# Thanksgiving Side Dishes & Your Thoughts on Brining and Spatchcocking **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 8, 2019, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186 "2019-11-08T21:04:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tarataratara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Tarataratara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tarataratara)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/21 "2019-11-09T01:52:42Z")
> [@Alpha\_Twit](#): > > Agree to this but I do like to add jalapeno and chunks of goat cheese to the corn casserole. Jalapeno sounds delicious. I can imagine the goat cheese does cut the sweetness. Do you add eggs? ---
**Author:** ![Alpha\_Twit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpha_twit/32/265_2.png) [@Alpha\_Twit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpha_Twit)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/22 "2019-11-09T01:58:53Z")
> [@Tarataratara](#): > > Do you add eggs? I’ve done it both ways. Eggs certainly don’t hurt and I usually use at least one but I wouldn’t call it essential. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/23 "2019-11-09T02:02:40Z")
Make gravy without dripping by simmering the neck, heart, gizzard, wing tips to make a strong broth. Make a brown roux and stir in the chopped cooked giblet meat, and a little minced onion. Thyme, garlic, paprika if you want (thyme strongly advised). Whisk in the broth and simmer until you have gravy. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/24 "2019-11-09T02:05:32Z")
> [@Johnny\_Bravo](#): > > Sweet potato pie, not pumpkin. Oh, yas. Oh yas yas yas. You guys DO know enough to start the turkey upside-down, right? Meaning breast down. Get the juices to bleed down from the fatty side to the drier breast meat. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/25 "2019-11-09T02:19:12Z")
Parmesan Roast Brussels Sprouts. There’s never any left over. > **[Parmesan Brussel Sprouts | Vegetable Recipes | Jamie Oliver](https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetables-recipes/parmesan-brussels-sprouts/)** > > If you think you hate brussel sprouts you have to try this recipe for parmesan brussel sprouts from Jamie Oliver, because it just might change your mind. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/26 "2019-11-09T02:35:45Z")
> [@turner](#): > > Annual plug for Alton Brown turkey, but a twist–no brine, just cooking method–500F for half an hour then 350 until done. THIS!!! Linky here: [https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271#lightbox-recipe-video](https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe-1950271#lightbox-recipe-video) [Buttered Rosemary Rolls](https://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/buttered-rosemary-rolls/) from Pioneer Woman. I use no knead dough, but any dough will work (she uses frozen dinner rolls). It is a crowd pleasing family favorite. Really easy and provides your bread/roll option for the meal ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/27 "2019-11-09T02:40:00Z")
Instead of, or in addition to sweet potatoes, try this: > **[The Gift of Southern Cooking](https://books.google.com/books?id=99kwG7FyxqIC&pg=PA159&lpg=PA159&dq=scott%2Bpeacock%2Bwhipped%2Bsquash&source=bl&ots=ME0H0lsbEd&sig=ACfU3U3N-RVnQ1mQ93pD9aK0opKndXkJbQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiIvau9i9zlAhVDvlkKHW-7BgoQ6AEwAXoECAkQAQ#v=onepage&q=scott%20peacock%20whipped%20squash&f=false)** > > Edna Lewis—acclaimed author of the American classic, The Taste of Country Cooking—and Alabama-born chef Scott Peacock pool their unusual cooking talents to give us this unique cookbook filled with recipes and stories of two distinct styles of... Regular butternut squash will work if you can’t find African squash. I’ll guarantee people will be fighting for seconds! ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/28 "2019-11-09T03:18:26Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > I have NEVER had any green beans for Thanksgiving, and I don’t want to start now! That’s it! I’m gonna Spatchcock you! Assume the position! ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/29 "2019-11-09T04:20:50Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Oh, yas. Oh yas yas yas. > > You guys DO know enough to start the turkey upside-down, right? Meaning breast down. Get the juices to bleed down from the fatty side to the drier breast meat. Well. . .no. Turkey is very dense, so juices remain trapped in the meat. Fat from the skin will certainly run down, but on the outside, not into the meat. This is not just me saying this. The people at Food Lab have verified that there is no significant benefit to starting the bird breast side down. Basting also has little to no effect, even if you stuff butter under the skin; again, this is because of the dense nature of turkey meat. You’re best off just tenting the breast with foil so it won’t overcook. I try to buy the best turkey on the market, which, in my opinion, are [Mary’s](https://www.marysturkeys.com/). They’re not cheap, but the flavor and texture are excellent. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/30 "2019-11-09T07:05:26Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > That’s it! I’m gonna Spatchcock you! Assume the position! Won’t be the first time. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/31 "2019-11-09T11:41:00Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Parmesan Roast Brussels Sprouts. > > There’s never any left over. I should hope not, your Thanksgiving is almost two months before ours. I smoke my turkey for Thanksgiving, so it gets brined for a day or two before going in the smoker. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/32 "2019-11-09T12:46:00Z")
I like to spatchcock a chicken on the grill, but cannot imagine doing this to a big turkey. My deep fried turkey was a huge hit a few years ago. I bought all the equipment for that bird and haven’t used it since. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/33 "2019-11-09T14:14:59Z")
> [@markn\_1](#): > > Brining is great. I’ve been doing it for years. You’ve got to start with a non-“enhanced” bird. You’ve also got to make sure you’ve got a container big enough to submerge a turkey. It takes a larger container than you might think. I was going to say, a lot of birds are already brined (_cough_ “enhanced” with a solution), so do read the labels or signs. You can brine these, but it doesn’t really make much a difference, as they’re already brined. Spatchcocking works great, IMHO, if you don’t mind the presentation. Even simpler is just cooking the turkey in sections so you can pull the parts as they’re finished, but most people like to have a whole bird on the table (whether uncut or spatchcocked.) I’ve only had deep-fried turkey once, and, maybe we did it wrong, but it didn’t come out much different than the roasted turkey. Maybe our expectations were just set too high. Yeah, the skin was crispier, but the rest of it was just okay and not worth the trouble, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Allecher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a6a055/32.png) [@Allecher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Allecher)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/34 "2019-11-09T16:49:05Z")
I think the benefits of deep-frying the turkey are that it cooks much quicker and does not take up valuable oven space. You can also dismiss half of the family outside to work on it, thus getting them out from under foot while you are working on the other dishes. ---
**Author:** ![Arkcon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Arkcon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arkcon)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/35 "2019-11-09T17:23:22Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I like to spatchcock a chicken on the grill, but cannot imagine doing this to a big turkey. > > My deep fried turkey was a huge hit a few years ago. I bought all the equipment for that bird and haven’t used it since. I did spatchcock a turkey once, and like you imaged, results are not impressive. First off, its harder to cut out the backbone of a turkey than it is for a chicken. Breaking the breastbone to flatten the turkey is also harder, and it doesn’t really get as flat as a chicken does, what with all the meat in a turkey breast. Anyhoo, it looked similar to the Cook’s Illustrated image for spatchcocked turkey, so I grilled it anyway. Results were kinda meh. An improvement, but not worth it. > [@Reeses\_Monkey](#): > > Spatchcock sounds like a dirty word. What does it mean? (Yeah, I could look it up but the Dope is here to fight ignorance.) And that’s what it means, in case you haven’t given up and Googled already. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/36 "2019-11-09T17:26:32Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Spatchcocking works great, IMHO, if you don’t mind the presentation. Even simpler is just cooking the turkey in sections so you can pull the parts as they’re finished, but most people like to have a whole bird on the table (whether uncut or spatchcocked.) > > . Yep this is where my spratchcock adventures ended up. Once I started spratchcocking I never went back. Then I took it one step further and separate the wings and thighs before it goes in the oven. Then when they’re done I just grab them out and keep them warm in a crock pot or the toaster oven while the breast finishes. Y’all can keep your pretty presentation whole bird. Mine tastes better than yours looks. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/37 "2019-11-09T17:27:48Z")
Oh, thanks for reminding me; I need to spatchcock the windows before winter gets here–drafty. Brrr. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![D\_Anconia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@D\_Anconia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Anconia)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/38 "2019-11-09T17:30:06Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > Agree on the brining. We usually do salt, brown sugar, Apple cider, cinnamon, cloves, garlic, and oranges. A big cooler works well. How do you clean/disinfect the cooler afterwards? My cooler won’t fit in the dishwasher. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/39 "2019-11-09T17:41:26Z")
re: backbone, I find the perfect tool is actually my cheap serrated bread knife. Zips right through the ribs! I’ll give the breast a good push down to try to break the wishbone, but I don’t sweat trying to get it too flat. Backbone and giblets go on the pan with everything else for drippins/stock later. Also, I dry brine. It’s the only way to go! > **[Here's Proof That Brining Your Turkey Is Stupid And Wrong](https://www.buzzfeed.com/christinebyrne/turkey-brining-truth)** > > Our taste test reveals that soaking your turkey in a huge bucket of salt water for hours doesn't \*actually\* produce the best turkey — and a much easier way that does. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 9, 2019, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186/40 "2019-11-09T17:46:28Z")
As far mashed potatoes go my family always insist on make them with real potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner even though we all eat instant mashed all the time. Same goes for the stuffing. Homemade with bread and sauteed celery and onion; no instant stuff for Thanksgiving!!! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thanksgiving-side-dishes-your-thoughts-on-brining-and-spatchcocking/843186.md?page=3)