User avatar
h2ofwlr
The One And Only
Posts: 4781
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:02 pm
Location: The NSA knows where

Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 11:22 am

Alan’s tips and sweet Thanksgiving recipes, so simple even a guy can’t mess it up.

Cook it at 325 in the oven. The rule of thumb is the 15 minutes for each pound of UNFROZEN unstuffed turkey. Yeah - you need to thaw it out, so that takes some fore thought. You can rush the thawing by placing it in warm water in the sink overnight. For a BIG turkey use the bathtub. So if you have a BIG turkey (over 20lbs) you need it in the tub Wed morning if eating Thursday afternoon. A 12lber the evening before.

You need to think ahead, for prep and cooking times. If say for example that you plan on eating at 2 PM and have a 20 lb bird (5 hrs cook time unstuffed), you need to start prep at 8AM. The bird goes in the oven at 8;30 and it should be done at 1:30. Then you have a ½ hr of time for stuffing, gravy and carving before you sit down.

Either you need a baking pan (2” high sides) or a baking foil pan to hold the turkey when baking. Use a cooking oven bag – it’ll be juicier. Before placing it in the oven, add ½ stick of butter under the skin of the breast and I add some black pepper too. Do not use salt as it make it tough! Here is a trick to keep the breast a LOT more juicy - for the 1st ¾ of the time it is cooking, cook it with the breast DOWN. Then flip it over and cook it for the last ¼ breast up. Upon flipping it, if you want to – add 4-6 slices of thick cut bacon on top. For the last 20 -30 minutes split the top of the bag to it brown it. You can brush a bit of brown sugar/water slurry on the skin to make it get a nice golden brown color. The inside needs to get to 160 degrees. Do NOT over cook it as it’ll dry out the meat, not under cook either.
If short for time, do not put stuffing inside the turkey as it’ll take 15-45 minutes less time. (but it is the traditional way to cook it). But to be straight up front - I just do not recommend placing stuffing inside a turkey as there’s a much higher risk of botulism (food poisoning). And yes I’ve had it happen to me because of under cooked turkey – (I did NOT cook it!) and I really had it bad for 2 days, so would hate to see anyone else experience the same fate.

For a sweeter taste, basically use apples and apple juice/cider when making the turkey, stuffing and gravy.

For a 10-12 lb bird use 1 to 1.25 qt of apple juice/cider and add 2 cored and cubed (1/2” sq) apples. If you have a bigger bird, add proportionately more. You place this in the bag with the bird before you start cooking it.

After the turkey is cooked. the juice /apples at the bottom of the bag is what you will make the stuffing liquid and gravy.
I just use the store bought stuffing mix, and instead of water/milk I use the juice and add the butter. I also add the apple chunks to the stuffing. Trust me – it tastes great!
For the remainder of the juices, I make gravy. Simmer it in a sauce pan to reduce it. Use just a bit of flour as it is better to have less flour than too much. On 2 cups of gravy base I add 4 heaping table spoons (the table spoons in your silverware drawer-not the measuring type of spoon) of flour the thicken it. Use a wisk to get out all the lumps out of the flour. I usually add a bit of black pepper to it. Stir occasionally to reduce it (thicken) to desired consistency.

Like I said, so simple a guy that has never cooked a feast before can do it. So enjoy your Thanksgiving meal.

Check list of what you need to possible buy: Turkey, foil pan, oven bag, apple juice/cider, stuffing mix, apples, butter, flour, pepper, & bacon.

BTW, the sweet recipe helps a lot to offset the richer wild flavor of goose, duck or wild turkey. Try 4 Mallards, or 2 medium (specks or lessers) geese or a big 10lb Canada goose as an alternative. And it does not have to be Thanksgiving to use the above recipe. ;)

For a simple feast:
Fowl of your choosing
stuffing
mashed potatoes
gravy
green beans
Bread/biscuits
And a desert like pumpkin or apple pie.

if you want to get fancier, add:
cranberry sauce
Squash


So what are your tips and recipes? please share!
Last edited by h2ofwlr on Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.

User avatar
lanyard
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 3560
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:48 pm

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 12:59 pm

Please thaw raw meets in cold water and be certain to change the water often.

The "Danger Zone" for things that make you sick is raw meat And meat materials (blood, skin, cartilage, etc) is 40-140 degrees. In that range, all the bad things double every 20 minutes. Left over night in tepid water you have likely increased your salmonella risk 20x.

Also, do not leave a whole turkey on the counter to thaw for same reason.

Properly thawing a turkey will be in a refrigerator on a rack with a drip pan underneath. The turkey should also be on the lowest shelf in the fridge. Remove any neck/entrail packs and rinse the cavity.

Not all of this is necessarily practical, but at a minimum use COLD water to decrease thaw time.
https://www.fsis.usda.gov/wps/portal/fsis/topics/food-safety-education/get-answers/food-safety-fact-sheets/safe-food-handling/danger-zone-40-f-140-f/CT_Index

User avatar
h2ofwlr
The One And Only
Posts: 4781
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2013 9:02 pm
Location: The NSA knows where

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 2:47 pm

:lol: Do you have any idea how long before the warm water in a sink holding a 10-12 frozen turkey will turn to ice cold?

Mean while for many yrs the old timers hung the fowl on the north side of the barn/shed/house with the guts in to (so the flies did not have access to the insides) and would have high temps in the 50s when doing the aging... Hmmm..... just saying.


:arrow: So how about some tips or recipes?
.
God, help me be the man that my dog thinks that I am.

User avatar
lanyard
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 3560
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:48 pm

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 3:19 pm

Yeah, and those old timers spend their days knee deep in cow shit...

Tips:

1) Wash your hands after handling the turkey and after using the bathroom. It's the number one way to reduce infectious disease/food born illness.

2) Wash prep areas afterward using a three step method: 1) hot soapy water 2) clean hot water 3) Sanitizer (diluted household bleach is fine, or heat surfaces to 165 degrees- dishwasher does this, your skin can only take up to 120 degrees)

3) Meat surface areas of the bird are most important. the inside meat temp is over regulated. Medium Turkey is damn good, but can be hard to get breasts and thighs to cook to right temps at same time, leaving the thigh raw at the joint. I typically pull the bird when the breast hits 150 to let it rest, then cut off the legs/thighs as whole units and finish them on the grill.

How's that?

There's a reason you don't see salmonella, e. coli, botulism, etc..... and the average age has increased significantly..... it's called hazard control. Salmonella and e coli are everywhere, but the risk comes when they colonize (some crazy PPM number is the "tipping point"). Add in that most Citiots have a far too sterilized environment and they can't take a little 'taint' on the meat.

Assuming you cook the turkey so the cavity hits 165 degrees for a sufficient amount of time, you should be clear of most colonization. For this reason, in addition to speed, cook the turkey un-stuffed.

It's not going to matter how good your meal is if you're sending people to the hospital.

Sorry if this is a buzz kill, but I certified in Hazard and Critical Control Point training (HACCP) at U of M Meat Labs and am formerly a licensed Food Safety Manager with the State of MN.

Prep vs Prayer when it comes to food safety.

I'm smoking two whole ducks for appetizers, should be a nice addition to this year's meal. Looks like we're feeding about 15.....

Nershi
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 2508
Joined: Tue Nov 26, 2013 9:22 am

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 5:03 pm

lanyard wrote:
I'm smoking two whole ducks for appetizers, should be a nice addition to this year's meal. Looks like we're feeding about 15.....


Wild ducks? Have you ever done it before? I've heard it is tasty. Now that I have smoker I want to try it. I'm just too lazy to pluck and gut out ducks. I need some inspiration!

I did my first brisket this weekend. It was great. It was strange setting an alarm to get up in time to start smoking.

My dad is all fired up about smoking now that my bro and I are doing it and we are getting him a Green Mountain for Christmas. We'll likely do a prime rib in the smoker for Christmas Eve dinner.

I'm making some Alaskan Salmon dip tonight for appetizers on Thanksgiving. My buddy made me some canned salmon and it makes some killer dip with a little mayo and spices.

User avatar
9manfan
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 1247
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 2:50 pm
Location: S.W. Mn

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 5:34 pm

Smoking meat is a disease, I was huge into it for quite awhile, ribs, boston butts,pork loins, Buck Board Bacon,briskets, beef clods, fish, rolled up fatties, went thru 2 electric smokers and a gas smoker which I give away(didn't like it at all) , thinking of going pellet grille now, bite the bullet and be done..........

and as far as cooking a turkey, my wife has always used her mom's recipe that called for rotating the turkey half way thru, used to piss me off because I said it made no difference the way these Turkeys are now, so one year I didn't let her rotate, no difference what so ever.........I thought anyways......cook until that red popper pops out and check with meat temp gauge...........really hard to screw up a turkey unless you way over cook it.......
This crowd has gone deadly silent... Cinderella story, out of nowhere, former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters Championship. It looks like a mirac- It's in the hole! It's in the hole!~ Carl Spackler

User avatar
lanyard
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 3560
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:48 pm

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 6:48 pm

Nershi wrote:
lanyard wrote:
I'm smoking two whole ducks for appetizers, should be a nice addition to this year's meal. Looks like we're feeding about 15.....


Wild ducks? Have you ever done it before? I've heard it is tasty. Now that I have smoker I want to try it. I'm just too lazy to pluck and gut out ducks. I need some inspiration!

I did my first brisket this weekend. It was great. It was strange setting an alarm to get up in time to start smoking.

My dad is all fired up about smoking now that my bro and I are doing it and we are getting him a Green Mountain for Christmas. We'll likely do a prime rib in the smoker for Christmas Eve dinner.

I'm making some Alaskan Salmon dip tonight for appetizers on Thanksgiving. My buddy made me some canned salmon and it makes some killer dip with a little mayo and spices.


Ends up it will be three: 2 BWT and a Woody. I haven't heard to smoker yet, but I'm pretty solid using my Weber. I've got some crabapple trees and oak in the yard, along with charcoal side baskets. Work to keep the temp around 180-220 via indirect heat. I haven't perfected "bark" on meat cuts, have come close.

This will be the first go with ducks. They were early season birds, would have preferred a couple later season red heads with a heavy fat layer.

I pluck when the mood strikes. Usually 4-6 per year. I typically roast the whole bird like a chicken on my grill. Have it timed out to three beers.

If I get a real smoker I AM concerned about how much rye I might consume based on the buddies I know that roll all night/multiple shifts for their meat feasts.

maplelakeduckslayer
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 4791
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:14 am

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 9:59 pm

You can get nice and tuned up doing a 14 hr smoke on a brisket or shoulder, it's awesome.

maplelakeduckslayer
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 4791
Joined: Wed Nov 27, 2013 5:14 am

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:01 pm

A glass full of JD neat, smoker going, cool summer evening air filtering in, it's right behind cupped up ducks in the amount of happiness it brings me

User avatar
lanyard
Mergie Marauder
Posts: 3560
Joined: Fri Nov 29, 2013 4:48 pm

Re: Thanksgiving feast, so simple even Ron (Bullet) could make it.

Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:40 pm

maplelakeduckslayer wrote:A glass full of JD neat, smoker going, cool summer evening air filtering in, it's right behind cupped up ducks in the amount of happiness it brings me


I just Homer Simpson's on that.....

Would love to be in Alaska when the smokers are going non-stop during the salmon runs. Saw a picture one time, maybe it was Kwackillingcrew, but damn did that pic make me rethink my priorities......

Return to “MNFOWL's Misguided Children”

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 69 guests