My wife and I rarely cook turkey for Thanksgiving. This year we’re coming Cornish hens. In previous years we’ve cooked duck, leg of lamb, and rib roast. It’s not that we don’t like turkey, but there are lots of other things that I think I’d prefer eating.
Are you cooking something other than turkey this year? Or maybe preparing your turkey in a non-traditional way?
Normally I smoke a turkey, duck, or pork roast. But this year we have canceled Thanksgiving and probably will Christmas too. Just not enough funds to justify the cost of a big dinner for 3 people.
Similar situation here. There’s two of us and my SOs veg kids. It doesn’t make sense to make a lot of anything.
Turkey is bland anyway, and I don’t want to be eating one for two weeks.
Definitely feel that. I just got a little ham steak and some sides I’m doing just for me this year. Not doing anything for Xmas. I’ll be recovering from a surgery, yay!
It’s just my mom and me, and neither of us is big on turkey. I found a recipe for pomegranate rosewater chicken thighs so we’re going to try that this year. Also not making a ton of sides. Salad, bread sticks, green beans and a pear walnut crumble for dessert
Could you post that chicken thigh recipe up? Sounds delicious.
There’s some issue with the site, hopefully you can access it.
Haven’t tried it yet, but I’ve got the chicken marinating now.
Sweet! Thank you!
I can report that it was beautiful and delicious.
Love how it looks. It looks like Christmas!
While I am smoking a medium bird, I’m also doing smoke hams (one for my diner one for the rest of my parents cuz we’re with the in-laws this year,)
It’s not nearly as much additional work being smoked, mind.
Also adding a mushroom stew for the veg head.
The ham will probably disappear and most the chicken goes into turkey sandwiches tomorrow/leftovers to take home.
I did think about doing a capon (castrated rooster,) which is somewhere between chicken and turkey in gaminess
(Edit to add, we’re planning on 10 adults plus their minions,)
That’s a good amount of food! But yeah, 10 people, so it makes sense. Don’t think I’ve ever had capon. I’d like to try that sometime.
the dark meat is great for chicken and dumplings. I’ll usually break it down because it’s about $5/pound here. (verse like $10 for 2 breasts…) so if you’re not needing the full bird for something, you can always re-freeze whatever you’re holding. And the chicken and dumplings are great for family meals. you can make most of it ahead of time, reheat and drop the dumplings when the family is ready to go.
It is a lot. but, the prep is spread out over several days, so there’s that. makes things manageable.
Spreading the prep out is key!
I’ll look around for capon here. I’m sure we’ve got it at a farmer’s market.
Definitely. Also, organization, so you have everything where it needs to be.
The other secret is to only invite people you like. Makes it easier to go through all the work.
100% agree on both points. Also maybe only people who get along with each other. No arguments during a time of thanks and togetherness, please.
Unless it’s a fun argument.
Like which is a better tv show, Babylon 5 or firefly.
Yes, that I’d be down for!
We get char siu
Nice! What sides do you have with it?
Oh just the usual. I’m allergic to poultry so we just find some good pork. Do the stuffing with better than bouillon veggie broth, I just made way too much cranberry last night (you can never have too much cranberry it’ll last three days) I think we only have three kinds of potato this year
“Cooking” (i.e. reheating) a city ham (i.e. fully cooked , Easter-style ham) sous vide this year. Just me and the partner this year,so a turkey doesn’t make sense, especially since I’m usually underwhelmed with turkey anyway.
We’ve always had turkey and ham, but one year my uncles brought goose from their hunting trip the weekend before.
It was fucking delicious.
Wr also make this scalloped corn that’s the best.
We’re cooking a goose for Friendsmas. You’re right, they’re fucking delicious. Scalloped corn! That’s a great idea!
Roasted chicken thighs with mashed apples and garlic and a pork loin with pears raisins and dates in the slow cooker.
Bear stew.
My landlord shot it and cooked it.
I thought it would be awful … But it was delicious!
Mostly sticking with ham these days.
Always wanted to try bear! I heard it was fatty/greasy, but it probably wasn’t prepared properly.
It’s just me for Thanksgiving this year, but I wanted to do a little something. Made deviled egg potato salad, but everything else was super simple. I decided to do indoor bbq on my Ninja indoor grill/air fryer. Just a sous vide chicken breast finished on the grill with bbq sauce glaze and canned baked beans. I did want a little Thanksgiving flavor so a I made a box of Stovetop cornbread stuffing, with gravy and cranberry sauce, and a small maple/mustard glazed ham steak. The ham steak was the only thing I bought specifically to make. Everything else was just stuff I had in the pantry/fridge.
We’ve done Cornish Hens exclusively before, but we usually do ham plus Turkey.
What we did one year and are gonna do again this year that’s a little non-traditional is the boneless turkey roasts that you can get, instead of a full turkey. The breast roast gets a wet salt brine overnight, stuffed, and then wrapped in bacon. The dark-meat roast gets dry-brined with salt and a few herbs, and then coated in solid fat to develop a crust.
That sounds fantastic! I’m a big proponent of cooking the white and dark meat separately.
That’s what I heard too. But it turned out to be great. I haven’t had it since, sadly.
Over the top chili, smoked. Never tried it, really looking forward to it.
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