Thanksgiving Postmortem

Cafe Society
1

After a big project, it’s nice to review what went well and what didn’t to provide yourself a reminder and help other people who will be traveling in your footsteps.

So, what did you have for Thanksgiving? What did you prepare? What was new? What was a family favorite? What worked? What didn’t? What would you like to do differently next year?

Fortunately in my family, we have a number of decent to good cooks, and pretty much everything turned out well.

Instead of the standard turkey, we have ribs and pulled pork. I did the pulled pork in the smoker, BIL boiled then grilled the ribs. I didn’t want to stay up all night, so after 3 hours in the smoker, I wrapped the butts and put them in the oven. Unfortunately the oven runs a little hot and they were done sooner than I wanted. The pulled pork was a bit more mushy that I’d like. I still need to work on BIL to prepare the ribs better.

We also baked a turkey breast for the traditionalists. This was the biggest problem of the day. Due to a shortage of oven space, the turkey was the last thing ready. We started eating dinner before it was done. It was done quite nicely though. I highly recommend a good thermometer. I have a thermapen. It was also used to test the pork butts and the pumpkin pie when it was set.

I also made Alton Brown’s “Pot o’ Greens.” I only used mustard greens and spinach. The smoked turkey legs worked very well for seasoning.

Sweet Potato casserole is a family favorite, although every year it gets more apples and fewer sweet potatoes in it.

Stuffing was stovetop, green bean casserole used Campbell’s cream of mushroom soup, and the rolls were Rhodes. All successes since pretty much everyone likes these versions as well as if you spent hours making a “better” version. It’s important to spend the time where it counts.

Cranberry/Raspberry jello was a popular alternative to cranberry sauce.

BIL made mashed potatoes with new potatoes with butter, sour cream, and cheddar cheese melted in. No gravy for these.

Family tradition is lots of pies for dessert:
Chocolate Cream pie – made with Nutella this year. Very good. First pie gone.
Asphalt pie – mint chocolate chip ice cream pie.
Dulce de Leche – this was a new recipe I tried. It could have used more dulce de leche in it, but it was tasty. It also marks my best result at whipped cream. I chilled the cream, bowl and beaters in the freezer for 15 minutes. Added granulated sugar at the start, and powdered sugar right at the end. It whipped up nicely and stayed set.
Razzleberry – Marie Callendar’s
Pumpkin
Rasberry cream cheese – traditional family favorite. Brother made it this year, but only with strict warnings not to repeat last year’s “Cool whip tragedy.”
Cheesecake – A little dense, but very good flavor.

The best thing about this year was that there wasn’t much stress Thanksgiving morning. A lot of stuff was made in advance, there was lots of help, and for the most part things were organized.

Biggest problem was that no one remembered to set the frozen rolls out to thaw and raise. We had to use an oven to quick-raise, and that set everything else back.

Thing to remember for next year: We didn’t have any appetizers. We could have used a relish tray or a cheese ball or something. Everyone was hungry and started snacking on dinner foods during preparation.

2

This was only my third thanksgiving and the first time I cooked a thanksgiving meal:

Turkey - Bought a 14lb kosher bird and air dried it in the fridge for 2 days to get a nice dry skin. Made a compound butter of rosemary and lemon which I rubbed both under the skin and over the skin. Roasted it at 400F for 1 hour breast side down and then 350F breast side up until the thermometer hit 165F. Breast came out moist and juicy, legs were cooked all the way through, skin nicely brown.

Gravy - Surprisingly hassle free given how much of a pain in the ass it usually is for me to get the gravy out the same time as the bird. Your standard giblet gravy amped up with an extra packet of giblets

Cranberry Sauce - Decided to do a Roasted Cranberry Sauce with Satsuma juice. This was definitely a big hit. It’s amazing how much more concentrated the flavor is when roasted. Satsuma is an interesting twist on the standard orange and a shot of cointreu in the sauce made all the difference in the world.

Mashed Potatoes - Added some truffle cheese and truffle salt to the potatoes, big hit.

Stuffing - I did a Bacon, Leek & Apple Stuffing. Applewood Smoked Bacon, French Sourdough Bread, Granny Smith Apples, Leeks, Turkey Stock, Bacon Fat. I had people come up to me and say they normally didn’t eat stuffing but mine was delicious.

Green Beans - I’m a big fan of glazing green beans. Simmer them with some brown sugar and butter the night before and right when it’s done, hit it with some thinly sliced garlic and a shot of pear vinegar. The next day, sprinkle slivered almonds on top and it’s one less dish to worry about.

Friends brought desserts, 3 pumpkin and one cherry pie.

Post thanksgiving, I made:

Open faced turkey sandwiches - Roughly chop the turkey dark meat and then mix with the now gelled gravy. Brown one side of some bread under the broiler and then turn over. Add the turkey/gravy mix to the other side and let it cook until bubbly. Then add a thin layer of mashed potatoes sprayed with a bit of cooking spray and cook again until brown. Damn, these were good

Thai Turkey Soup - Put the carcass, lemongrass, galangal, ginger, dried chillis, kaffir lime leaves, palm sugar and fish sauce in a pot. Cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes. Add 2 cans of coconut milk, simmer some more and then strain. Adjust the seasoning with some lime juice/sambal/sugar/fish sauce and then add in turkey meat that was stripped off the bones. At this point, I chill it down and use it as a soup base but if you want to eat it right away, throw in some soaked rice noodles, some fresh veggies and some cilantro and it’s good to go.

3

Every year I do my turkey differently. Last year I brined it with great success. My wife liked it so much that she had me make another one only that time for some reason I cooked it upside down. I liked the result of cooking it upside down, but my wife hated it. My wife likes her meat dry and overcooked.

Of course the difficulty with cooking a turkey is keeping the breast moist while you still cook the dark meat through. When I first made turkeys, I basted regularly with butter. The experts claim this doesn’t work because the butter just runs off, besides you have to open the oven regularly. Ithought, “If only there were a way to hold the fat against the breast the way bacon some times is wrapped around fillet mignon.” …insert Homer Simpson routine of getting an idea… So I went out Thanksgiving morning and bought a package of bacon and toothpicks. I covered the breast with bacon and cooked it that way. If you do this be aware that the bacon does not come off easily, so it’s probably best to just make it pretty and serve it covered in bacon. Besides, the first thing my wife said when she saw the turkey was, “What happened to the bacon?”

This time I was only making dinner for my wife and I so the tiny turkey cavity was made enough stuffing for dinner. I could then add turkey juices to the non-stuffed stuffing and cook it later. I think it is the best non-stuffed stuffing that I have made yet.

Cranberry sauce was prepared the only way it should ever be prepared. That is, the can of Oceanspray cranberry sauce is opened and left in the shape of the can from which it was extricated. This way, cranberry sauce can be properly sliced and served with a knife.

4

Dinner was mostly good.

I brined a 13 lb turkey a la Alton Brown. Extra bonus is that it frees up refrigerator space the night before. I use a round cooler like the construction workers use, the kind with the spigot? The turkey fits perfectly, and stays cold.

I wasn’t that pleased with my dressing, but it was ok. I don’t stuff the bird, it gets aromatics like onion, apple, rosemary and sage inside the cavity.

The breast was done to perfection, but even though the temp was 165° in the thigh, the side next to the body was not quite done. There was plenty of meat to go around, though.

Other sides included broccoli rice casserole, fresh green beans cooked to death with hamhock, and roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

My gravy is done like my mother made it, which turns out to be very non-traditional. I boil the giblets forever, then cool and chop up the meat. Add a flour and water slurry to the broth, then season with salt and pepper. Add in two chopped boiled eggs, and the meat. Bring to a boil, and get it to the right thickness by adding more broth or water, or more slurry. We don’t use the drippings.

It was very good, and we won the football game!

5

This is non-traditional? It’s generally how I do it. I did add some drippings when the turkey came out, but the gravy was essentially done beforehand. I did not add the giblets to the gravy as my wife does not like giblets. I learned from my mom and she always added the chopped up giblets to the gravy.

6

Well, it seems like everybody on here (and on the Food Network) uses the drippings to make the gravy after the bird is done. I always have the gravy done way before that.

7

Me too, Dolores. I simmer the giblets and add drippings as the turkey roasts.

Hubby wanted to do a rib roast and a duck this year. He’s not a turkey fan. I thought the rib roast was overdone – I like mine rare but nobody else does. But it wasn’t dried out and it was tender and tasty. The duck was excellent. Hubby stuffs the cavity with oranges and prunes, and he puts butter and sugar on the breast and broils it for a few seconds to crisp the skin.

I used gravy from a jar and was surprised at how good it was! I might never make beef gravy again. Don’t you judge me!!

8

Roasted turkey- I tried one posters’ suggestion of icing the breast an hour before cooking, and it was perfect! (Thank you, un-named poster-who-I’m-too-lazy-to-look-up, you’re a genius!)

Artichoke/parmasan stuffing. Made the sourdough days ahead of time, then assembled the stuffing on Wednesday. It Was Good.

Sweet pototoes. I cut them into chunks and roasted them on Wednesday. When they were almost done, I put them in a casserole and topped them with a glaze of orange juice, ginger, allspice, cinnamon and brown sugar. It Was Good.

Mashed potatoes. I used a blend of buttermilk and cream, and they were good.

Cranberry sauce. Cooked whole cranberries with orange juice, cinnamon, ginger, sugar and a can of crushed pineapple. I will always do this from now on. Good!

Gorgonzola broccoli casserole. Dump broccoli into boiling water, cook until tender. Drain, then melt 1/4 butter in pan. Whisk in about 1/3 cup flour. When flour is incorporated, whisk in 2 cups milk. Let cook, stirring constantly; until thickened. Add a brick of cream cheese and 1/4 cup (or more if you like) of Gorgonzola. Top with buttered bread crumbs and pop in the oven until browned on top. This was everyone’s favorite, even broccoli haters loved it.

Appetizers were Spanokova triangles from Costco and shrimp cocktails (served in Martini glasses, it looks so chic!)

Pecan pie and pumpkin pie made from our own home-grown pumpkin. Home made sourdough rolls.
It would have been nice if somebody,* anybody*, would have offered to help with the dishes afterwards. But they all bolted to the living room to slurp down ALL the wine and watch football. I got maybe 1/2 a glass of wine while I spent 45 minutes putting up the leftovers and washing serving dishes. It would have been nice to have a glass of wine and visit with the company, instead of them all yelling at the TeeVee.

If we have the same group over next T-Day, I’ll just serve them Swanson TV dinners, on TV trays, in front of the TV. I’ll just stay in the kitchen and drink copious amounts of wine.

9

Hubby’s daughter doesn’t come to Thanksgiving anymore, but when she did, she always insisted on doing the dishes. Nice gesture, but annoying. I would have rather gone to the living room and watched football with everybody, but I couldn’t do that while she was washing my dishes. The dishes can wait.

10

We spent Thanksgiving camping in the desert, as we have the last 25 years straight. Turkey was deep-fried this year, and served with dressing, hot pea salad, bourboned sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy and a very nice selection of wines. Afters were Harvest pie and cognac around the campfire. The dishes were tossed into the fire and burned.

11

I made a 18 lb turkey and brined it as per Alton Brown. We damned near messed that up–because we’re idiots–so the bird wasn’t done in the brine until like 3:30 in the afternoon. But we weren’t having guests, so it wasn’t a big deal. It turned out to be so wonderfully, utterly, beautifully perfect. I’ve never had such a wonderful bird.

I made a cornbread recipe that somebody posted here on the SDMB. It was so good and so easy that I’m going to cycle that into my regular weekly menu.

We also had cheesy mashed potatoes, with a Parmesan/breadcrumb crust. Very rich and very delicious.

I made gravy from the pan drippings. I had never done that before, so I just kept adding the left over chicken broth from the dressing and flour until I had something that looked and acted like gravy.

I meant to make creamed spinach, but I didn’t get around to it.

We also had a pumpkin cheesecake, an apple cobbler, and a blueberry pie, as well as pumpkin bread and muffins. For appetizers, my husband made crab rangoon and fried ravioli.

I’m going to buy another bird and duplicate the entire feast this week. It was so good, we’re already out of leftovers.

12

Had Thanksgiving with the new beau, who’s vegetarian, so I just made a bunch of side dishes. He bought a Tofurkey, which we liked fine, but I could have done without it - he mostly did it for me.

We had:
mac and cheese casserole with gruyere and extra sharp cheddar
green beans with roasted cremini mushrooms, toasted hazelnuts and caramelized shallots
cole slaw (my mom’s awesome, non-sweet, very tangy recipe)
roasted root veggies (parsnips, Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, onions) with olive oil
artisan garlic bread
Tofurkey with mushroom gravy
very expensive wine

It was awesome.

13

Y’all are all making me hungry! :stuck_out_tongue: :smiley:

Anyway, this was my first year ever to cook anything and it didn’t turn out to great all the way around. The Other Half always orders from Greenberg Smoked Turkeys (as it was a tradition with his now-deceased grandfather) and they are, thankfully, always delicious.

Step-son insisted on making the dressing and he had absolutely no idea what he was doing. It was too dry, the chicken bland and the veggies (onions and celery) not sauteed. I don’t even know where he got the idea to use evaporated milk for this particular recipe, but it didn’t help. Although we ooed and awed enough about it quietly, I think next year his father will have to come up with a different (and much needed) approach.

In advance, I asked if there was anything that wouldn’t be liked / eaten. All was given the go-ahead for a good meal. Thus, I chose things that aren’t normally something some of us would eat. Regardless, having the seal of approval meant squat and almost everything I contributed to dinner, went untouched. < sigh > Anyways…

I made a sweet potato casserole topped with crushed pretzels, pecans and cherries. It was really good but really sweet and, even though I love stuff like that, I can only it with copious amounts of strongly peppered turkey. I suppose if I make it again I’ll need to cut back some on the amount of brown sugar.

Next, I made some chipotle butter for the corn-on-the-cob. Step-son ate his with the regular stuff and the Other Half bypassed the dish altogether. It was good though, as at least other family members had eaten it before and liked it.

I also whipped up a Mediterranean dip for before the main event and no one touched it. Supposedly, the hubby forgot and I don’t know about the rest. But in the cold light of the day after, it would definitely be an acquired taste anyway as the red wine vinegar seemed a bit overpowering. That one won’t be on the menu again anytime soon.

Finally, I tried my hand at a buttermilk pie. It tasted great, but apparently didn’t cook long enough in the center. When I tested it (via toothpick), it came out clean. However on Thursday (I made it the night before) when I went to cut it, it was a pool of liquid in the very middle. So I skimmed bites off the top and everyone else gave it a pass as too messy. Fortunately, my husband’s amaretto pecan pie was perfect.

So let’s see, I do believe that puts me at 1 for 4 and below the Mendoza line. I’ll probably be sitting the bench for Christmas. :frowning:

So much for novices.

14

Keep your head up. We’ve all been there. Half of the reason for this thread is to share what didn’t work and lessons learned to help everyone else.

15

Could you post complete recipes for these dishes, please?

16

I made dinner for 5 adults and 4 kids and it was an unmitigated success.

I roasted a leg of lamb (not a turkey fan) with a dry rub of a bunch of kosher salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and garlic powder. It turned out perfect and delicious! It was accompanied by a nice Pinot Noir and some Porter beer.

I also made some crash potatoes (I got the recipe from a thread here!), mashed sweet potatoes, green bean casserole and corn chowder. The kids had some mac & cheese, because that’s what kids eat.

My mother in law brought awesome pumpkin and pecan pie.

I made sheperd’s pie with the leftover lamb, which was dang near as good as the original lamb roast.

I wouldn’t do anything different, except add another vegetable, such as brussels sprouts cockaigne or roasted asparagus.

I’m going to have to eat very lightly today; I’m feeling all stove up from the holiday eatfest!

17

Thanks Ice Cream. I’m trying to learn and stay positive, it’s just so disheartening when there’s been so much work and yet people won’t even try your stuff (although they promised otherwise).

Again, thank you though. I’m hanging in there enough to try another pie today. :slight_smile: