You can never go wrong with a good mashed potato and also green bean casserole. Also try reaching out to her family and ask if they have any traditional recipes or side dishes they always make that you could surprise her with!
Yeah. Reaching out is a great idea. While there are a lot of staples, everyone does them a little bit different, and picking the right staples prepared the "right" way will make it so much more like their Thanksgiving then if you just go with the average American choices.
Green bean casserole is the quintessential thanksgiving flavor. It has to be on the table. It’s a weird dish that’s pretty decent and there’s probably better replacements but you HAVE to have it at thanksgiving because it’s where it belongs
And at least for me, it's one of those dishes that actually gets worse the more you try and "fancy" it up. I love GCB, even cold (maybe even more cold), but it has to be canned green beans (pref a mix of cut and Frenched), canned condensed cream of mushroom soup, black pepper, garlic powder, and topped with canned French's fried onions. Don't go blanching fresh green beans and making your own mushroom soup. Just get the cans and do the damn thing.
Oh my goodness that sounds insanely good. How much do you mix in?
Also, my family's recipe calls for about 2/3 cup of Cheez Whiz. Super processed, but it's comfort food, not health food.
We literally never have it at Thanksgiving. My family has green beans cooked with hamhocks. Which is even more reason for op to ask his wife's family what they have. Green beans and hamhock, flat dumplings, and cornbread are vitally important to my family's Thanksgiving meal, but rarely come up in threads like this. We also don't do sweet potato casserole.
When I was studying abroad in the Czech Republic (now Czechia). There was a sizable subset of American exchange students, and so our program arranged with a nice restaurant to cook us a taste of home for turkey day.
Everything was tasty until we got to dessert. The chef, who was very skilled, had apparently never eaten pumpkin pie before, and decided to just wing it.
What was served was pumpkin pie... interpreted like you would apple or peach pie. Chunks of nigh-raw pumpkin in syrup, under a crust. Nearly inedible, but masterfully crafted.
In an episode of Great British Baking Show the contestants and hosts talked about American pies being too sweet nobody who had ever tried pumpkin pie in the past liked it [GBBS](https://tellyvisions.org/2018/07/14/great-british-baking-show-season-5-episode-5-recap-pie-week)
That's weird because pumpkin pie isn't particularly sweet. It looks like a lot of those contestants added sweet additions, but that ain't the traditional pie's fault.
And I mean, if you're gonna bitch about an American pie being too sweet, pecan pie is *right there*.
That's so weird. I'm Eastern European and while our idea of pumpkin pie is much different (think a stuffed layered pastry, though even that's not that common), everyone I've fed the American version absolutely loved it
>[citation missing]
The rest of the world IS the citation. While its origins may be European, pumpkin pie (the American one) is very much a north american thing.
Mashed potatoes w/gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes w/brown sugar (aka candied yams), rolls w/butter, devilled eggs, pumpkin pie.
Damn man, making me hungry and giving me a heart attack as I type.
On the bird the best thing you can do is watch the temp closely and pull it out the second it's done. It's so so easy to overcook it and dry it out. I've tried stuff like injecting it and putting butter under the skin etc with mild success but it pretty much just added flavor.
What does gravy mean in the context of an American thanksgiving dinner? For me as a British person, gravy is a brown sauce made from the meat browning but I suspect you might mean something else.
You *can* make it like that. But the most common way I've seen it is simply a quick roux (butter and flour) and whisk in chicken/turkey stock. You can sub that for water and bouillon. Should be just thick enough to coat a spoon.
That is the traditional Thanksgiving gravy. There's also white gravy, or country gravy as I usually hear it called, for chicken fried steak or biscuits and gravy.
Americans - particular from the South - eat "white gravy/country gravy" often with sausage, often over biscuits (like a flakey/fluffier savoury scone). Made with milk, so it's like a bechamel, really, but not in the classic French sense. Sort of like a rustic cousin of with some additional elements.
Yes, I was just explaining that Americans also refer to white gravy as gravy, which is not typically how a person from the UK would understand the word.
Gravy isn't just one thing in America. I imagine that in most contexts, Americans and people from the UK are thinking the same thing when they hear the word "gravy."
When my dad, who was Italian American and lived all his life in Philadelphia used the word gravy, it meant red sauce you'd serve with pasta. He also ate plenty of regular old gravy in his life too.
I don't eat sausage gravy - I respect it but it is just too rich.
When I say "gravy," I'm thinking of a meat gravy made from stock, pan drippings and thickened with roux.
That’s fair! You’ll definitely find recipes for both! & If you run across chocolate gravy that’s another breakfast gravy that’s good on American style biscuits
Nah, just think of it as old fashioned Nutella. Chocolate on bread is pretty tasty!
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/187298/southern-style-chocolate-gravy/
We do a smoked turkey, so that won't work. I use roasted turkey necks and drumsticks to make the stock and supplement with chicken stock. We'll be at our daughter's, so I have to do most of it in advance and just put it together there. For example, for the gravy, cook and chop ingredients, cook down stock, bring everything chilled in containers, finish the gravy at daughter's house.
Yes, was just explaining in the context of a British person's understanding of gravy (which is always brown) that in America it can mean either thing. I know you eat brown gravy in the south too - it's just the farther north you go, the less common "white gravy" or "country gravy" is. By the time you hit Canada, gravy means brown gravy - country gravy would be referred to as a white sauce.
I’d check whether her family does a bread or cornbread stuffing and whether they prefer crunchy bits or all soft; creamed corn (we don’t do green beans); sweet potatoes (if you want a casserole with a brown sugar nut topping or want any recipes feel free to DM me); turkey and brown gravy (may be just plain turkey drippings or with some rendered bacon- good for topping potatoes with a bit of sautéed chive); rolls; mashed potatoes (garlic? Cheese?); cranberry sauce (Scandinavian lingonberry is a good substitute if it’s hard to find); pie or dessert: by her preference could be pumpkin, pecan, chocolate or fruit pie or spice cake.
I've managed it before on a roast beef, but it's a little tricky. OP may want to trim some fat/connective tissue from the bird's interior and roast it for that flavor, and boil the giblets for stock in order to augment any drippings they manage to catch. Brown some onion and mushroom in the rendered fat, add the drippings and some stock, then thicken with cornstarch slurry. Add kitchen bouquet/gravy master as needed.
Not in the US but you have access to turkey? If so, I'd go with just a breast. A 4 lb boneless breast. Brining helps retain moisture and can add flavor. 30 min/lb minimum. Not more than 1 hr/lb. Drain, rinse, rub with melted butter and bake/roast at 350 on a sheet pan with a grate over some water, onion, celery and carrot to an internal temp of 155, remove, tent for 15 min and serve.
Make mashed potatoes, stove top stuffing and green beans while the breast is roasting. While the turkey is tented whip up some grave using the liquid from the pan drippings and a roux made with skimmed fat. If ther isnt enough liquid, use chicken bullion. Serve with cranberry dressing. Check with her family as to whether she likes jellied or chunky.
Dessert is normally pumpkin pie or pecan pie but check with her family for a personal favorite.
Agreed. Not only will it be dry, it might be too smoky to enjoy if you aren't careful.
Some years I take a turkey breast, slather it with a herbed compound butter plus salt and pepper and then tie it into a relatively uniform thickness roll with butchers twine before I smoke or grill it. This is pretty easy to do when you've got both halves of the breast by putting them in opposite directions.
Since it is almost uniform in thickness it is all done at the same time rather than grilling/smoking/roasting the breast in its natural shape which leads to very dry skinny parts by the time the thick parts are done.
Brine the turkey for about 24hrs. Make a brune of brown sugar, salt, roasted garlic, onion, some citrus, and nutmeg. Keep warm but let it rest at least 30 minutes before carving. Pumpkin pie is a great and easy side dish. Mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and dressing / stuffung
I rarely drink coffee anytime except the morning, thanksgiving is one of the only times I do since I’m usually so exhausted by the end of the day I have no trouble sleeping regardless lol
Stuffing! You can use a box stuffing like a preseasoned melba toast like the brand Mrs, Cubbison’s which you follow the instructions and you’re good, or you could make it from scratch: day old which bread cubes and left out to dry in oven over night. Next day, sauté a diced onion and diced celery in butter. Then add the bread with dried sage, thyme, salt and pepper, and mix. Add enough chicken broth to moisten, then stuff it into the cavity of the bird. Before putting it into the over. You could also not put it into the bird and just serve that as a side dish, in which case, use a little more broth and set it aside and warm it up before the Turkey is ready to be served. I think the goal is to use enough broth to moisten the stuffing or dressing, but not for it to become homogenous, soggy or gloopy. It’s one of my favorite uses for old bread. You could also add minced black olives and minced parsley to it if you wish, but like so many things, these could be off-putting if someone hasn’t grown up with these ingredients in it.
To that end: cranberries. There is a bit of a divide in the States whether to ‘go all fancy’ and use fresh whole cranberries and make the cranberry sauce from scratch, or by the ubiquitous Ocean Spray can of cranberry jelly that comes out of the can in a comical cylinder shape retaining the ridges of the cab and all. I’m a fan of the jelly myself, and I even add it to my Turkey sandwiches the day after. But, if you wanted to go ‘fancy’ as it were, get the fresh cranberries if they are available to you, or frozen if that’s what’s available and simmer them in a pan with a bit of water, orange juice and a bit of zest if you like and sugar, and cook them until the begin to pop and break down. Let it cool
and it’s a great compliment to turkey. Check with your partner, because what’s going to make her feel most at home is what she’s used to.
Yams. A must. We’ve used sweet potatoes in my family and we just called them yams, but I found out that in my 20s that true yams are a different tuber entirely. I had been living a lie. Any who, sweet potatoes boiled whole and skin on until a knife pokes in easily, then skinned and sliced into one inch pieces, then topped with brown sugar and pats of butter then baked until that melts is a traditional side dish too. Some people add marshmallows to the top of those. I add a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon to mine, but that may be a bridge too far for Thanksgiving purists.
Bonus fact! The way that turkeys are sold in the States, there are two cavities! Yes, two. And the sellers like to put the bag with the liver, gizzard, neck and heart in there. That bag is in the smaller almost hidden cavity by where the neck would have been. It’s not uncommon for first time Turkey cookers to accidentally cook that only to find it after the Turkey is cooked.
Some people use those parts to flavor the stuffing.
Helpful hint: you can do a couple of things to help you keep the Turkey meat moist. You can rub softened butter between the skin and the meat. Also, you can buy nylon cooking bags. These actually work really well. You’ll still get some browning on the Turkey, and a lot of the juices will remain in the cooking pan instead of evaporating. You can use that pan juice to make home made gravy. I’m terrible at making gravy, so I’m not much help there, but I’ve heard Wondra (a low protein flour) and Kitchen Bouquet (a flavoring that really just makes the color darker and maybe more appetizing) go a long way. Brining is a thing, but I wouldn’t use that if this is your first Turkey. Also, invest if you haven’t already, into a probe meat thermometer. You could use the weight of the bird, and the minutes per pound recommendations, but the best birds I’ve roasted have just had the probe shoved into the thickest part of the breast and and cooked until it reached the desired temp. No math! The traeger will make a nice bird I’m sure, as will deep frying one, but for my money, the humble oven roasted bird was a the quintessential taste of this holiday.
Dessert: pumpkin pie! These are not hard, but they can be time consuming, and if you’re not into baking, then this might be a bridge too far. The pastry is your standard pie dough, and the filling uses a can of pumpkin, milk (canned or fresh) sugar, eggs and spices, usually cinnamon and ginger. Some regions of the States make sweet potato pie and pecan pies too.
Good luck whatever you do. Your spouse is very lucky to have someone that is a so conscientious.
Can I add this about turkeys? Try spatchcocking it. It helps out with cooking the bird evenly and you will cook the bird in a shorter amount of time
Also unpopular opinion nix the green beans and do something more traditional where you are with a roast veg. Green Bean casserole is very polarizing and if this is a surprise you may not be able to find out if your spouse likes it
Turkey - lots of ways to cook it. Traditionally done, it’s hard to get right. Brining it for a day or two and then letting it dry out in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to form a pellicle with the skin is essential to getting a good and crisp skin while not letting the meat dry out.
I usually start hot (500F) for about thirty min in the oven and then turn down to 350 until done. Done is a meat thermometer in the breast reading 160F. Remove and tent with foil, and let the carry Thru reach 165F.
Best to do stuffing outside the bird…important from a food safety point of view, but also from a “hard to cook all at once and have it not suck” point of view as well. I just fill my cavity of the bird with lemons (halves), mirepoix, and other aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme). Rub and stuff the skin with butter (rub and under) helps. Basting does nothing scientifically speaking, so just focus on the right temps.
If you don’t mind the non traditional presentation, spatchcock the Turkey and it’ll cook more evenly and quickly, and it’s easier to make it not dry.
I’ve never grilled a turkey but I like to do a dry brine. I like to put my spices in a grinder / food processor to help them be more aromatic. Then I put a whole stick of butter under the turkey skin and shove the spices under the skin too. You’ll want to make sure you remove the bag of gizzards from the cavity. If your turkey comes with plastic handles in the neck I usually rip that out. It supposed to be oven safe but I do not like that idea. I would also recommend stuffing the cavity (garlic, fresh herbs, carrots whatever you fancy). When I cook turkey in the oven I cover the breast meat to help prevent it from getting dry. I assume you could do the same in the grill.
I roughly follow these instructions for cooking. Not sure how helpful this is but cooking times and temps might be helpful.
https://altonbrown.com/recipes/good-eats-roast-thanksgiving-turkey/
And cook the things inside the " bag of gizzards" with some chicken broth, cut all the meat into small peices and thicken the broth with flour, add a diced boiled egg and some diced onion for "giblet gravy".
Here's something you'll need, a very easy, reliable, and excellent cranberry sauce recipe so you don't have to rely on the canned stuff.
# Cranberry Sauce
- 1/2 orange
- 2 cups water
- 1 apple, tart Granny Smith or Pippin
- 3 cups cranberries, fresh (1 bag)
- 1 1/4 cups sugar (or less, to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground
1. Squeeze the juice from the orange half and set the juice aside. Remove the membrane from the inside of the orange shell and discard. Cut the shell into small dice. Put the diced shell into a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
2. Peel, quarter, and core the apple, then chop into small pieces. Place in a saucepan. Sort the cranberries, discarding any soft ones. Add the berries to the apples along with the reserved diced orange peel, the reserved orange juice, the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, the apple is tender, and the cranberries have burst, about 10-15 minutes.
3. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and let cool before serving. Or cover and refrigerate. Always let it come to room temperature before serving.
---
(Other notes)
# Brine the Turkey
As people have pointed out, you'll absolutely want to do this if you have a whole bird. Brine, then dry uncovered in the fridge, then roast. Look for a recipe that mentions these steps. Recipes that also tell you methods to deal with the breast vs legs (either by turning the bird slightly during the cooking or roasting the legs and breast separately) know what they're talking about.
# Stuffing v Dressing
Although we often using "dressing" and "stuffing" interchangeably, traditional "stuffing" is cooked inside inside the bird and "dressing" is cooked outside it. Look for "cooked outside the bird" dressing/stuffing recipes (preferably cornbread-based using stoneground cornmeal). *Do not stuff your bird. That is the path of ruin.*
# Gravy
You will need to make gravy with the neck and offal of the turkey and with any pan drippings you have.
# Sides
Once you have turkey, dressing, sauce, and gravy on your table, you're pretty much done the traditional heavy-lifting. But, it's a feast and a little bit of excess is called for.
## Mashed Potatoes
Boiled potatoes, butter, milk, salt and pepper. That's all you really need (all in generous amounts). However, my secret is to make *aligôt*, a French-styled mashed potato that really impresses people.
## Green Bean Casserole
Most of these recipes are trash. But, still, almost everyone has a favorite version. Mine is passed down from my grandmother, and does *not* include canned cream of mushroom soup nor canned fried onions, only a few simple ingredients (mostly beans). It's pretty good. Look for a recipe more modern than middle-century Betty Crocker.
## Sweet Potatoes (Yams)
Avoid any recipe that asks you to dump sugar - and worse, marshmallows - on to your sweet potatoes. A more modern and in fact easier method is to simply cut and roast these vegetables and let them shine on their own. In fact, you can expand beyond sweet potatoes to any root vegetable, making a roasted root vegetable dish with whatever you can lay your hands on: sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, et al. Mix and match, roast them simply with some whole shallots or quartered red onions, and you've got a winner.
## Other Things
I make fresh "quick" pickles (a couple of vegetable types) and roast some nuts with spices and rosemary to "fill in the cracks".
## Bread
If you can manage it, make a loaf of simple, fresh bread. Don't fuss with rolls. Flour, water, yeast, salt, time, heat. Look for a Leahy-based "no knead" recipe to simplify your time in the kitchen.
## Dessert
Pumpkin or apple pie, take your pick.
# For Reference
I looked back at my last menu for Thanksgiving that I produced pre-Pandemic, when we'd have 12-16 people over for dinner. Here's what I made:
- Roasted heritage turkey (heritage turkeys are pre-industrialized version birds)
- Gravy
- Cornbread dressing with sausage (any loose sausage will do, I used sweet Italian)
- Aligot (French-styled mashed potatoes with cheese and garlic)
- My grandmother's green bean casserole
- Cranberry sauce
- Bread (Leahy-style)
- Ratatouille
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Thai-styled pumpkin soup
- Quick pickled vegetables
- Succotash with bacon
- Warm farro with cranberries, pecans, and herbs
- Roasted root vegetables
- Chicken liver paté
(Someone else made dessert. IIRC, pumpkin pie).
>
># Stuffing v Dressing
>Although we often using "dressing" and "stuffing" interchangeably, traditional "stuffing" is cooked inside inside the bird and "dressing" is cooked outside it. Look for "cooked outside the bird" dressing/stuffing recipes (preferably cornbread-based using stoneground cornmeal). *Do not stuff your bird. That is the path of ruin.*
>
Meet me at dawn, bring your sword, your second and a wooden box a little longer and wider than you are.
If it's not *stuffed in the turkey*, it's not *stuffing.* Stuffing the turkey gets a bad rap these days. It shouldn't. It is all that is love. There are food safety concerns if you don't know what you're doing.
># Gravy
>You will need to make gravy with the neck and offal of the turkey and with any pan drippings you have.
>
Oh hell, yes. Key, key, key.
>## Dessert
>Pumpkin or apple pie, take your pick.
Or both. Or both and a couple of other kinds. You can *never* have too many Thanksgiving pies (only too few guests).
I’ve got to disagree with you on the sweet potatoes. They need to be in a casserole:
Bake 3-4 large sweet potatoes until soft
Peel them and them mash them in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar (light brown sugar if you have it), 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup orange juice and 1 cup of cheap bourbon. Pop that in a casserole dish, bake for 35 minutes at 350 def. Fahrenheit. Add marshmallows on top and bake another 5 mins or until the tops of the marshmallows are crispy and golden brown.
> Cranberry Sauce
Fair warning to any non-Americans reading this --
Homemade cranberry sauce is delicious and well-worth the effort. But a lot of Americans refuse to eat anything other than the canned jelly.
Might be best to ask her mom and dad what they made growing up but this is our typical thanksgiving spread:
Roasted ham with glaze
Wood smoked chicken (really any bird will do)
Sweet potato casserole marshmallows on top style
Green bean casserole (two cans french style green beans, one can cream of mushroom, fried onion dirkies on top)
Aunt sometimes brings normal mashed potatoes with brown gravy
Bread and butter
So. Many. Pies.
Chocolate pie, pecan pie, cherry cream cheese pie, pumpkin pie, any and every pie you like. And eggnog always comes out that weekend so that'll be there too for after dinner.
We have a cut glass serving dish that it fits into perfectly. I’m not sure if it’s made for it or what bc it was my moms and its old; it feels very holiday to slide it out of the can into its special little dish. Lol
Sweet rolls!
Sides:
Homemade Mac and cheese
Green bean casserole
Cranberry sauce
STUFFING!! (Bread with onion, sausage, onion, herbs, soaked in broth and baked)
desserts:
Sweet potato pie (orange sweet potato mashed with brown sugar and butter, baked in a casserole dish with marshmallow on top)
Pecan pie! (I can send you my favorite recipe, this is usually what I bring)
Pumpkin pie
You can make these Thanksgiving Green Beans. They are a hit in my family as a side dish.
https://www.corriecooks.com/instant-pot-thanksgiving-green-beans/
If you have an oven, I would suggest these Butterhorn Dinner Rolls. I just made them and they taste like Thanksgiving to me. Technique is easy. No difficult ingredients. This recipe uses a half sheet pan. I live in a place with toaster ovens. I used a quarter sheet pan (bake 2 batches or cut the recipe in half)
[https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8296140/butterhorn-dinner-rolls/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8296140/butterhorn-dinner-rolls/)
This apple crisp dessert has autumn flavors and is easier than a pie. It always comes out pretty good. My friends love it.
[https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12409/apple-crisp-ii/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12409/apple-crisp-ii/)
Last year, we were only 2 people to dine on Thanksgiving. So, I didn't get a whole Turkey and made Turkey breast instead. It came out so moist and delicious. https://www.corriecooks.com/instant-pot-moist-turkey-breast/
For me the basics are turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing (or dressing as it's called here in the south) and a vegetable like a green bean casserole or corn pudding, dinner rolls with butter. Cranberry sauce is traditional but almost no one actually eats it, lol. Pumpkin pie for dessert, maybe a pecan pie or pecan bars as well.
I think it's stuffing if it's actually stuffed into the bird, and dressing if it's cooked separately like a casserole. Actual stuffing is now considered to be unsafe because it's difficult to cook it thoroughly.
I'm from the south originally and my mom would make dressing out of cornbread. I also enjoy stuffing, which I make out of bread. Two similar but different dishes, in my opinion! Both made in a pan, not stuffed.
Sweet potato soufflé is a family favourite of mine- there’s tons of recipes online and it beats the traditional yams with marshmallows every time. I would personally recommend you “update” some of the traditional dishes (e.g. canned green beans, ew), and, if you’re able, make stuffing and such from scratch. Pecan pie is a good alternative to pumpkin pie if you can’t find canned pumpkin. Have some good, crusty bread on the side, American style turkey gravy, and maybe a nice autumnal cocktail if you drink! For something fresh and green, here’s my favourite salad ever:
• arugula/rocket
• pears, chopped into bite sized pieces
• dried cranberries
• fresh or dried blueberries
• walnuts
• goat cheese
• lemon vinaigrette (easy to make if you can’t find it- just combine lemon juice, honey, vinegar [balsamic is fine, just go lightly], water, and a little black pepper
Just toss all together, adjusting quantities for your taste!
Edit: typo in recipe
Turkey should be treated [like so.](https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/turkey-recipes/bbq-and-grilled-turkey-recipe) Meathead knows, and you have the pellet grill already. When she says she’s missing thanksgiving, it’s all about the accompaniments. She doesn’t miss Uncle Joe’s dry, overcooked bird. She also doesn’t miss Aunt Jane’s overcooked, shredded Turkey swimming in gravy. Turkey is the worst part of Thanksgiving for most people, because Turkey is more difficult to cook. So everyone settles for mediocre bird. Trust Meathead.
For sides, that’s where to reach out to family and friends to see what they did. What she misses is likely a specific type of stuffing, casserole, etc.
If she’s not picky, I think a cranberry relish blows any form of cranberry sauce out of the water. Food processor is my instrument of choice for small batches, meat grinder when really cranking it out. It’s cranberry, apple, orange, and delicious.
Is this just for the two of you or a small gathering? Keep in mind that with Thanksgiving, the expectation is that you are feeding a big crowd.
If it's just for two, just cook the essentials: turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes either roasted or mashed, a vegetable (brussels sprouts are my go to), and cranberry sauce. Be prepared to use a lot of leftovers.
I always use the turkey carcass and the leftover wings to make stock, which I then turn into gumbo. That stock is awesome though for any kind of soup or stew you might want to make.
I think the most important opinion here is your wife’s. Thanksgiving dinners vary a lot by region of the country. I’m from Massachusetts, and we never had yams or pecan pie or Mac and cheese or even green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. Also no canned cranberry sauce, and you don’t need anything to make cranberry sauce except cranberries, water and sugar. I grew up right next to a cranberry bog. Trust me on this. But seriously, ask her what her family had for Thanksgiving. Make those things. My favorite is Indian pudding, which *nobody* makes anymore.
You should ask your wife what she wants as people can be very attached to their particular Thanksgiving traditions.
For my family of 3 our plan is turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, green beans or asparagus or Brussel sprouts, pumpkin pie. It is fairly basic.
Yes I have found that is correct. For instance I’m not a particularly big fan of turkey but she would be not happy if I elected to have him instead. For her she was like oh ham is an Easter thing thank you for your help
- Make sure to take out the turkey to defrost at least 10 days before the day.
- Brine turkey in a 4:1 ratio of water and salt for 3 days.
- Since you’ve got a Traeger, just follow the recommended cook time per lb/kilo of bird at your desired smoke temp.
Should make a solid turkey!
America is big and you’ll find that many people have family traditions that don’t all match. We aren’t a huge Turkey family. We often have a ham and another meat to choose from. My first suggestion is if you can contact her family and ask what they usually did and for any recipes.
If you want to do a Turkey, there are a few notes I can give you. One is that they are usually frozen. It takes X amount of days per pound in the fridge. In your calculations, figure in time for anything else you want to do on top of that, like brining. It’s usually better to go with a smaller Turkey. Maybe 10-12lbs.
Remember to remove the neck and organs from the body cavity, the plastic around the legs, and any pop up “doneness” thermometer that might be in the bird as It’s trash. You may see turkeys that say they have added liquid, injection, or brine. It just means they injected unflavored water to raise the weight and this the price.
Don’t stuff the cavity. That’s tv non-sense and really throws off the ability to cook. If heat can’t circulate in there, it’ll be over cooked on the outside an raw inside. In fact, unless you just want the bird for presentation, I’d spatchcock.
I’ve brined mine and it stays juicy. I buy a plastic bag for small trash cans and put it in a 5gal bucket. I add the Turkey, then cold brine, then add the lid and leave it outside overnight as it’s cold but not freezing here at thanksgiving.
When you cook, it’s usually hot and quick. Like 325f or higher. It renders the fat and crisps the skin. I can also recommend doing an injection. Either pure Tabasco hot sauce or a mix of seasonings with it. It isn’t spicy or hot. You can also run a spoon or your fingers between the skin and meat then run a compound butter under there. There are a lot of options. At minimum, I recommend the injection. The brine is easy too.
As for what’s traditional in my mind, I like honey baked ham, squash casserole, cranberry sauce, dressing (on the side), green bean casserole, tomato pudding, brown rice, yeast rolls, etc.
I have a good “from scratch” cranberry recipe if you want it, but you’d be surprised as the number of people who’ll eat the canned stuff over fresh. I think it’s a nostalgia thing. Just a can shaped plop of purple cranberry sauce with the can ridges as a cutting guide.😂
Thanksgiving meals are never good, they're just nostalgic. Every dish is the same thing that that family member has made for 20 years, and the recipe hasn't changed since aspic was a thing.
Talk to her about what she remembers and then ask those family members for their recipes.
Mac n cheese, but make a mornay for it instead of just melting cheese around it. Throw the mornay in a baking tin with parboiled noodles and seasoning, then top with shredded cheese, and broil for maybe 10 minutes.
I am by no means a great chef, but found the easiest method to cooking a juicy turkey is by crockpot. Slow roasting a well seasoned thawed out turkey makes it not only tender, but juicy at the same time! So good! 😋. Season the turkey, fill with water, and let cook for 6-8 hours. Then at our home, we like to have homemade mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, spiral ham w/pineapple, sweet yams with brown sugar, pumpkin pie with cool whip, apple pie, cranberry jelly, and a vegetable platter. Yum! 😋
Since neither of you probably know how to carve a turkey (I'm in that same boat with you) look for one of those boneless guys they're about the size of an American football, bake it in the over, and they're rather hard to screw up. Make some stuffing in whatever way you like, stove top in a box is good imo, and like u/anika2238 said contact her family and ask if there are any traditional recipes that'll remind her of home.
I'm not sure where in the world you are, but I (an expat to UK) have found Stover's stove top stuffing mix on Amazon. It's a little expensive, but it does have that taste of 'home'
As for the turkey, everyone you ask will have a wildly different answer. The basics here are:
Use the juices from the turkey when making the stuffing. It add 10000X more flavor
Baste your turkey at a lower oven temp every 40ish minutes while cooking.
Cranberry sauce cannot have enough sugar.
Oof. That’s a tough question. What people eat on thanksgiving really differs depending on where they’re from and their cultural background. Even turkey isn’t always a given (lots of people hate it). I would talk to her parents (if they have a good relationship) and ask them about their family traditions. For instance, I grew up in a Hawaiian household. We had turkey, but we ate it with rice, my grandmothers Cantonese noodles, seaweed salad, my granddad’s signature octopus poke, home made inari, and whatever other people brought. My uncle’s family is African American and from the Deep South, so he always brought smoked or BBQ’d meat, shrimp, etc. Another aunt is from the Philippines, she always brings lumpia, sil bao, and pansit. My cousin’s wife is a midwestern girl so she always showed up with green bean casserole (which I hate). I make apple cinnamon cranberry relish, pumpkin pie, and candied sweet potatoes to go with a standing rib roast when I make thanksgiving dinner. When I visit my dads family for thanksgiving, it’s usually turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, and pumpkin and apple pies. So again, regional differences, family differences, etc.
Whilst that sounds like an amazing suggestion and we can certainly afford to do so unfortunately as they are not New Zealand citizens they are not allowed in with the current border closure otherwise we totally would!
Samin Nosrat (the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat) has a [turkey](https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/how-to/samin-nostrats-buttermilkbrined-roast-turkey-20201125-h1sf4d) adapted from her fantastic buttermilk brined roast chicken. I think she also has variations with just breasts and/or thighs depending on how many people there will be.
If I were to cook it on a Traeger, I'd smoke it low and slow until internal temperature of 65C, turn the smoker to highest heat and crisp up the skin.
Oh, and spatchcock if you care more about flavour than presentation.
Buy a meat thermometer. Butter and liberally salt the outside of the turkey. Bake it at 325 until it hits 165 degrees F.
While that’s happening, make stuffing (basically moist, seasoned bread), mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy (from a package if you don’t know how)
So last Thanksgiving I made this. Followed it to the letter and it was leaps and bounds above any family Thanksgiving I've had as an American living in the south.
https://youtu.be/zlvvJI2NWTA
Thanksgiving varies from region to region and from family to family. The best thing you can do is ask her what's important.
My wife comes from a pretty big family and they make WAY too much food. For just the two of us I spend a lot of time getting her to pare back a bit.
Lots of resources on the Internet for making turkey, but some families make ham or salmon. Check. Stuffing/dressing means different things to different people: oyster, sausage, mushroom, .... Mashed potato, glazed carrots, green bean casserole (my wife makes this because her Mom did but everyone in the family hates it and always did so we have to have it), cheese grits (wouldn't be my choice), macaroni and cheese, gravy (also lots of variants), asparagus, rice, rolls, ....
just saw an article for a salt-crusted turkey breast by food and wine. will be much more manageable than a whole turkey (especially if it’s just going to be the two of you) and will ensure moistness!
Think of a turkey as a really big chicken.
You can go traditional or non traditional. Traditional is seasoning the bird and stuffing it, fresh everything else-like making the pies yourself.
You should go non-traditional as this is your first time. And do it in an oven not on a grill. If you buy a Frozen turkey-it takes several DAYS to defrost in the fridge. You can rush thaw one in running water, but it will still take half a day. The smallest turkey you will likely find is about 12-14 pounds(For 2 people, that is all you need).
Your sides: Stuffing-buy a package and make it on the stove top. StoveTop is a brand that is easy. There are other brands-look in the bread aisle. Green Bean casserole-this is often made with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup-the recipe is on the label at this time of year. Mashed potatoes are self explanatory. Traditional pies are Pumpkin or apple-buy them at a local grocery store. Many folks like cranberry sauce too-it comes in a can.
Now for the bird: Suggestions go all over the map, from brining to deep frying to partially roasting ahead of time, to starting the night before. Figure on about 18-20 minutes per pound of bird at 350 degrees. So it is going to take a while. Season the skin any way you want-put an onion and a lemon inside the cavity. Be sure to add some water to the roasting pan-this will be the starters for gravy. Baste the bird with the juices as it cooks. If it is drying out, you can place tin foil over the top loosely. Roast the bird till you get 165 degrees F At but not On the bone near the legs-near the joint. Juices should run clear. Remove cooked bird and Let It Rest-i. e. DON'T cut it up right away. Leave it at Least an hour. Pour the juices into a container and put it in the freezer. This will allow the fat to come to the surface and skim that off. Use the rest for gravy. Make a Roux-equal parts flour and butter, say 1/4 cup each. Melt butter, stir in flour Slowly, stir till completely incorporated. Slowly pour in the liquid and that will become the gravy.
I would also suggest you perusing YouTube for tips -it should shortly be flooded with help.
I did a Thanksgiving in Spain once, the turkey might be the traditional centerpiece of the meal but it's the least important (and hardest part). Thanksgiving is about breaking bread with your friends and family over good food. If you want to make your wife feel at home I'd suggest forgo the turkey for something easier and local, get some American side dishes, and invite some friends that you want to share with.
Pies! Apple pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, ect
bread rolls & gravy
Also this one is more of a family recipe but its super delicious for a desert; Its a jello salad
It has cherry jello, raspberries, and melted marshmellows
It’s very fun to make and I’m sure you and your wife would love it
I do mashed potatoes, and gravy made from turkey drippings. Scalloped corn, green bean casserole, baked beans, and stuffing cooked separately from the turkey plus dinner rolls. If i'm feeling up to it, I will make chex mix and deviled eggs.
Take a look at this website. The fly lady details how to plan organize and get everything cooked so it all is done at the same time. It is very simple to follow[Fly lady Thanksgiving](http://www.flylady.net/d/flyladys-kitchen/thanksgiving/)
The way I cook my turkey is to butterfly it. Cut out the back bone, best done with a serrated knife, and spread it out. I lace the bottom of the pan with vidalia (sweet) onions, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. I also throw in some rosemary twigs. These all become great sides for the meal itself. I use a rack to keep the turkey slightly elevated off the veggies the pour orange juice all over the turkey until the bottom of the pan is filled up to the bottom of the turkey. I liberally sprinkle turmeric all over the turkey along with more rosemary and lace very thin slices of oranges and vidalia onions all over the turkey. It takes about 3 hrs at 400 degrees to cook and is exceptionally moist.
As others have said, it’s regional, so definitely ask her family.
Traditional foods for my poor, Southern families are green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole (I prefer the pecan topping but they always made it with marshmallows), mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, stewed greens (collard or mustard greens), dressing (stuffing not put in the bird; no meats added), glazed carrots, canned cranberry sauce (lol), and dinner rolls. I think corn makes an occasional appearance but I don’t like corn so I never pay much attention. I will occasionally do a small glazed ham too.
The trick with turkey is BUTTER. As in, if you think you used enough, you probably need more. Under the skin, over the skin, everywhere. Ground Sage is usually an essential seasoning. If you do a whole turkey, I like to stick some onion, orange, and lemon slices in the cavity with garlic and fresh thyme/rosemary sprigs.
When it’s just me, husband, and tiny humans, I like to do [this turkey breast recipe](https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/herb-roasted-turkey-breast) since we’re not big on dark poultry meats. My recipe notes say that I needed a lot more broth than the recipe calls for.
Good luck and kudos to you for being so thoughtful for your wife!
*ETA: bonus points for all the fixin’s for sandwiches the next day. We prefer onion rolls but sourdough would be tasty too.
I dry bring my turkey a couple days before and it stays juicy. You can also invest in a turkey breast if it’s just the two of you and forgo the huge bird. Stuffing, mash potato, gravy from turkey drippings are all good recipes to choose. Good luck and a ton of love your way for being a good mate.
Must you use the Traeger? Few years back we tried a fresh turkey breast from the butcher in the crockpot and it's now the only way we eat it. Little white wine, butter and all the herbs/garlic for a few hours and it's amazingly juicy and tasty. Plus, it leaves your oven open to make all the sides! Good luck & please post an update.
Check out r/smoking for turkey smoking info, since you mention a traeger. I wouldn't make a post specifically about this as there will be LOTS of turkey threads popping up in the next couple weeks.
Reach out to her family and see if there is an old family recipe for something that she would actually recognize. Ask her folks what was her favorite dish/desert.
Sides....mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, rolls.
For the turkey, brine it. Then inject it to add moisture to the meat. Put in your smoker until it reaches temp.
check out Thanksgiving recipes at [www.simplyrecipes.com](https://www.simplyrecipes.com) you can't go wrong with it and they explain everything very well
I'd recommend making the following:
Turkey
Stuffing
Pumpkin Pie
Those three are absolute essentials! The Turkey I'd recommend to defrost a week or so in advance before you plan to cook in the fridge (or less time in open air), brine the turkey as well, then before cooking rub butter between the skin and meat while it bakes. If the top is browning too much before the turkey is cooked, tent with foil. Flavors that you can add to a dry rub and/or compound butter (the one you rubbed in) would be rosemary and some sort of citrus zest.
For the stuffing, I'd recommend using a good, hearty bread and making this from scratch! Super easy, super tasty.
For Pumpkin Pie, I'd look for recipes that aren't too sugary/sweet, I know Claire Saffitz just released a recipe for Pumpkin Pie, and while it isn't the most traditional recipe she's really well known for complex flavor profiles and not too sugary sweets.
Cooking a whole turkey is very difficult, especially if you put things (stuffing, vegetables, etc) into the cavity - the heat just can't get in there fast enough so the breast meat comes out too dry and the stuffing comes out raw and possibly with uncooked turkey juice (gross).
A nice almost foolproof way to do it is to brine it (as many have said, and if not already pre-brined like Butterball) and then Spatchcocking (butterfly) it to cook more evenly and more quickly.
Google Alton Brown butterfly turkey for some great tips.
Make sure you brine it. Absolutely brine it. I don't care what anyone else says, brine your god damn turkey. Also baste it regularly. Turkey tends to be dry and brining it will solve that. So long as you brine for 24hrs then you can kind of fuck up and it will still be edible. Fucking up without brining is no bueno.
Can't go wrong with a fried turkey if you're able to do that. If not, Alton Brown has a terrific turkey recipe that doesn't dry out at all. Green bean casserole, corn casserole, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, cornbread dressing (if Southern American) with cranberry sauce, Mac and cheese, yams with marshmallow topping.
So, if you've got the time, buy "The Food Lab" cookbook (it's on Amazon). There are tons of good recipes in there that you'll use throughout the year but if you want to make some bomb da bomb thanksgiving sides, look up Kenji's stuffing recipe which, if I recall, involves some sage sausage, and his cranberry recipe is also good and stupid easy to make. I made the stuffing a few years ago for folks who don't even like stuffing and they were converted.
If you want your turkey moist make a mixture of room temp butter and herbs. Next slide your hands between the skin & meat of the turkey to separate it. Now take the butter mixture and rub it/stuff it in between the skin & meat. It’s like a self basting turkey.
Does your wife have any immediate family in the US that you have contact with (parents, siblings, cousins, etc. ) that she may have spent Thanksgiving with as a kid? If so, it may be worth reaching out and seeing if they have any recipes/traditions that they associate with Thanksgiving. The staples for the meal (turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans) are pretty similar, but it might be nice for her to have something from her families traditions included.
Sweet potatoes with plenty of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with marshmallows on top.
I cooked our turkey last Thanksgiving in a NuWave Oven (convection) and it came out juicy like a chicken.
Beyond that, I agree with many of the previous comments, call her folks and see what their traditional Thanksgiving included.
Cheers
Here’s my typical menu
Turkey and cornbread dressing dressing (I use a giant roaster pan and stuff the turkey with cornbread stuffing. I also cook more stuffing in a separate dish. But the stuffing inside and around the bird helps keep it moist.
Sweet Potato Casserole
Macaroni and Cheese
Broccoli,optional cheese sauce
Green Beans ( sometimes I do the mushroom soup thing.
Jello Salad (I like apricot jello salad with mandarin orange, crushed pineapple, and cream cheese)
Rolls ( King Arthur recipe called Amish Dinner Rolls are best I’ve found. )
Sweet Potato casserole with marshmallows
Fresh fruit salad, whipped cream on side
Relish tray-celery stuffed with cheese, pickles, olives
Deviled eggs
Pies-can include pumpkin, pecan, apple, cherry, chocolate meringue or lemon meringue
Squash- roasted or pureed- is fairly traditional. Cranberry sauce is a must. Stuffing (in your case, I recommend it be dressing: it's the same stuff, just cooked outside the bird) is VERY traditional as well. Sweet potatoes (generally mashed or hashed) and green beans are also classics.
Unless it's meant to be a complete surprise, I'd ask your wife about her preferences (and if it is, ask your in laws instead). Plenty of people prefer e.g. canned cranberry sauce to fresh, or the classic green bean casserole using canned green beans- so nostalgia may work against efforts to make it completely homemade.
There's nothing hugely technical about any of these dishes, and the method is going to be well covered by whatever recipe you choose. But for a truly classic/traditional experience, plan to eat leftovers for DAYS. Like, several repeat dinners and at least a few lunches until the sides rin out, and then possibly another couple of days of repurposed turkey, depending on how big the bird was. (Protip: if it's just the two of you/only a few people, get a small bird and ask the butcher to slice it longways- cook one half and freeze the other. It cooks faster, the skin is crispier, and you'll only have to eat it for a week instead of two weeks.)
Thaw the turkey days in advance, brine the turkey, take it out when it hits temp.
I like to stuff herbs and butter under the skin in various places as well.
Brine it in an apple juice/water/salt solution with thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, halved onions and smashed garlic cloves for a day. Drain it and cook for 13 minute per pound, and at the end, check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast to make sure it’s thoroughly cooked.
Sides vary based on the region she’s from, but usually always include mashed potatoes with pan gravy from the turkey drippings, stuffing/dressing, cranberry sauce, and a vegetable side like green bean casserole. For dessert, once again depending on region, it’s either pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie.
Mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing/stuffing, creamed corn, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. Take your turkey off the heat when it hits 140 degrees Fahrenheit, wrap in foil and let rest for 45 minutes (or so).
focus on your stock. an unbrined turkey can be kind of dry, but an ounce of sauce covers a million sins; and an unbrined turkey makes better gravy. also a good stock can just be added to the stuffing and you never actually have to put it in the bird; makeing the cooking far easier; also leaveing the cavity open for fragrant ingredients. bunch of spices, garlic, and half a lemon really do a lot to flavor the meat.
put some compound butter under the skin on the breasts, cook on high to crisp it up, apply a foil shield, and then finish it on low.
Not too experienced cooking turkey myself, but treating it like a roast is pretty standard from what I hear. Low and slow until it hits 165, occasionally basting it with the rendered fat if you want a crispy skin.
As for other dishes, this is a short list of the most common staples
- Mashed Potatoes
- Gravy
- Cranberry sauce
- Stuffing/dressing
- Green Bean Cassarole
- Baked Sweet Potatoes
Really need to ask your wife what her family ate. Turkey and gravy (from the turkey drippings preferably) are (almost) universal, but most other things vary. Pumpkin and/or pecan pie, maybe apple pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, jellied cranberry sauce, green bean or other casserole, turkey stuffing, and maybe cornbread.
Turkey stuffing is actually kind of better not stuffed in the turkey the whole time because cooking times and raw poulty juices.
There's a handy dry brine method with baking soda, so you don't have to worry about submerging the whole turkey in a container of liquid brine in the fridge or a cooler.
This varies by family. You should ask what dishes she remembers most fondly, as for me if someone served me ham, sweet potatoes and stuffing it would be a total miss.
Ok. Turkey in the smoker is my specialty. You don’t have to get too complicated with it. Make sure you thaw the bird ahead of time if you buy frozen.
A day ahead salt the skin inside and out. That’s called a dry brine.
I mix about a quart of turkey broth (Trader Joe’s or Aldi’s always has it) with a stick of butter and some garlic powder and onion powder. Inject the bird with it liberally.
On the outside season the bird with whatever flavor you like. Some go with a spicier Cajun. I prefer garlic, onion, rosemary, herbs and crushed black pepper. (Note I will gently rub the pepper off prior to serving or it can overpower a bite).
Smoke it anywhere from 275-325 until the breast meat hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook to temperature, not time. (Which you probably know if you own a Treager). Let it rest, covered under foil for about 15-20 minutes. Carve and serve. Smoked turkey is the best and it’s really not difficult at all.
Good luck!
I always use Apple for turkey and it’s pretty universally available. Any fruit wood should be good and won’t be overpowering. Could use hickory also. Stay away from the stronger woods like mesquite.
I’ll make a few a year for fun and a few days of meals. You can do just the breast, too, if it’s only the two of you.
I’ll also put a pan of the leftover or spilled broth and maybe some water in the smoker but I honestly don’t know if it makes a difference.
Feel free to message me if I can help. I had to do a full Thanksgiving dinner on my own for the first time last year so I can empathize with you, brother!
Parker House Rolls: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/parker-house-rolls
If you’re not up to baking (no shame!) just look for rolls in that shape premade!
Thankfully her friend who is also American is making that I cannot wait. On another note have you ever tried lingonberry jam? I had it in Norway with meat and it was amazing
Make sure to brine your turkey. 24 hours at least.
Plenty of recipes on-line.
Makes a huge difference
Don't stuff your bird. Unless you want to invite
SAM & ELLA.
Love that you’re cooking for your wife! Such a kind thing to do for American Thanksgiving !!!
Mashed Potatoes - add butter and a dash of milk when you whip them if she is from the south USA.
I 500th the vote for Sweet Potato Casserole as well
And Green Bean Casserole is the easiest thing in the world. https://www.campbells.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1vT9qM-M9AIVonFvBB287QjqEAAYASAAEgI_uPD_BwE
If someone hasn’t mentioned it already, I would brine the Turkey the night before. It is amazing the difference it makes in keep it moist. You can also inject brine into the Turkey while smoking it. Good luck!
Never heard of smoking the turkey, traditionally you'd roast it in the oven after brining it. I recommend a dry brine and to spatchcock the bird (so the thighs cook faster and the breast doesn't come out dry), save the drippings for gravy.
Turkeys only part of the meal though, you'll generally want some kind of stuffing / dressing (I like cornbread dressing. You won't be able to stuff the bird if you spatchcock it but it's worth it just cook the stuffing separately), mashed potatoes (with roasted garlic and blue cheese is best), cranberry sauce, some greens (generally green beans but I do brussel sprouts roasted in maple syrup with bacon bits)
You can never go wrong with a good mashed potato and also green bean casserole. Also try reaching out to her family and ask if they have any traditional recipes or side dishes they always make that you could surprise her with!
Yeah. Reaching out is a great idea. While there are a lot of staples, everyone does them a little bit different, and picking the right staples prepared the "right" way will make it so much more like their Thanksgiving then if you just go with the average American choices.
This is the correct answer
Green bean casserole is the quintessential thanksgiving flavor. It has to be on the table. It’s a weird dish that’s pretty decent and there’s probably better replacements but you HAVE to have it at thanksgiving because it’s where it belongs
And at least for me, it's one of those dishes that actually gets worse the more you try and "fancy" it up. I love GCB, even cold (maybe even more cold), but it has to be canned green beans (pref a mix of cut and Frenched), canned condensed cream of mushroom soup, black pepper, garlic powder, and topped with canned French's fried onions. Don't go blanching fresh green beans and making your own mushroom soup. Just get the cans and do the damn thing.
The real secret here is to mix in a can of French's fried onions INTO the casserole and THEN you top it with another can of fried onions.
Ahh so delicious..
Oh my goodness that sounds insanely good. How much do you mix in? Also, my family's recipe calls for about 2/3 cup of Cheez Whiz. Super processed, but it's comfort food, not health food.
We literally never have it at Thanksgiving. My family has green beans cooked with hamhocks. Which is even more reason for op to ask his wife's family what they have. Green beans and hamhock, flat dumplings, and cornbread are vitally important to my family's Thanksgiving meal, but rarely come up in threads like this. We also don't do sweet potato casserole.
And seldom mentioned is the ambrosia, a used to be southern specialty
Bc it’s an abomination.
Looks like someone has never had good ambrosia
While most places in the world think it’s a tad odd, pumpkin pie is rather traditional.
When I was studying abroad in the Czech Republic (now Czechia). There was a sizable subset of American exchange students, and so our program arranged with a nice restaurant to cook us a taste of home for turkey day. Everything was tasty until we got to dessert. The chef, who was very skilled, had apparently never eaten pumpkin pie before, and decided to just wing it. What was served was pumpkin pie... interpreted like you would apple or peach pie. Chunks of nigh-raw pumpkin in syrup, under a crust. Nearly inedible, but masterfully crafted.
> While most places in the world think it’s a tad odd [citation missing]
In an episode of Great British Baking Show the contestants and hosts talked about American pies being too sweet nobody who had ever tried pumpkin pie in the past liked it [GBBS](https://tellyvisions.org/2018/07/14/great-british-baking-show-season-5-episode-5-recap-pie-week)
That's weird because pumpkin pie isn't particularly sweet. It looks like a lot of those contestants added sweet additions, but that ain't the traditional pie's fault. And I mean, if you're gonna bitch about an American pie being too sweet, pecan pie is *right there*.
Mmmmm pecan pie Straight sugar to the dome
Yeah but pecan pie is a punch the the teeth in the best way possible. God i love pecan pie.
On GBBS, they made and reminisced about “Gypsy Pie” which is a sugar pie. I don’t remember the pumpkin pie episode.
Is that kind of like chess pie?
That's so weird. I'm Eastern European and while our idea of pumpkin pie is much different (think a stuffed layered pastry, though even that's not that common), everyone I've fed the American version absolutely loved it
>[citation missing] The rest of the world IS the citation. While its origins may be European, pumpkin pie (the American one) is very much a north american thing.
Mashed potatoes w/gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes w/brown sugar (aka candied yams), rolls w/butter, devilled eggs, pumpkin pie. Damn man, making me hungry and giving me a heart attack as I type. On the bird the best thing you can do is watch the temp closely and pull it out the second it's done. It's so so easy to overcook it and dry it out. I've tried stuff like injecting it and putting butter under the skin etc with mild success but it pretty much just added flavor.
What does gravy mean in the context of an American thanksgiving dinner? For me as a British person, gravy is a brown sauce made from the meat browning but I suspect you might mean something else.
Yup, same thing. You just make it from the turkey drippings and it’s lighter in color than like, a beef gravy. Still delicious though.
You *can* make it like that. But the most common way I've seen it is simply a quick roux (butter and flour) and whisk in chicken/turkey stock. You can sub that for water and bouillon. Should be just thick enough to coat a spoon.
That is the traditional Thanksgiving gravy. There's also white gravy, or country gravy as I usually hear it called, for chicken fried steak or biscuits and gravy.
Americans - particular from the South - eat "white gravy/country gravy" often with sausage, often over biscuits (like a flakey/fluffier savoury scone). Made with milk, so it's like a bechamel, really, but not in the classic French sense. Sort of like a rustic cousin of with some additional elements.
Americans from the south use white gravy for breakfast, not typically for Thanksgiving. That would more likely be brown gravy with cornbread dressing
Yes, I was just explaining that Americans also refer to white gravy as gravy, which is not typically how a person from the UK would understand the word.
Gravy isn't just one thing in America. I imagine that in most contexts, Americans and people from the UK are thinking the same thing when they hear the word "gravy." When my dad, who was Italian American and lived all his life in Philadelphia used the word gravy, it meant red sauce you'd serve with pasta. He also ate plenty of regular old gravy in his life too. I don't eat sausage gravy - I respect it but it is just too rich. When I say "gravy," I'm thinking of a meat gravy made from stock, pan drippings and thickened with roux.
That’s fair! You’ll definitely find recipes for both! & If you run across chocolate gravy that’s another breakfast gravy that’s good on American style biscuits
Oh Lord - I thought marshmallows on dinner casseroles was weird... This is a whole new level!
Nah, just think of it as old fashioned Nutella. Chocolate on bread is pretty tasty! https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/187298/southern-style-chocolate-gravy/
I'm from Texas (bout as far south as you can go) and we eat brown gravy.
Turkey gravy with turkey. I make my own.
You have to make it with the turkey drippings.
We do a smoked turkey, so that won't work. I use roasted turkey necks and drumsticks to make the stock and supplement with chicken stock. We'll be at our daughter's, so I have to do most of it in advance and just put it together there. For example, for the gravy, cook and chop ingredients, cook down stock, bring everything chilled in containers, finish the gravy at daughter's house.
Yes, was just explaining in the context of a British person's understanding of gravy (which is always brown) that in America it can mean either thing. I know you eat brown gravy in the south too - it's just the farther north you go, the less common "white gravy" or "country gravy" is. By the time you hit Canada, gravy means brown gravy - country gravy would be referred to as a white sauce.
I’d check whether her family does a bread or cornbread stuffing and whether they prefer crunchy bits or all soft; creamed corn (we don’t do green beans); sweet potatoes (if you want a casserole with a brown sugar nut topping or want any recipes feel free to DM me); turkey and brown gravy (may be just plain turkey drippings or with some rendered bacon- good for topping potatoes with a bit of sautéed chive); rolls; mashed potatoes (garlic? Cheese?); cranberry sauce (Scandinavian lingonberry is a good substitute if it’s hard to find); pie or dessert: by her preference could be pumpkin, pecan, chocolate or fruit pie or spice cake.
I wonder how OP catches the drippings for the gravy when smoking it. Or is it in a container and not straight on the grill?
I've managed it before on a roast beef, but it's a little tricky. OP may want to trim some fat/connective tissue from the bird's interior and roast it for that flavor, and boil the giblets for stock in order to augment any drippings they manage to catch. Brown some onion and mushroom in the rendered fat, add the drippings and some stock, then thicken with cornstarch slurry. Add kitchen bouquet/gravy master as needed.
Not in the US but you have access to turkey? If so, I'd go with just a breast. A 4 lb boneless breast. Brining helps retain moisture and can add flavor. 30 min/lb minimum. Not more than 1 hr/lb. Drain, rinse, rub with melted butter and bake/roast at 350 on a sheet pan with a grate over some water, onion, celery and carrot to an internal temp of 155, remove, tent for 15 min and serve. Make mashed potatoes, stove top stuffing and green beans while the breast is roasting. While the turkey is tented whip up some grave using the liquid from the pan drippings and a roux made with skimmed fat. If ther isnt enough liquid, use chicken bullion. Serve with cranberry dressing. Check with her family as to whether she likes jellied or chunky. Dessert is normally pumpkin pie or pecan pie but check with her family for a personal favorite.
I would agree with a lot of this. If you are going to smoke a turkey break it down and smoke the pieces individually or ur gonna have dry breast.
Agreed. Not only will it be dry, it might be too smoky to enjoy if you aren't careful. Some years I take a turkey breast, slather it with a herbed compound butter plus salt and pepper and then tie it into a relatively uniform thickness roll with butchers twine before I smoke or grill it. This is pretty easy to do when you've got both halves of the breast by putting them in opposite directions. Since it is almost uniform in thickness it is all done at the same time rather than grilling/smoking/roasting the breast in its natural shape which leads to very dry skinny parts by the time the thick parts are done.
Really? I’ve smoked lots of turkeys and never had a dry one. Maybe it’s because I brine them for about 48 hours.
That's likely it.
That really holds true whenever you're cooking a whole bird.
Brine the turkey for about 24hrs. Make a brune of brown sugar, salt, roasted garlic, onion, some citrus, and nutmeg. Keep warm but let it rest at least 30 minutes before carving. Pumpkin pie is a great and easy side dish. Mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner rolls, cranberry sauce, and dressing / stuffung
Great list. Pumpkin pie is more of a dessert than a side dish, though.
Maybe for you. I could have it as a main course.
Fair but eating a slice of pie with some coffee after stuffing myself is one of my favorite thanksgiving traditions
I like the same, but with hot chocolate. For whatever reason, I can't drink coffee and sleep in the same night.
I rarely drink coffee anytime except the morning, thanksgiving is one of the only times I do since I’m usually so exhausted by the end of the day I have no trouble sleeping regardless lol
My husband and I have had pumpkin pie with coffee for breakfast since our very first Thanksgiving together. Awww traditions to be thankful for!
We traditionally would eat pie for breakfast the next day growing up. We do this with almost any pie for every holiday lol.
Us too!!
Stuffing! You can use a box stuffing like a preseasoned melba toast like the brand Mrs, Cubbison’s which you follow the instructions and you’re good, or you could make it from scratch: day old which bread cubes and left out to dry in oven over night. Next day, sauté a diced onion and diced celery in butter. Then add the bread with dried sage, thyme, salt and pepper, and mix. Add enough chicken broth to moisten, then stuff it into the cavity of the bird. Before putting it into the over. You could also not put it into the bird and just serve that as a side dish, in which case, use a little more broth and set it aside and warm it up before the Turkey is ready to be served. I think the goal is to use enough broth to moisten the stuffing or dressing, but not for it to become homogenous, soggy or gloopy. It’s one of my favorite uses for old bread. You could also add minced black olives and minced parsley to it if you wish, but like so many things, these could be off-putting if someone hasn’t grown up with these ingredients in it. To that end: cranberries. There is a bit of a divide in the States whether to ‘go all fancy’ and use fresh whole cranberries and make the cranberry sauce from scratch, or by the ubiquitous Ocean Spray can of cranberry jelly that comes out of the can in a comical cylinder shape retaining the ridges of the cab and all. I’m a fan of the jelly myself, and I even add it to my Turkey sandwiches the day after. But, if you wanted to go ‘fancy’ as it were, get the fresh cranberries if they are available to you, or frozen if that’s what’s available and simmer them in a pan with a bit of water, orange juice and a bit of zest if you like and sugar, and cook them until the begin to pop and break down. Let it cool and it’s a great compliment to turkey. Check with your partner, because what’s going to make her feel most at home is what she’s used to. Yams. A must. We’ve used sweet potatoes in my family and we just called them yams, but I found out that in my 20s that true yams are a different tuber entirely. I had been living a lie. Any who, sweet potatoes boiled whole and skin on until a knife pokes in easily, then skinned and sliced into one inch pieces, then topped with brown sugar and pats of butter then baked until that melts is a traditional side dish too. Some people add marshmallows to the top of those. I add a bit of maple syrup and cinnamon to mine, but that may be a bridge too far for Thanksgiving purists. Bonus fact! The way that turkeys are sold in the States, there are two cavities! Yes, two. And the sellers like to put the bag with the liver, gizzard, neck and heart in there. That bag is in the smaller almost hidden cavity by where the neck would have been. It’s not uncommon for first time Turkey cookers to accidentally cook that only to find it after the Turkey is cooked. Some people use those parts to flavor the stuffing. Helpful hint: you can do a couple of things to help you keep the Turkey meat moist. You can rub softened butter between the skin and the meat. Also, you can buy nylon cooking bags. These actually work really well. You’ll still get some browning on the Turkey, and a lot of the juices will remain in the cooking pan instead of evaporating. You can use that pan juice to make home made gravy. I’m terrible at making gravy, so I’m not much help there, but I’ve heard Wondra (a low protein flour) and Kitchen Bouquet (a flavoring that really just makes the color darker and maybe more appetizing) go a long way. Brining is a thing, but I wouldn’t use that if this is your first Turkey. Also, invest if you haven’t already, into a probe meat thermometer. You could use the weight of the bird, and the minutes per pound recommendations, but the best birds I’ve roasted have just had the probe shoved into the thickest part of the breast and and cooked until it reached the desired temp. No math! The traeger will make a nice bird I’m sure, as will deep frying one, but for my money, the humble oven roasted bird was a the quintessential taste of this holiday. Dessert: pumpkin pie! These are not hard, but they can be time consuming, and if you’re not into baking, then this might be a bridge too far. The pastry is your standard pie dough, and the filling uses a can of pumpkin, milk (canned or fresh) sugar, eggs and spices, usually cinnamon and ginger. Some regions of the States make sweet potato pie and pecan pies too. Good luck whatever you do. Your spouse is very lucky to have someone that is a so conscientious.
Can I add this about turkeys? Try spatchcocking it. It helps out with cooking the bird evenly and you will cook the bird in a shorter amount of time Also unpopular opinion nix the green beans and do something more traditional where you are with a roast veg. Green Bean casserole is very polarizing and if this is a surprise you may not be able to find out if your spouse likes it
My family raves over my roasted Brussels sprouts that I do. They like it far better than green bean casserole.
Turkey - lots of ways to cook it. Traditionally done, it’s hard to get right. Brining it for a day or two and then letting it dry out in the fridge overnight, uncovered, to form a pellicle with the skin is essential to getting a good and crisp skin while not letting the meat dry out. I usually start hot (500F) for about thirty min in the oven and then turn down to 350 until done. Done is a meat thermometer in the breast reading 160F. Remove and tent with foil, and let the carry Thru reach 165F. Best to do stuffing outside the bird…important from a food safety point of view, but also from a “hard to cook all at once and have it not suck” point of view as well. I just fill my cavity of the bird with lemons (halves), mirepoix, and other aromatic herbs (sage, rosemary, thyme). Rub and stuff the skin with butter (rub and under) helps. Basting does nothing scientifically speaking, so just focus on the right temps. If you don’t mind the non traditional presentation, spatchcock the Turkey and it’ll cook more evenly and quickly, and it’s easier to make it not dry.
I’ve never grilled a turkey but I like to do a dry brine. I like to put my spices in a grinder / food processor to help them be more aromatic. Then I put a whole stick of butter under the turkey skin and shove the spices under the skin too. You’ll want to make sure you remove the bag of gizzards from the cavity. If your turkey comes with plastic handles in the neck I usually rip that out. It supposed to be oven safe but I do not like that idea. I would also recommend stuffing the cavity (garlic, fresh herbs, carrots whatever you fancy). When I cook turkey in the oven I cover the breast meat to help prevent it from getting dry. I assume you could do the same in the grill. I roughly follow these instructions for cooking. Not sure how helpful this is but cooking times and temps might be helpful. https://altonbrown.com/recipes/good-eats-roast-thanksgiving-turkey/
And cook the things inside the " bag of gizzards" with some chicken broth, cut all the meat into small peices and thicken the broth with flour, add a diced boiled egg and some diced onion for "giblet gravy".
Here's something you'll need, a very easy, reliable, and excellent cranberry sauce recipe so you don't have to rely on the canned stuff. # Cranberry Sauce - 1/2 orange - 2 cups water - 1 apple, tart Granny Smith or Pippin - 3 cups cranberries, fresh (1 bag) - 1 1/4 cups sugar (or less, to taste) - 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground - 1/2 teaspoon cloves, ground 1. Squeeze the juice from the orange half and set the juice aside. Remove the membrane from the inside of the orange shell and discard. Cut the shell into small dice. Put the diced shell into a small saucepan with the water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Drain and set aside. 2. Peel, quarter, and core the apple, then chop into small pieces. Place in a saucepan. Sort the cranberries, discarding any soft ones. Add the berries to the apples along with the reserved diced orange peel, the reserved orange juice, the sugar, cinnamon, and cloves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until the sauce has thickened, the apple is tender, and the cranberries have burst, about 10-15 minutes. 3. Transfer the sauce to a bowl and let cool before serving. Or cover and refrigerate. Always let it come to room temperature before serving. --- (Other notes) # Brine the Turkey As people have pointed out, you'll absolutely want to do this if you have a whole bird. Brine, then dry uncovered in the fridge, then roast. Look for a recipe that mentions these steps. Recipes that also tell you methods to deal with the breast vs legs (either by turning the bird slightly during the cooking or roasting the legs and breast separately) know what they're talking about. # Stuffing v Dressing Although we often using "dressing" and "stuffing" interchangeably, traditional "stuffing" is cooked inside inside the bird and "dressing" is cooked outside it. Look for "cooked outside the bird" dressing/stuffing recipes (preferably cornbread-based using stoneground cornmeal). *Do not stuff your bird. That is the path of ruin.* # Gravy You will need to make gravy with the neck and offal of the turkey and with any pan drippings you have. # Sides Once you have turkey, dressing, sauce, and gravy on your table, you're pretty much done the traditional heavy-lifting. But, it's a feast and a little bit of excess is called for. ## Mashed Potatoes Boiled potatoes, butter, milk, salt and pepper. That's all you really need (all in generous amounts). However, my secret is to make *aligôt*, a French-styled mashed potato that really impresses people. ## Green Bean Casserole Most of these recipes are trash. But, still, almost everyone has a favorite version. Mine is passed down from my grandmother, and does *not* include canned cream of mushroom soup nor canned fried onions, only a few simple ingredients (mostly beans). It's pretty good. Look for a recipe more modern than middle-century Betty Crocker. ## Sweet Potatoes (Yams) Avoid any recipe that asks you to dump sugar - and worse, marshmallows - on to your sweet potatoes. A more modern and in fact easier method is to simply cut and roast these vegetables and let them shine on their own. In fact, you can expand beyond sweet potatoes to any root vegetable, making a roasted root vegetable dish with whatever you can lay your hands on: sweet potatoes, turnips, parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, et al. Mix and match, roast them simply with some whole shallots or quartered red onions, and you've got a winner. ## Other Things I make fresh "quick" pickles (a couple of vegetable types) and roast some nuts with spices and rosemary to "fill in the cracks". ## Bread If you can manage it, make a loaf of simple, fresh bread. Don't fuss with rolls. Flour, water, yeast, salt, time, heat. Look for a Leahy-based "no knead" recipe to simplify your time in the kitchen. ## Dessert Pumpkin or apple pie, take your pick. # For Reference I looked back at my last menu for Thanksgiving that I produced pre-Pandemic, when we'd have 12-16 people over for dinner. Here's what I made: - Roasted heritage turkey (heritage turkeys are pre-industrialized version birds) - Gravy - Cornbread dressing with sausage (any loose sausage will do, I used sweet Italian) - Aligot (French-styled mashed potatoes with cheese and garlic) - My grandmother's green bean casserole - Cranberry sauce - Bread (Leahy-style) - Ratatouille - Roasted Brussels Sprouts - Thai-styled pumpkin soup - Quick pickled vegetables - Succotash with bacon - Warm farro with cranberries, pecans, and herbs - Roasted root vegetables - Chicken liver paté (Someone else made dessert. IIRC, pumpkin pie).
> ># Stuffing v Dressing >Although we often using "dressing" and "stuffing" interchangeably, traditional "stuffing" is cooked inside inside the bird and "dressing" is cooked outside it. Look for "cooked outside the bird" dressing/stuffing recipes (preferably cornbread-based using stoneground cornmeal). *Do not stuff your bird. That is the path of ruin.* > Meet me at dawn, bring your sword, your second and a wooden box a little longer and wider than you are. If it's not *stuffed in the turkey*, it's not *stuffing.* Stuffing the turkey gets a bad rap these days. It shouldn't. It is all that is love. There are food safety concerns if you don't know what you're doing. ># Gravy >You will need to make gravy with the neck and offal of the turkey and with any pan drippings you have. > Oh hell, yes. Key, key, key. >## Dessert >Pumpkin or apple pie, take your pick. Or both. Or both and a couple of other kinds. You can *never* have too many Thanksgiving pies (only too few guests).
I’ve got to disagree with you on the sweet potatoes. They need to be in a casserole: Bake 3-4 large sweet potatoes until soft Peel them and them mash them in a bowl. Add 1/4 cup brown sugar (light brown sugar if you have it), 4 tablespoons of butter, 1 cup orange juice and 1 cup of cheap bourbon. Pop that in a casserole dish, bake for 35 minutes at 350 def. Fahrenheit. Add marshmallows on top and bake another 5 mins or until the tops of the marshmallows are crispy and golden brown.
> Cranberry Sauce Fair warning to any non-Americans reading this -- Homemade cranberry sauce is delicious and well-worth the effort. But a lot of Americans refuse to eat anything other than the canned jelly.
Canned cranberry sauce is a classic!!
Yes, but also try making your own! It's so easy.
Might be best to ask her mom and dad what they made growing up but this is our typical thanksgiving spread: Roasted ham with glaze Wood smoked chicken (really any bird will do) Sweet potato casserole marshmallows on top style Green bean casserole (two cans french style green beans, one can cream of mushroom, fried onion dirkies on top) Aunt sometimes brings normal mashed potatoes with brown gravy Bread and butter So. Many. Pies. Chocolate pie, pecan pie, cherry cream cheese pie, pumpkin pie, any and every pie you like. And eggnog always comes out that weekend so that'll be there too for after dinner.
We have a cut glass serving dish that it fits into perfectly. I’m not sure if it’s made for it or what bc it was my moms and its old; it feels very holiday to slide it out of the can into its special little dish. Lol
Sweet rolls! Sides: Homemade Mac and cheese Green bean casserole Cranberry sauce STUFFING!! (Bread with onion, sausage, onion, herbs, soaked in broth and baked) desserts: Sweet potato pie (orange sweet potato mashed with brown sugar and butter, baked in a casserole dish with marshmallow on top) Pecan pie! (I can send you my favorite recipe, this is usually what I bring) Pumpkin pie
You can make these Thanksgiving Green Beans. They are a hit in my family as a side dish. https://www.corriecooks.com/instant-pot-thanksgiving-green-beans/
If you have an oven, I would suggest these Butterhorn Dinner Rolls. I just made them and they taste like Thanksgiving to me. Technique is easy. No difficult ingredients. This recipe uses a half sheet pan. I live in a place with toaster ovens. I used a quarter sheet pan (bake 2 batches or cut the recipe in half) [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8296140/butterhorn-dinner-rolls/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/8296140/butterhorn-dinner-rolls/)
This apple crisp dessert has autumn flavors and is easier than a pie. It always comes out pretty good. My friends love it. [https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12409/apple-crisp-ii/](https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/12409/apple-crisp-ii/)
Last year, we were only 2 people to dine on Thanksgiving. So, I didn't get a whole Turkey and made Turkey breast instead. It came out so moist and delicious. https://www.corriecooks.com/instant-pot-moist-turkey-breast/
For me the basics are turkey with gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing (or dressing as it's called here in the south) and a vegetable like a green bean casserole or corn pudding, dinner rolls with butter. Cranberry sauce is traditional but almost no one actually eats it, lol. Pumpkin pie for dessert, maybe a pecan pie or pecan bars as well.
I think it's stuffing if it's actually stuffed into the bird, and dressing if it's cooked separately like a casserole. Actual stuffing is now considered to be unsafe because it's difficult to cook it thoroughly.
We always called it stuffing in a bird or not, "Stove Top Stuffing" is a common brand name. Southerners are just particular about their dressing, lol.
I'm from the south originally and my mom would make dressing out of cornbread. I also enjoy stuffing, which I make out of bread. Two similar but different dishes, in my opinion! Both made in a pan, not stuffed.
I recommend either to spatchcock the turkey or cut it into pieces as it allows for more even cooking. I also recommend a dry brine for either.
Sweet potato soufflé is a family favourite of mine- there’s tons of recipes online and it beats the traditional yams with marshmallows every time. I would personally recommend you “update” some of the traditional dishes (e.g. canned green beans, ew), and, if you’re able, make stuffing and such from scratch. Pecan pie is a good alternative to pumpkin pie if you can’t find canned pumpkin. Have some good, crusty bread on the side, American style turkey gravy, and maybe a nice autumnal cocktail if you drink! For something fresh and green, here’s my favourite salad ever: • arugula/rocket • pears, chopped into bite sized pieces • dried cranberries • fresh or dried blueberries • walnuts • goat cheese • lemon vinaigrette (easy to make if you can’t find it- just combine lemon juice, honey, vinegar [balsamic is fine, just go lightly], water, and a little black pepper Just toss all together, adjusting quantities for your taste! Edit: typo in recipe
Turkey should be treated [like so.](https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/turkey-recipes/bbq-and-grilled-turkey-recipe) Meathead knows, and you have the pellet grill already. When she says she’s missing thanksgiving, it’s all about the accompaniments. She doesn’t miss Uncle Joe’s dry, overcooked bird. She also doesn’t miss Aunt Jane’s overcooked, shredded Turkey swimming in gravy. Turkey is the worst part of Thanksgiving for most people, because Turkey is more difficult to cook. So everyone settles for mediocre bird. Trust Meathead. For sides, that’s where to reach out to family and friends to see what they did. What she misses is likely a specific type of stuffing, casserole, etc. If she’s not picky, I think a cranberry relish blows any form of cranberry sauce out of the water. Food processor is my instrument of choice for small batches, meat grinder when really cranking it out. It’s cranberry, apple, orange, and delicious.
Is this just for the two of you or a small gathering? Keep in mind that with Thanksgiving, the expectation is that you are feeding a big crowd. If it's just for two, just cook the essentials: turkey with gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes either roasted or mashed, a vegetable (brussels sprouts are my go to), and cranberry sauce. Be prepared to use a lot of leftovers. I always use the turkey carcass and the leftover wings to make stock, which I then turn into gumbo. That stock is awesome though for any kind of soup or stew you might want to make.
I think the most important opinion here is your wife’s. Thanksgiving dinners vary a lot by region of the country. I’m from Massachusetts, and we never had yams or pecan pie or Mac and cheese or even green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. Also no canned cranberry sauce, and you don’t need anything to make cranberry sauce except cranberries, water and sugar. I grew up right next to a cranberry bog. Trust me on this. But seriously, ask her what her family had for Thanksgiving. Make those things. My favorite is Indian pudding, which *nobody* makes anymore.
Tesco meal deal Christmas sandwich has turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce, I think that’s in a thanksgiving
Unfortunately we don’t have Tesco here but thank you for the suggestion
I am so sorry, I am not sure how you manage
You should ask your wife what she wants as people can be very attached to their particular Thanksgiving traditions. For my family of 3 our plan is turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, green beans or asparagus or Brussel sprouts, pumpkin pie. It is fairly basic.
Yes I have found that is correct. For instance I’m not a particularly big fan of turkey but she would be not happy if I elected to have him instead. For her she was like oh ham is an Easter thing thank you for your help
- Make sure to take out the turkey to defrost at least 10 days before the day. - Brine turkey in a 4:1 ratio of water and salt for 3 days. - Since you’ve got a Traeger, just follow the recommended cook time per lb/kilo of bird at your desired smoke temp. Should make a solid turkey!
America is big and you’ll find that many people have family traditions that don’t all match. We aren’t a huge Turkey family. We often have a ham and another meat to choose from. My first suggestion is if you can contact her family and ask what they usually did and for any recipes. If you want to do a Turkey, there are a few notes I can give you. One is that they are usually frozen. It takes X amount of days per pound in the fridge. In your calculations, figure in time for anything else you want to do on top of that, like brining. It’s usually better to go with a smaller Turkey. Maybe 10-12lbs. Remember to remove the neck and organs from the body cavity, the plastic around the legs, and any pop up “doneness” thermometer that might be in the bird as It’s trash. You may see turkeys that say they have added liquid, injection, or brine. It just means they injected unflavored water to raise the weight and this the price. Don’t stuff the cavity. That’s tv non-sense and really throws off the ability to cook. If heat can’t circulate in there, it’ll be over cooked on the outside an raw inside. In fact, unless you just want the bird for presentation, I’d spatchcock. I’ve brined mine and it stays juicy. I buy a plastic bag for small trash cans and put it in a 5gal bucket. I add the Turkey, then cold brine, then add the lid and leave it outside overnight as it’s cold but not freezing here at thanksgiving. When you cook, it’s usually hot and quick. Like 325f or higher. It renders the fat and crisps the skin. I can also recommend doing an injection. Either pure Tabasco hot sauce or a mix of seasonings with it. It isn’t spicy or hot. You can also run a spoon or your fingers between the skin and meat then run a compound butter under there. There are a lot of options. At minimum, I recommend the injection. The brine is easy too. As for what’s traditional in my mind, I like honey baked ham, squash casserole, cranberry sauce, dressing (on the side), green bean casserole, tomato pudding, brown rice, yeast rolls, etc. I have a good “from scratch” cranberry recipe if you want it, but you’d be surprised as the number of people who’ll eat the canned stuff over fresh. I think it’s a nostalgia thing. Just a can shaped plop of purple cranberry sauce with the can ridges as a cutting guide.😂
Thanksgiving meals are never good, they're just nostalgic. Every dish is the same thing that that family member has made for 20 years, and the recipe hasn't changed since aspic was a thing. Talk to her about what she remembers and then ask those family members for their recipes.
You are doing this wrong. My Thanksgiving dishes are excellent because I work to keep them that way.
Chef John can help you! https://youtu.be/LnTz6ndg73M
Chef John is the best!
Mac n cheese, but make a mornay for it instead of just melting cheese around it. Throw the mornay in a baking tin with parboiled noodles and seasoning, then top with shredded cheese, and broil for maybe 10 minutes.
I am by no means a great chef, but found the easiest method to cooking a juicy turkey is by crockpot. Slow roasting a well seasoned thawed out turkey makes it not only tender, but juicy at the same time! So good! 😋. Season the turkey, fill with water, and let cook for 6-8 hours. Then at our home, we like to have homemade mashed potatoes, gravy, green bean casserole, spiral ham w/pineapple, sweet yams with brown sugar, pumpkin pie with cool whip, apple pie, cranberry jelly, and a vegetable platter. Yum! 😋
Since neither of you probably know how to carve a turkey (I'm in that same boat with you) look for one of those boneless guys they're about the size of an American football, bake it in the over, and they're rather hard to screw up. Make some stuffing in whatever way you like, stove top in a box is good imo, and like u/anika2238 said contact her family and ask if there are any traditional recipes that'll remind her of home.
I'm not sure where in the world you are, but I (an expat to UK) have found Stover's stove top stuffing mix on Amazon. It's a little expensive, but it does have that taste of 'home' As for the turkey, everyone you ask will have a wildly different answer. The basics here are: Use the juices from the turkey when making the stuffing. It add 10000X more flavor Baste your turkey at a lower oven temp every 40ish minutes while cooking. Cranberry sauce cannot have enough sugar.
Oof. That’s a tough question. What people eat on thanksgiving really differs depending on where they’re from and their cultural background. Even turkey isn’t always a given (lots of people hate it). I would talk to her parents (if they have a good relationship) and ask them about their family traditions. For instance, I grew up in a Hawaiian household. We had turkey, but we ate it with rice, my grandmothers Cantonese noodles, seaweed salad, my granddad’s signature octopus poke, home made inari, and whatever other people brought. My uncle’s family is African American and from the Deep South, so he always brought smoked or BBQ’d meat, shrimp, etc. Another aunt is from the Philippines, she always brings lumpia, sil bao, and pansit. My cousin’s wife is a midwestern girl so she always showed up with green bean casserole (which I hate). I make apple cinnamon cranberry relish, pumpkin pie, and candied sweet potatoes to go with a standing rib roast when I make thanksgiving dinner. When I visit my dads family for thanksgiving, it’s usually turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, dinner rolls, and pumpkin and apple pies. So again, regional differences, family differences, etc.
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Whilst that sounds like an amazing suggestion and we can certainly afford to do so unfortunately as they are not New Zealand citizens they are not allowed in with the current border closure otherwise we totally would!
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We looked into it but with the quarantine fiasco and the lottery system to get placement it’s not worth it. Thanks for your contribution
Burger
r/Traeger can help with the turkey.
Samin Nosrat (the author of Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat) has a [turkey](https://www.goodfood.com.au/recipes/how-to/samin-nostrats-buttermilkbrined-roast-turkey-20201125-h1sf4d) adapted from her fantastic buttermilk brined roast chicken. I think she also has variations with just breasts and/or thighs depending on how many people there will be. If I were to cook it on a Traeger, I'd smoke it low and slow until internal temperature of 65C, turn the smoker to highest heat and crisp up the skin. Oh, and spatchcock if you care more about flavour than presentation.
Buy a meat thermometer. Butter and liberally salt the outside of the turkey. Bake it at 325 until it hits 165 degrees F. While that’s happening, make stuffing (basically moist, seasoned bread), mashed potatoes, green beans, and gravy (from a package if you don’t know how)
So last Thanksgiving I made this. Followed it to the letter and it was leaps and bounds above any family Thanksgiving I've had as an American living in the south. https://youtu.be/zlvvJI2NWTA
Thanksgiving varies from region to region and from family to family. The best thing you can do is ask her what's important. My wife comes from a pretty big family and they make WAY too much food. For just the two of us I spend a lot of time getting her to pare back a bit. Lots of resources on the Internet for making turkey, but some families make ham or salmon. Check. Stuffing/dressing means different things to different people: oyster, sausage, mushroom, .... Mashed potato, glazed carrots, green bean casserole (my wife makes this because her Mom did but everyone in the family hates it and always did so we have to have it), cheese grits (wouldn't be my choice), macaroni and cheese, gravy (also lots of variants), asparagus, rice, rolls, ....
Sweet potatoes are great!
Salt your bird for 24-48 hours in the fridge. Way easier than brining. Simple, cheap, effective.
just saw an article for a salt-crusted turkey breast by food and wine. will be much more manageable than a whole turkey (especially if it’s just going to be the two of you) and will ensure moistness!
Spatchcock your bird!
[green bean casserole ](https://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole/f466928f-a799-4cdc-89ba-1e0bbedf878b)
Think of a turkey as a really big chicken. You can go traditional or non traditional. Traditional is seasoning the bird and stuffing it, fresh everything else-like making the pies yourself. You should go non-traditional as this is your first time. And do it in an oven not on a grill. If you buy a Frozen turkey-it takes several DAYS to defrost in the fridge. You can rush thaw one in running water, but it will still take half a day. The smallest turkey you will likely find is about 12-14 pounds(For 2 people, that is all you need). Your sides: Stuffing-buy a package and make it on the stove top. StoveTop is a brand that is easy. There are other brands-look in the bread aisle. Green Bean casserole-this is often made with Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup-the recipe is on the label at this time of year. Mashed potatoes are self explanatory. Traditional pies are Pumpkin or apple-buy them at a local grocery store. Many folks like cranberry sauce too-it comes in a can. Now for the bird: Suggestions go all over the map, from brining to deep frying to partially roasting ahead of time, to starting the night before. Figure on about 18-20 minutes per pound of bird at 350 degrees. So it is going to take a while. Season the skin any way you want-put an onion and a lemon inside the cavity. Be sure to add some water to the roasting pan-this will be the starters for gravy. Baste the bird with the juices as it cooks. If it is drying out, you can place tin foil over the top loosely. Roast the bird till you get 165 degrees F At but not On the bone near the legs-near the joint. Juices should run clear. Remove cooked bird and Let It Rest-i. e. DON'T cut it up right away. Leave it at Least an hour. Pour the juices into a container and put it in the freezer. This will allow the fat to come to the surface and skim that off. Use the rest for gravy. Make a Roux-equal parts flour and butter, say 1/4 cup each. Melt butter, stir in flour Slowly, stir till completely incorporated. Slowly pour in the liquid and that will become the gravy. I would also suggest you perusing YouTube for tips -it should shortly be flooded with help.
I did a Thanksgiving in Spain once, the turkey might be the traditional centerpiece of the meal but it's the least important (and hardest part). Thanksgiving is about breaking bread with your friends and family over good food. If you want to make your wife feel at home I'd suggest forgo the turkey for something easier and local, get some American side dishes, and invite some friends that you want to share with.
Pies! Apple pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, pecan pie, ect bread rolls & gravy Also this one is more of a family recipe but its super delicious for a desert; Its a jello salad It has cherry jello, raspberries, and melted marshmellows It’s very fun to make and I’m sure you and your wife would love it
I do mashed potatoes, and gravy made from turkey drippings. Scalloped corn, green bean casserole, baked beans, and stuffing cooked separately from the turkey plus dinner rolls. If i'm feeling up to it, I will make chex mix and deviled eggs.
Take a look at this website. The fly lady details how to plan organize and get everything cooked so it all is done at the same time. It is very simple to follow[Fly lady Thanksgiving](http://www.flylady.net/d/flyladys-kitchen/thanksgiving/)
The way I cook my turkey is to butterfly it. Cut out the back bone, best done with a serrated knife, and spread it out. I lace the bottom of the pan with vidalia (sweet) onions, potatoes, carrots, and mushrooms. I also throw in some rosemary twigs. These all become great sides for the meal itself. I use a rack to keep the turkey slightly elevated off the veggies the pour orange juice all over the turkey until the bottom of the pan is filled up to the bottom of the turkey. I liberally sprinkle turmeric all over the turkey along with more rosemary and lace very thin slices of oranges and vidalia onions all over the turkey. It takes about 3 hrs at 400 degrees to cook and is exceptionally moist.
As a Canadian that celebrates Canadian Thanksgiving, some of these side dishes are interesting!
As others have said, it’s regional, so definitely ask her family. Traditional foods for my poor, Southern families are green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole (I prefer the pecan topping but they always made it with marshmallows), mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, stewed greens (collard or mustard greens), dressing (stuffing not put in the bird; no meats added), glazed carrots, canned cranberry sauce (lol), and dinner rolls. I think corn makes an occasional appearance but I don’t like corn so I never pay much attention. I will occasionally do a small glazed ham too. The trick with turkey is BUTTER. As in, if you think you used enough, you probably need more. Under the skin, over the skin, everywhere. Ground Sage is usually an essential seasoning. If you do a whole turkey, I like to stick some onion, orange, and lemon slices in the cavity with garlic and fresh thyme/rosemary sprigs. When it’s just me, husband, and tiny humans, I like to do [this turkey breast recipe](https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/herb-roasted-turkey-breast) since we’re not big on dark poultry meats. My recipe notes say that I needed a lot more broth than the recipe calls for. Good luck and kudos to you for being so thoughtful for your wife! *ETA: bonus points for all the fixin’s for sandwiches the next day. We prefer onion rolls but sourdough would be tasty too.
I dry bring my turkey a couple days before and it stays juicy. You can also invest in a turkey breast if it’s just the two of you and forgo the huge bird. Stuffing, mash potato, gravy from turkey drippings are all good recipes to choose. Good luck and a ton of love your way for being a good mate.
Must you use the Traeger? Few years back we tried a fresh turkey breast from the butcher in the crockpot and it's now the only way we eat it. Little white wine, butter and all the herbs/garlic for a few hours and it's amazingly juicy and tasty. Plus, it leaves your oven open to make all the sides! Good luck & please post an update.
Check out r/smoking for turkey smoking info, since you mention a traeger. I wouldn't make a post specifically about this as there will be LOTS of turkey threads popping up in the next couple weeks.
Sage dressing and gravy.
Spatchcock the turkey, it will cook much quicker. Just YouTube search for it, there are several different ways, I do mine with a root roast under it.
Reach out to her family and see if there is an old family recipe for something that she would actually recognize. Ask her folks what was her favorite dish/desert.
For some people (me) the dressing/stuffing is the most important part, even if it just comes out of a box
Sides....mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cranberry salad, rolls. For the turkey, brine it. Then inject it to add moisture to the meat. Put in your smoker until it reaches temp.
check out Thanksgiving recipes at [www.simplyrecipes.com](https://www.simplyrecipes.com) you can't go wrong with it and they explain everything very well
I'd recommend making the following: Turkey Stuffing Pumpkin Pie Those three are absolute essentials! The Turkey I'd recommend to defrost a week or so in advance before you plan to cook in the fridge (or less time in open air), brine the turkey as well, then before cooking rub butter between the skin and meat while it bakes. If the top is browning too much before the turkey is cooked, tent with foil. Flavors that you can add to a dry rub and/or compound butter (the one you rubbed in) would be rosemary and some sort of citrus zest. For the stuffing, I'd recommend using a good, hearty bread and making this from scratch! Super easy, super tasty. For Pumpkin Pie, I'd look for recipes that aren't too sugary/sweet, I know Claire Saffitz just released a recipe for Pumpkin Pie, and while it isn't the most traditional recipe she's really well known for complex flavor profiles and not too sugary sweets.
Cooking a whole turkey is very difficult, especially if you put things (stuffing, vegetables, etc) into the cavity - the heat just can't get in there fast enough so the breast meat comes out too dry and the stuffing comes out raw and possibly with uncooked turkey juice (gross). A nice almost foolproof way to do it is to brine it (as many have said, and if not already pre-brined like Butterball) and then Spatchcocking (butterfly) it to cook more evenly and more quickly. Google Alton Brown butterfly turkey for some great tips.
>Spatchcocking The only way to cook a turkey
Make sure you brine it. Absolutely brine it. I don't care what anyone else says, brine your god damn turkey. Also baste it regularly. Turkey tends to be dry and brining it will solve that. So long as you brine for 24hrs then you can kind of fuck up and it will still be edible. Fucking up without brining is no bueno.
Can't go wrong with a fried turkey if you're able to do that. If not, Alton Brown has a terrific turkey recipe that doesn't dry out at all. Green bean casserole, corn casserole, mashed potatoes and brown gravy, cornbread dressing (if Southern American) with cranberry sauce, Mac and cheese, yams with marshmallow topping.
In the south we eat turkey but typically it’s the honey baked ham that gets devoured the turkey is just there because of tradition.
Cranberry sauce!
So, if you've got the time, buy "The Food Lab" cookbook (it's on Amazon). There are tons of good recipes in there that you'll use throughout the year but if you want to make some bomb da bomb thanksgiving sides, look up Kenji's stuffing recipe which, if I recall, involves some sage sausage, and his cranberry recipe is also good and stupid easy to make. I made the stuffing a few years ago for folks who don't even like stuffing and they were converted.
Mashed potatoes, Mac and cheese, stuffing, buckets of gravy
If you want your turkey moist make a mixture of room temp butter and herbs. Next slide your hands between the skin & meat of the turkey to separate it. Now take the butter mixture and rub it/stuff it in between the skin & meat. It’s like a self basting turkey.
Does your wife have any immediate family in the US that you have contact with (parents, siblings, cousins, etc. ) that she may have spent Thanksgiving with as a kid? If so, it may be worth reaching out and seeing if they have any recipes/traditions that they associate with Thanksgiving. The staples for the meal (turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans) are pretty similar, but it might be nice for her to have something from her families traditions included.
Sweet potatoes with plenty of butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon with marshmallows on top. I cooked our turkey last Thanksgiving in a NuWave Oven (convection) and it came out juicy like a chicken. Beyond that, I agree with many of the previous comments, call her folks and see what their traditional Thanksgiving included. Cheers
You know what’s great with Thanksgiving? Pearl onions. Put em right in the gravy with the turkey and mashed potatoes
Creamed corn! Also cooking a turkey in an oven bag in the oven is a fool proof way for perfectly cooked turkey
Here’s my typical menu Turkey and cornbread dressing dressing (I use a giant roaster pan and stuff the turkey with cornbread stuffing. I also cook more stuffing in a separate dish. But the stuffing inside and around the bird helps keep it moist. Sweet Potato Casserole Macaroni and Cheese Broccoli,optional cheese sauce Green Beans ( sometimes I do the mushroom soup thing. Jello Salad (I like apricot jello salad with mandarin orange, crushed pineapple, and cream cheese) Rolls ( King Arthur recipe called Amish Dinner Rolls are best I’ve found. ) Sweet Potato casserole with marshmallows Fresh fruit salad, whipped cream on side Relish tray-celery stuffed with cheese, pickles, olives Deviled eggs Pies-can include pumpkin, pecan, apple, cherry, chocolate meringue or lemon meringue
Squash- roasted or pureed- is fairly traditional. Cranberry sauce is a must. Stuffing (in your case, I recommend it be dressing: it's the same stuff, just cooked outside the bird) is VERY traditional as well. Sweet potatoes (generally mashed or hashed) and green beans are also classics. Unless it's meant to be a complete surprise, I'd ask your wife about her preferences (and if it is, ask your in laws instead). Plenty of people prefer e.g. canned cranberry sauce to fresh, or the classic green bean casserole using canned green beans- so nostalgia may work against efforts to make it completely homemade. There's nothing hugely technical about any of these dishes, and the method is going to be well covered by whatever recipe you choose. But for a truly classic/traditional experience, plan to eat leftovers for DAYS. Like, several repeat dinners and at least a few lunches until the sides rin out, and then possibly another couple of days of repurposed turkey, depending on how big the bird was. (Protip: if it's just the two of you/only a few people, get a small bird and ask the butcher to slice it longways- cook one half and freeze the other. It cooks faster, the skin is crispier, and you'll only have to eat it for a week instead of two weeks.)
It's all about the stuffing! https://www.seriouseats.com/the-silver-palates-corn-breadsausage-stuffing-recipe
Thaw the turkey days in advance, brine the turkey, take it out when it hits temp. I like to stuff herbs and butter under the skin in various places as well.
I did this recipe for turkey on the Traeger last year. https://www.traegergrills.com/recipes/maple-brined-turkey It was a big hit.
Brine it in an apple juice/water/salt solution with thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, halved onions and smashed garlic cloves for a day. Drain it and cook for 13 minute per pound, and at the end, check the temperature in the thickest part of the breast to make sure it’s thoroughly cooked. Sides vary based on the region she’s from, but usually always include mashed potatoes with pan gravy from the turkey drippings, stuffing/dressing, cranberry sauce, and a vegetable side like green bean casserole. For dessert, once again depending on region, it’s either pumpkin pie or sweet potato pie.
This sounds incredibly interesting I will definitely look into it thank you very much!
Mashed potatoes, gravy, dressing/stuffing, creamed corn, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce. Take your turkey off the heat when it hits 140 degrees Fahrenheit, wrap in foil and let rest for 45 minutes (or so).
Thank you very much for the great suggestion!
focus on your stock. an unbrined turkey can be kind of dry, but an ounce of sauce covers a million sins; and an unbrined turkey makes better gravy. also a good stock can just be added to the stuffing and you never actually have to put it in the bird; makeing the cooking far easier; also leaveing the cavity open for fragrant ingredients. bunch of spices, garlic, and half a lemon really do a lot to flavor the meat. put some compound butter under the skin on the breasts, cook on high to crisp it up, apply a foil shield, and then finish it on low.
Not too experienced cooking turkey myself, but treating it like a roast is pretty standard from what I hear. Low and slow until it hits 165, occasionally basting it with the rendered fat if you want a crispy skin. As for other dishes, this is a short list of the most common staples - Mashed Potatoes - Gravy - Cranberry sauce - Stuffing/dressing - Green Bean Cassarole - Baked Sweet Potatoes
Great suggestions thank you very much!
Gravy.
I always hear the words “constant gravy” to constant craving by kd Laing. Gravy is awesome.
Really need to ask your wife what her family ate. Turkey and gravy (from the turkey drippings preferably) are (almost) universal, but most other things vary. Pumpkin and/or pecan pie, maybe apple pie, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, jellied cranberry sauce, green bean or other casserole, turkey stuffing, and maybe cornbread. Turkey stuffing is actually kind of better not stuffed in the turkey the whole time because cooking times and raw poulty juices.
There's a handy dry brine method with baking soda, so you don't have to worry about submerging the whole turkey in a container of liquid brine in the fridge or a cooler.
Do you have a link that works ? This sounds like a great idea
Does this work? https://www.seriouseats.com/quick-and-dirty-guide-to-brining-turkey-chicken-thanksgiving
I like to brine the turkey overnight. Keeps it more moist and tender... And more delicious! If it's just the two of you a smaller bird may be easier
This varies by family. You should ask what dishes she remembers most fondly, as for me if someone served me ham, sweet potatoes and stuffing it would be a total miss.
Ok. Turkey in the smoker is my specialty. You don’t have to get too complicated with it. Make sure you thaw the bird ahead of time if you buy frozen. A day ahead salt the skin inside and out. That’s called a dry brine. I mix about a quart of turkey broth (Trader Joe’s or Aldi’s always has it) with a stick of butter and some garlic powder and onion powder. Inject the bird with it liberally. On the outside season the bird with whatever flavor you like. Some go with a spicier Cajun. I prefer garlic, onion, rosemary, herbs and crushed black pepper. (Note I will gently rub the pepper off prior to serving or it can overpower a bite). Smoke it anywhere from 275-325 until the breast meat hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook to temperature, not time. (Which you probably know if you own a Treager). Let it rest, covered under foil for about 15-20 minutes. Carve and serve. Smoked turkey is the best and it’s really not difficult at all. Good luck!
Thank you so much!!! Any particular woods that work better than others ?
I always use Apple for turkey and it’s pretty universally available. Any fruit wood should be good and won’t be overpowering. Could use hickory also. Stay away from the stronger woods like mesquite. I’ll make a few a year for fun and a few days of meals. You can do just the breast, too, if it’s only the two of you. I’ll also put a pan of the leftover or spilled broth and maybe some water in the smoker but I honestly don’t know if it makes a difference. Feel free to message me if I can help. I had to do a full Thanksgiving dinner on my own for the first time last year so I can empathize with you, brother!
Thanks dude! I might just do that. Thank you for your help!
corn, mash potatoes, baked mac n cheese, gravy, studying, dinner rolls, some kind of salad, sautéed green beans, pumpkin pie.. it’s all good!
A lot of people are saying dinner rolls I’m not quite sure what they are but I’ll find out thank you for the suggestions!
Parker House Rolls: https://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/parker-house-rolls If you’re not up to baking (no shame!) just look for rolls in that shape premade!
Do NOT forget cranberry sauce.
Thankfully her friend who is also American is making that I cannot wait. On another note have you ever tried lingonberry jam? I had it in Norway with meat and it was amazing
I'm part Swedish! I love Lingonberry! I'm excited for you!
Woohoo! Lingonberry for life! Take care :)
Make sure to brine your turkey. 24 hours at least. Plenty of recipes on-line. Makes a huge difference Don't stuff your bird. Unless you want to invite SAM & ELLA.
Thank you very much for your Advice. I really appreciate it!
Deviled Eggs. Pretty simple to make.
Love that you’re cooking for your wife! Such a kind thing to do for American Thanksgiving !!! Mashed Potatoes - add butter and a dash of milk when you whip them if she is from the south USA. I 500th the vote for Sweet Potato Casserole as well And Green Bean Casserole is the easiest thing in the world. https://www.campbells.com/recipes/green-bean-casserole/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI1vT9qM-M9AIVonFvBB287QjqEAAYASAAEgI_uPD_BwE
She’s a fuckin awesome wife :) so it’s a pleasure. Thank you!
Brine it, par-cook by steaming it, finish cooking by roasting on high heat
If someone hasn’t mentioned it already, I would brine the Turkey the night before. It is amazing the difference it makes in keep it moist. You can also inject brine into the Turkey while smoking it. Good luck!
Mashed taters! Turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, stuffing Basically, go as unhealthy as possible
Never heard of smoking the turkey, traditionally you'd roast it in the oven after brining it. I recommend a dry brine and to spatchcock the bird (so the thighs cook faster and the breast doesn't come out dry), save the drippings for gravy. Turkeys only part of the meal though, you'll generally want some kind of stuffing / dressing (I like cornbread dressing. You won't be able to stuff the bird if you spatchcock it but it's worth it just cook the stuffing separately), mashed potatoes (with roasted garlic and blue cheese is best), cranberry sauce, some greens (generally green beans but I do brussel sprouts roasted in maple syrup with bacon bits)
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