?

I have droned on long enough. Please leave your comments below...or not. I will understand if you don't, but it might give me a complex.

~Craigar

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Well, my first thoughts were steaks, pork or lamb chops.

However, maybe Polarbear’s pulled beef chuck served as a burger/sandwich or as part of a taco would be fun.

To be honest, other than making a big meal, we don’t really have any food traditions for thanksgiving, mainly because it is usually just the two of us eating the nice food. Who else has kids that won’t eat turkey?

[Craigar]

The pulled beef has crossed my mind. My butcher has what he calls a "brisket cut" bottom round that's amazing. He had some local rose veal I missed out on last week. If I would have had my poop in a group, I would have bought some chops and a roast.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

That brisket cut bottom sounds pretty good!

We are doing a Turkey this year but I still expect to be able to add something new to the table that I can smoke.

[Panhead John]

I know you’ve already mentioned ham, but gonna say this anyway. I’ve done this many times and people love it. I buy a butt ham at my Kroger and smoke it on the kettle, off heat. A few hours before hitting the grill, I season it all over with Tony C’s, that’s it. I use hickory chunks for the smoke. It only takes a couple of hours of smoking off heat in my kettle. I did this one year for an office Christmas party and people actually told me it was the best ham they’ve ever had.

[smokin fool]

There's also the spiral ham option, we do ours on the gasser or my wife will lose her mind or like above give it some smoke

[Panhead John]

I’m not a big fan of spiral hams, they’re good don’t get me wrong, but this is much better and more moist. The spirals tend to dry out on the grill from coming apart at the slices. IMO.

[Caffeine88]

I've done a version of this before, too, and it's great. I soak the ham in apple juice for 24 hrs (yeah, debatable if that's needed, but we started that year's ago and now I'm not allowed to skip it). Smoke it about like PJ describes, and finish with a mustard and honey glaze for a nice caramelized touch. Many compliments on it.

A good option of you're looking to stay faw away from the kitchen for several hours!

[ofelles]

I have spatckcocked and smoked a number of turkeys on both my Yoder and LSG cabinet. They all came out great.
I bet if you served one up side by side, the sawdust would be left and not yours.

[ofelles]

Craigar Sounds like you can't win on this one. So I think you're on to something in just cook what you want and give the MIL a big raspberry.

[smokin fool]

Sounds like my wife....I open the history books and ask where she see's a Samsung glass top range in the Pilgrim's camp back in 1660's....yeah, don't get me going either....

[Craigar]

ofelles That's pretty much what Jill said too.

[Jfrosty27]

Rotisserie chicken. It will be moist and flavorful AND go with all the side dishes already planned. Not dazzling, but easy and tasty. If you have a rotisserie kit of course. 🤷‍♂️

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

I figured chicken would invite comparisons which I think want to be avoided here whereas beef would be distinct enough to avoid direct comments.

[Craigar]

There should be rotisserie turkeys this time of year.

[GroceryBoy]

Your MIL sounds just like mine. I dis-invited her years ago. She has Thanksgiving at her house, we at ours. Works out great! We don’t like each other anyway so why put up with the aggravation of being at the same dinner table?

I like @Panhead John’s butt ham. It would be my second choice. Good luck!

[Craigar]

She thinks you have to toss that sucker in the oven at 5 a.m. for 2 p.m. service.

Ham is starting to take the lead.

[Bbqmikeg]

PORK-pork-PORK is a pork loin cut into a flat sheet by rolling away as you cut it, with cooked Jimmy Dean sausage spread out on it, then rolled up, seasoned, and topped with bacon and tied. It tastes good with cranberry sauce and compliments Thanks Giving foods.
One of the Majestic Fat Bastards Eric had a dream about it, so we figured out this recipe. Who says dreams don’t come true!

[Bkhuna]

Great knife skills on that loin.

[fzxdoc]

I don't think I've ever seen a pork loin so perfectly cut. Plus the recipe is a killer.

If I could butterfly a pork loin that beautifully, I'd serve it for T'giving too. Congrats.

Kathryn

[klflowers]

That is a beautiful thing

[rickgregory]

Yeah, porchetta as above or some variation would be my thought too.

[Jfrosty27]

BBQ Pit Boys has a great recipe for this using pork loin. I’ve done it twice and it’s fantastic.

[glitchy]

I think pork loin or tenderloin can fit well on the table going with mashed taters and stuffing well if seasoned right. Though I’d be tempted like others above to show up the M-I-L with a better cooked turkey. I hate dry overcooked gobblers. Maybe you could deep fry one and get her extra riled up since she wasn’t be able to complain about the smoked flavor

Another thought that comes to mind is throwing another fowl out there, Some quail, duck, Cornish game hens, or wild turkey.

[smokin fool]

Sounds like a fifth of Wild Turkey could just work in this case.

[glitchy]

smokin fool You’re onto something! Much better than my idea, half of that before dinner and you’ll forget that the turkey is dry and most things the MIL says 🤪

[Craigar]

smokin fool Brilliant!

[shify]

Every year I like to do both a regular roasted turkey (spatchcocked) and one a different way. Smoked, turkey pastrami, turkey porchetta, etc. THat way we still have traditional as well as an interesting twist but still turkey. I think the turkey pastrami is still my favorite "alternate" turkey preparation. Pretty easy to do and the smoking part of it takes maybe 2 hours or so.

Not sure what I'm going to do this year.. I recently sous vide/confited some turkey thighs/wings and stuck them in the deep freeze, so may take them out or keep them for something later. I do like the idea of a ham though if you deviate from another type of turkey. Ham and turkey work well together!

[shify]

IFindZeroBadCooks - loosely followed this recipe

https://www.seriouseats.com/turkey-porchetta-food-lab-recipe

I have done it both sous vide and seared and also roasted. I have also done it with one of those boneless skin on turkey breasts with the netting but sometimes there is not enough skin to cover it by using those.

I'll see if I can dig up any pictures. Its been a few years since I made one

[Craigar]

Interesting...turkey porchetta. I might have to do some practicing for this one.

[IFindZeroBadCooks]

Wow. Now to convince the wife this is what I need to make this year.

[DavidNorcross]

I would do a spiral cut ham with the apricot glaze. Really hard to beat as a holiday meal.

[smokin fool]

Spiral hams we buy come with a brown sugar cinnamon nutmeg powder you add water to and glaze the ham.
I don't know if any one here would eat it if they knew apricots were involved.
My son added pureed blueberry's to the glaze last year and sent it thru the roof.

[MBMorgan]

I’d probably stick with fowl … either duck or Cornish hens as individual tiny "turkey" servings.

[Jim White]

A pork loin stuffed with your wife's stuffing and some cranberries would be a winner in my book.

[Old Glory]

I like this idea. Here is a recipe https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/...erloin-2268862

[Jim White]

Old Glory There is a recipe on the free side, too https://amazingribs.com/tested-recip...rk-loin-roast/

[Bkhuna]

I was thinking the same.

[Rod]

How about a smoked meatloaf? Traeger' Glazed Cajun is my favorite. Would add a little zip and should go good with traditional sides.

[Draznnl]

How about smoking a duck? It isn't stepping on the turkey queens' toes, but will let people see what can be done with fowl. WARNING: You will wind up expected to do one every Thanksgiving hereafter. Don't ask how I know.