Eat Arkansas

Kick me but I can't deal with
big Tom Buzzard. I go back to
my childhood with a big fat
hen, or two,,,,boil it first, to
make a rich broth for the
cornbread dressing and
giblet gravy.

Alton Brown of the Food Network has a recipe that can't miss. Brine, a few aromatics in the cavity, roast to a temperature (not a time), let it rest. I try to go organic at the least.
I've enjoyed the few times I've made turkey, but usually, we're at the in-laws.

That is because Alton is KING. My cosmological twin has a great sense of food.

Our family will do a turkey from the store and roast it properly at home with all sorts of goodness. I plan to get pictures.

Can't argue with the wisdom of Alton Brown. Best turkey we've done so far included his brining method -- then stuffing the cavity with apple, onion, and rosemary and letting it rotate for a few hours in the old Showtime Rotisserie. Delectable.

So, do you prefer white meat or dark meat? I like the flavor in dark meat... and if I'm consuming turkey in public will go for the dark meat, since so many restaurants tend to let their white meat get way too dry.

For the past few years, I've used an Emeril brine that is pretty similar to Alton's. Always turns out so moist and flavorful.

Funny story about the first time I roasted a turkey...I had heard all the horror stories about young brides who had left the bag inside the turkey, so I made sure I remembered to take it out. While the turkey was roasting, I started to prepare the giblet gravy (in the Emeril recipe, it takes a while). Mr. Mordy came over, looked through the bag, and said "You're missing some stuff...no giblets."

Me: "Then they must not have given me any, because this is all that was in the bag!"

Mr: "Was there another bag?"

Me: "No, I checked that whole cavity and there was just this one bag."

Mr: "Did you check the other side?"

Me:"There's ANOTHER hole????"

Fortunately, we retrieved the other bag before any real damage was done, but I was mortified.

I'm with jazzy--I'll take chicken & dressing over turkey & dressing anytime. But... a long mann family tradition is that Dad roasts the turkey and Mom makes the dressings (oyster and traditional). He does the turkey in one of those cooking bags, which ensures even moist white meat. Nevertheless, I prefer the dark.

Thanksgiving a couple years ago I took my videocam to their house with the idea of keeping family recipes in video form. Besides having a recipe on paper, you can capture the nuances of method. Under normal circumstances there would have been constant bickering while they were in the kitchen together, but the presence of the camera messed that up.

After 59 years of marriage, they can do the turkey and dressing dance in their sleep.

Alton always directs cooking to temperature, rather than time. And his dry measurements are usually by weight rather than volume. A dear friend of mine was in Alton's class at NECI. That's my brush with a brush with greatness.

First, I start by stalking the wiley prey at the grocery store. Finding the flock, I painstakingly sort till I find the one that meets my standards in size and price range. Some years it is decided by the latter instead of the former. I have taken to the brine method along with Alton's two step cooking method with the breast meat shield.

We have jockeyed around the idea of frying a turkey, but haven't tried it out yet, and I don't want Thanksgiving to be the first experiment.

Growing up, a turkey was cooked for the meal, but a big fat hen was always prepared to make the dressing and giblet gravy.

Please watch the Good Eats show about frying a turkey BEFORE frying a turkey or you will blow up the entire neighborhood.

The paternal family Thanksgiving is a big potluck with an oven roasted turkey. There's corn bread stuffing on the side. It has the consistency of polenta. (yes I'm aware that there is going to be big drama if the maker of this polentaish dressing reads this). OF course, there's the giblet gravy along with twenty thousand sides and everything. Someone else invariably brings ham.

The maternal side sometimes smokes the turkey in a smoker and sometimes roasts it in an oven with goodies. Also, cornbread dressing but it's thicker and sticks together. It's a traditional shinding with the yams, the green beans (but not that awful green bean casserole business), et. al.

I don't understand green bean casserole, either. I love the long green beans steam cooked with almond slivers and dried cranberries. Birdseye has a product now in the freezer section that's green and yellow beans with cranberries that's just a delight -- but IMHO the serving is a bit too small for Thanksgiving dinner.

I've also introduced my family to the joys of homeade rigatoni and cheese with a thick bechamel double cream sauce, covered in dark yellow cheeses with croutons within. Yes, I know, there must be a thousand calories in every serving, but I don't care. Procedure on bluename.

I have to confess...I LOVE green bean casserole.

However, as my palate has developed, I try to stay away from any food that contains any "cream of" soup...those things are just gross. Tyler Florence has a good green bean casserole that uses fresh green beans and herbs.

Never tried the clicky thing, so let's see if it works...

Nothing beats real roasting--not the steaming we've gotten used to.

After buttering/oiling with olive oil, adding salt, pepper, and crushed garlic, put the turkey in a very hot oven.

Uncovered. Start it at 500, and then let it brown well on the outside, basting as often as needed.

Turn heat down to about 450, continue the process of roasting, then turn down as the turkey becomes brown and crusty, from 450 to 350.

I can't give times because all turkeys are different sizes. You just have to watch and be sure it browns evenly and without becoming overly brown.

Continue roasting until leg moves easily when pulled and juices run free of blood. Cover only towards the end if the turkey has begun to brown too much.

The high temperature with no cover for the first part of roasting browns the skin so that the turkey retains its juices and is very tender. And true roasting rather than steaming brings out the flavors of the meat in an incomparable way.

I might have to try try the rigatoni for my mac and cheese crowd. My grandmother always made home made macaroni and cheese, but I have never been able to get it just right.

I fully agree with the nixing of green bean casserole, but 'cheesy beans' are an option. It is a recipe for sauteed green and/or wax beans along with melted cheese on them. Though Guy Fieri had a from scratch green bean casserole that used bacon... it has potential.

I brined for the first time last year, and it turned out quite well. Can't remember the recipe, but it was kosher salt, brown sugar, lemons, oranges, rosemary, yada yada. I cut off the leg/thighs for quicker cooking and slowly smoked it in my bullet smoker with pecan and apple wood. Mighty tasty. As long as my folks are still around, I'll be in charge of the fowl. Oh yeah, I stuffed fresh rosemary and basil under the skin for extra flavour. I managed to dig up a few of my basil plants before the freeze, so hopefully I'll still have enough.

I slice up all of the meat and freeze what we don't eat over a couple of days. The sliced frozen meat can be pried out for a quick grilled cheese/turkey sandwich.

After the carving and picking I make a stock with the carcass, adding onions, celery, carrots, garlic and more herbs and slowly cook down to a smokey brown gelatanous elixir. I run this through cheesecloth a couple of times, then put it back in the fridge until the fat sets. This nasty fat is then skimmed off the top and I freeze the stock in ziploc bags. This stock is really good in chili, gumbo, tortilla,or bean soup.

It's important to remember that turkey, like chicken, has a refrigerated shelf life of two days. More than that, and you're tempting fate.

And be careful giving it to your pets. We found out our Great Dane was allergic to turkey the first year we were in this house -- the hard way. Bless his heart, he couldn't handle it, and couldn't make it outside in time. We know better now!

My mother makes the best turkey ever. Each year I hope to watch her do this, but alas, she wakes at 3 AM to put the turkey in the oven for an afternoon lunch. As much as I love cooking, I still can't make myself get out of bed to go see what she's doing.

I do know this - 2 boxes of butter go into her turkey (which is a huge turkey to feed 20+ people). My mom makes an herbed butter with lots of fresh basil, rosemary, thyme, garlic, etc., then shoves the glorious mix under the skin. The meat stays amazingly moist and the skin is insanely crisp and flavorful. It's sinfully good. She also cuts up an apple, an orange, an onion or two, and some celery and shoves it into the cavity along with bay leaves, and more of the delicious butter. I can't live without that turkey during the holdays.
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I smoke mine in my Brinkmann Water Smoker. Sprinkle the entire turkey with garlic powder, poultry seasoning and Cajun seasoning, and be quite liberal with all of it. For the water pan, use apple juice, soy sauce, dill pickle juice, hickory liquid smoke, minced garlic and a couple of bay leaves. Try to find some hickory chunks and mix them with your charcoal (apple, pecan and cherry work great too). When the coals start to turn white, start the turkey. It will be a slow process-figure at least 30 minutes of cooking time per pound. I usually start mine late at night on Wednesday, and let it cook most of the day on Thanksgiving. You'll need to add more wood and charcoal to your fire the next morning. It will be the best turkey you have ever eaten-very moist and with a great flavor!