Gustatory Delights

It’s nearly time for the Thanksgiving Day feast in the U.S.A. If you’re participating, what are you making (or looking forward to eating the most)? Extra brownie points for recipes! If you’re not participating, what would you prepare if you were to join in?

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Good word :+1:t2:

Not cooking again this year but serving the homeless Veterans and this Friday donating 50 turkeys again.

God Bless our Veteran Population :us:

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Thank you for your service, Craig, and for your continuing service to those who served.

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Does anyone here Spatchcock the turkey before baking, grilling or frying ? Much more of an even cooking and much juicier :+1:t2: but looks a little odd.

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The advantage is that the thigh and breast are at the appropriate temperatures at approximately the same time due to the profile of the bird. Not as pretty on the table but ALL the skin is crispy!!!

Turkey - Spatchcocked or Butterflied
Usually I use a small turkey 9-13 pounds.
Remove the backbone from the turkey and press on keel (breast) bone until flattened. Imagine you are doing CPR on that bird.
Season turkey with the spices you want.
If dry aging (dry brining) leave in refrigerator uncovered for 2-4 days (optional).
On cooking day, place on a bed of veggies, breast side up, in your roasting pan.
Allow turkey to come to room temperature for one hour.
Place in 425F oven for 30 minutes.
Decrease temperature to 350F for 40-50 minutes.
Breast temperature should be 155F on instant read.
Rest bird for 30 minutes before slicing.
Total time approx 2 hours and 50 minutes.
*Cooking time may vary based on size of turkey.

P.S. I only bake or roast it. I have never fried a turkey and am unsure how a spatchcocked one would fry up. I would love to hear if anyone has done a deep fried spatchcocked turkey as frying them seems to be more popular every year, provided you thaw it and don’t cause an explosion. Then again I’m unsure if you could butterfly/spatchcock it without thawing it first. Circular saw and a rib spreader?

I have deep fried one, that’s why I asked if anyone has tried it spatchcocked. Cooks fast.

You can oven roast a frozen turkey, but don’t grill, deep-fry, microwave or smoke one. Grilling and deep-frying use high temperatures that will quickly cook and char the outside but leave the inside of the bird only partially cooked, increasing the risk of foodborne illness.

Cook safe !!

Spatchcocked is just as delicious, but not as aesthetically pleasing if you have a table full who want to watch your carving skills. Kind of tough to get the stuffing in a spatchcocked turkey as well.

Bone out your turkey being careful not to damage the skin. Place leg meat in the center, roll and tie ensuring the finished roll is nicely wrapped in skin under which you place a generous amount of unsalted butter. Do not add stuffing, do those separately, and do a few different flavours, saving a little of each, to achieve fluffy balls of yumminess rather than soggy stodge. Coat turkey with a good vegetable and roll in a salty herb mix related to your stuffing choices. Cook at 220c for 1 whiskey then lower temp to 150c for 2 whiskies. (Adjust size of whiskey relative to bird weight)
Par-boil root veggies while enjoying the last nuances of whiskey, remove bird from oven and allow to rest. Combine the saved stuffing mix and toss the veggies in it. This will create a crispy crunchy outer layer and tie the meal together. Bump the oven back up air roast for 1 more whiskey.
Serve up, carve up, toast up and eat up, then get on with the obligatory family argument.

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Had Our first Mainly Seafood Thanksgiving Dinner. Neighbors prepared an amazing variety of Shrimp-Fish-Clams etc. etc… Village is well known for Fishing and local sweet clams shipped Worldwide.

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Yum! Sounds fantastic! After this Thanksgiving, I’m feeling I’m completely over turkey.

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Next year spaghetti and meatballs, the NEW Turkey and Stuffing :joy:

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