Thanksgiving! If you're as obsessed with food as I am, it's like Christmas, New Year's Day, and the Super Bowl rolled into one!
What am I going to be doing on Thanksgiving? I'll be packing my Weber kettle and driving to my parent's house. There, I'll be directing our crew in a production of dinner for thirty people.* I'll be grilling a turkey, my mom's big Butterball will be in the oven, and my brother will have the turkey fryer bubbling.
*Yes, there are a lot of us in the Vrobel/Weck/Springer clan
**I say "directing", but as I said above, I'm a control freak I care about food a little to much, so I wind up doing a lot of the work. Luckily, my brothers and my brother-in-law usually ignore me, and insist on helping.
Need some last minute help? Here are a collection of DadCooksDinner recipes for your holiday meal:
Turkey:
Rotisserie Turkey, Brined
Rotisserie Turkey Breast, Dry Brined
Sides:
Grilled Mashed Sweet Potatoes
Rotisserie Pan Root Vegetables
Leftovers:
*You are making turkey stock with your leftover carcass, right?
Turkey Stock Done Right
Pressure Cooker Turkey Stock
Turkey Noodle Soup
Southwestern Black Bean and Turkey Soup
Wow. That's all I have? I need to post some more recipes, particularly for side dishes. To make up for the essentials I'm missing, here are some great Thanksgiving recipes from other sites on the web:
Turkey:
This is the recipe I've been using for years:
Apple Brined Turkey - Jamie Purviance [weber.com]
But, after years of brining, I've switched allegiances. I believe that dry brining gives you a better tasting turkey. Russ Parsons at the LA times is doing a great job of explaining, testing, and expanding that technique:
A more flavorful dry brined turkey and Your questions answered about the 'Judy Bird' - Russ Parsons [latimes.com]
[Update 11/23/09]
Pam Anderson is also publishing a series of articles on Thanksgiving, starting with her twin Dry Brined Turkeys with Herbes De Provence...
Sides:
Cooks Illustrated has everything covered on their master Thanksgiving page, but a subscription is required. [cooksillustrated.com]
Kris at Cheap Healthy Good has her 38 Dishes for a Stellar Turkey Day [cheaphealthygood.com]
And then there's Mark Bittman, with his over the top collection of 101 recipes you can make before the turkey goes in the oven [nytimes.com]
One more for the road:
Last, but not least...my thanksgiving isn't complete without a viewing of the holiday classic: Romancing the Bird, a Good Eats Thanksgiving.
One more "one more for the road": I couldn't pass up the Swedish Chef Thanksgiving, where he tries to rotisserie a turkey. The turkey may have other ideas...
[h/t SeriousEats.com]
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through the links on this site. Thank you!
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@dpg:
Thank you for the kind words. And thank you for making turkey stock! You'll love it.
Mine just finished - I had three carcasses, so I had my 24 quart stock pot filled to the brim. After straining out all the solids, I have about 18 quarts of stock. It's out on my deck cooling off right now. That's one of the good things about Northeastern Ohio winters. You can use your whole back yard as a refrigerator!
Mike V
dpg says
Tis customary to express thanks this time of year - I'm thankful I discovered your blog, Mike. When I rediscovered Jane Snow via the Beacon, she had a pointer to you. Great find. I've been enjoying your stuff, and right now, my house is fragrant with turkey stock cooking. I'm looking forward to your black bean soup.
Thanks again - I really enjoy your blog.
Dave Gill
North Canton
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
@Pam:
Especially the room full of in-laws!
*I know it's sacrilegious, but...I can't drink Beaujolais Nouveau. It tastes like rubber tires to me. I don't have the same reaction to regular Beaujolais, which I think is a great turkey wine.
Pam says
And don't forget that Beaujolais Nouveau is, conveniently, ready for drinking RIGHT NOW (Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere, right?). It goes great with turkey, root vegetables, and a roomful of in-laws...
MikeV @ DadCooksDinner says
Wow...done already? You're a lot more organized than I'll ever be.
I like having something to do on Thanksgiving. I don't know what I'd do with myself if I wasn't cooking something on turkey day.
A Year on the Grill says
got to love the Swedish chef... I just made my Thanksgiving meal last night... free sailing for the rest of this holiday week (only have to do a turkey, and I have a friend that will be frying that)!