Thanksgiving Dinner - All of it

Brined, Roasted Turkey

Happy Thanksgiving!

How to Dry-Brine

Combine half a cup of (coarse) kosher salt, (Morton's kosher salt isn't coarse, so use 6 Tbsp of it), with two tablespoons of baking powder in a bowl. Carefully pat your turkey dry with paper towels. Generously sprinkle the salt mixture on all surfaces by picking up the mixture between your thumb and fingers, holding it six to 10 inches above the bird, and letting the mixture shower down over the surface of the turkey for even coverage. The turkey should be well coated with salt, though not completely encrusted.

You probably will not need all of the salt. In some cases, less than half will be okay; it depends on the size of your bird and your salt preferences. 

Transfer the turkey to a rack set on a rimmed baking sheet, and refrigerate, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours. Without rinsing, roast using one of our recipes, omitting any additional salting steps called for in those recipes.

Dry-brining for more than 24 hours will produce even juicier and better-seasoned meat. To brine longer than 24 hours, loosely cover turkey with plastic wrap or cheesecloth before refrigerating, to prevent excess moisture loss through evaporation. Let rest for up to three days.

If you're dry-brining, disregard the rest of the instructions down to preheating the oven to 500º.

Alton Brown's Wet Brine

Ingredients

  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar
  • 1-gallon chicken stock
  • 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
  • 1 gallon of heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

  • 1 red apple, sliced
  • 1/2 onion, sliced
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 1 cup water
  • 4 sprigs rosemary
  • 6 leaves sage
  • Canola oil

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or a cooler kept at 38 degrees F. Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:

  1. Combine the brine, water, and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in a cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once halfway through brining.
  2. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from the brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
  3. Place the bird on a roasting rack inside a half-sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
  4. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave-safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil. (Mom used butter - let your conscience be your guide...)
  5. Roast the turkey on the lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161º. A bird that weighs 14 to 16 pounds should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting.
  6. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl, for 15 minutes before carving.

Smoking

To do your turkey on a Weber kettle, (ie. to do it the right way), follow these simple instructions:

From: https://girlscangrill.com/recipe/smoked-turkey-weber-kettle/

Ingredients

20 lb turkey

Apple Cider Sea Salt Rub

  • 2 tbsp raw sugar
  • 3 tsp sea salt
  • 2 tsp garlic powder
  • 2 tsp onion powder
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp herbes de Provence
  • 1 tsp celery salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground allspice
  • 1/2 cup melted butter
  • 1/2 cup apple cider

What to do with the ingredients...

  1. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and pat dry.
  2. Combine the rub ingredients. Pour over the turkey and rub it inside and out.
  3. Place your Weber iGrill thermometer probe into the breast of the turkey.
  4. Heat the grill to 300-350F degrees, setting up an indirect heat area that the turkey will smoke over. (Use baskets to arrange coals on opposite sides of the kettle.) Add the turkey to the grill and cover with the lid. Open the Weber iGrill app and select turkey, whole, not stuffed.
  5. After 1 hour, spritz with apple cider. Continue cooking until the iPhone app tells you it's done and your bird reaches an internal temperature of 165F degrees.
  6. Remove from the grill and let rest for 45-60 minutes before slicing.

Easy Gravy

Ingredients

  • 3 packages Turkey Gravy Mix (if you grilled your bird and/or you don't have drippings to make enough gravy)
  • Any usable pan drippings from the turkey
  • 3 Tsp Thyme
  • ¼ cup flour
  • ¾ cup water
  • Several sprigs of fresh Rosemary and Sage
  • ½ Lemon

What to do with them...

Cook Gravy Mix as directed on the package. Stir in ½ cup pan drippings from turkey to gravy after it has thickened. In a separate container mix flour and water together thoroughly and stir into gravy. Rub Thyme between palms and add to the gravy. Squeeze in the juice from ½ lemon. Whisk repeatedly with fresh Rosemary and Sage sprigs until ready to serve.

Apricot Stuffing

Prep and cook time: About 1-1/2 hours - Makes about 12 cups

Ingredients

  • 1 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 1-1/2 cup orange juice
  • 3/4 cube (3/8 lb.) of butter or margarine
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped celery
  • 1 onion (1/2 lb) peeled and chopped
  • 1 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 pound bulk pork sausage
  • 1 bag (1lb) herb stuffing mix
  • 1 jar (8oz) plum sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 to 2 cups chicken broth
  • salt and pepper

What to do with them...

  1. In a 1 to 2-quart pan over high heat, bring apricots and orange juice to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand for about 30 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a 10 to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat, frequently stir 1/2 cup butter, celery, and onion until vegetables are limp, about 15 minutes. Add almonds and stir until nuts are golden, 6 to 10 minutes longer. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl.
  3. In the same frying pan over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage with the spatula and stir until browned, about 10 minutes. Drain and discard fat; add sausage to the bowl. Now add the apricots with orange juice, stuffing mix, plum sauce, and thyme and mix everything together.
  4. Combine 1/4 cup butter and 1 cup broth; stir often over medium-high heat until butter is melted. Drizzle over mixture in bowl, mixing to moisten evenly; dressing will be crumbly. For a more moist dressing, mix in up to 1 more cup of broth. Add salt and pepper to taste. Spoon dressing into a shallow 3-quart casserole. (if making up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill.)
  5. Bake in a 350-degree oven (uncovered for crusty dressing, covered tightly for moist dressing) until hot (at least 150 degrees in the center), 25 to 30 minutes (55 to 60 minutes if chilled).

Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

From Love and Lemons.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 2 tablespoons EVOO
  • 1½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons honey or maple syrup
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ⅓ cup toasted pecan halves
  • 2 tablespoons dried cranberries or pomegranate arils
  • Fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Place the Brussels sprouts in a bowl and drizzle with the olive oil, balsamic, and honey.
  3. Sprinkle with the salt and several grinds of pepper, toss to coat, and spread evenly on the baking sheet.
  4. Roast for 20 to 30 minutes, or until tender and golden brown around the edges. The exact timing will depend on the size of your sprouts.
  5. Season to taste.
  6. Transfer to a serving dish and gently toss with the pecans and cranberries.
  7. Garnish with parsley and serve.

Sauteed Green Beans

Ingredients

  • 5 slices bacon
  • 1/2 cup slivered almonds
  • 1 Lb. fresh green beans
  • 1/4 cup butter

What to do with them...

  1. Place bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat; lightly brown both sides. Add the almonds to the skillet, and saute until light golden brown.
  2. Remove the bacon from the skillet, leaving the bacon drippings. Crumble or chop bacon, and return to the skillet. Melt the butter in with the drippings. Add the green beans; cook and stir until tender, about 8 minutes.

Fresh Cranberry Compote

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries, rinsed and picked over
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest - We left the orange zest out and liked the results better than the usual recipe. I used a dash or two of almond extract instead.
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 cups water
  • Pinch of salt
  • Pinch of ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 cup cornstarch - Heaping (sounds like a lot but it's right, any less and it won't thicken)
  • 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

What to do with them...

  1. In a non-reactive, non-stick saucepan, (Aluminum, cast iron, and copper are all “reactive.” Stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and metal cookware with enamel coating are all “nonreactive.”), over medium heat, combine the cranberries, almond extract or zest, sugar, water, salt, and cinnamon. (NOT the cornstarch and orange juice! Those go in later.)
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 10 minutes.
  3. Dissolve cornstarch in the orange juice, then add the mixture to the cranberries and stir to blend. You don't have to heat the orange juice, just put it in a bowl and stir the cornstarch in with a fork. It takes a couple of minutes to dissolve, but it works great.
  4. Simmer for another 15 minutes until the mixture is thick.
  5. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Baked Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 3 large potatoes – scrubbed
  • ½ stick butter
  • Nutmeg – ground
  • 2 large egg yolks
  • ¼ cup whipping cream
  • 2 tablespoons butter – melted
  • ½ cup green onions – chopped

What to do with them...

Preheat oven to 400F. Place potatoes on a baking sheet and bake until tender, about one hour. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop them out into a large mixing bowl, reserving skins. Add 1/4 cup butter to hot potatoes and beat until smooth. Season to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Beat in egg yolks, then whipping cream. Add chopped green onions and mix slowly. Spoon mashed potatoes back into skins and place in a shallow casserole or baking dish. Top with grated cheddar and crumbled feta cheese. Bake potatoes in skins until potatoes are golden, cheese is browned, and skins are crisp, about 10 minutes. Serves six.

Scalloped Potatoes

Ingredients

  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • Salt to taste
  • 3 pounds baking potatoes, preferably russet, peeled and sliced thin
  • 3 Oz. Gruyere cheese coarsely grated (3/4 cup)
  • Pinch cayenne pepper
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 cup heavy cream

What to do with them...

  1. Place a rack in the top half of the oven and preheat to 375. In a large saucepan, combine 2 cups water with the milk, garlic, and ½ teaspoon salt. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the potatoes from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the potatoes are tender but still slightly firm, about 8 minutes.
  2. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Transfer half the potatoes to a buttered 9 x 13 baking dish; arrange the potatoes in an even layer. Sprinkle with half the cheese and the cayenne; season with salt and pepper to taste. Repeat with the remaining cheese. Pour the heavy cream evenly over the top. Bake the scalloped potatoes until golden and crisp on top, 40 to 45 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Five-Minute Fudge Wreath

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) bag of semisweet chocolate morsels
  • 9 ounces (3/4 of a 12-ounce bag) butterscotch morsels
  • 1 (14-ounce) can of sweetened, condensed milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (8-ounce) can walnut halves
  • 1/2 cup (a couple of handfuls) currants
  • 8-inch cake pan, lightly greased with softened butter
  • Candied cherries, red and green, for garnish, optional

What to do with them...

Place a heavy pot on the stove and preheat it over low heat. Add chips and milk and stir until chips are melted and milk combined. Save the empty condensed milk can. Stir in vanilla and remove the fudge from the heat. Add nuts and currants and stir in immediately. Cover the empty condensed milk can with plastic food wrap and center it in the greased cake pan. Spoon fudge into the pan around the can, making sure to recenter the can if it drifts. The fudge will set up almost immediately. Garnish can only be added in the first minute or 2 the fudge is in the pan, so work quickly. Decorate your wreath with "holly" made from cut candied red and green cherries. A wreath left plain can be garnished with a pretty fabric bow when serving. Chill covered in the refrigerator and slice fudge very thin when ready to serve, a little goes a long way.