Thanksgiving Weirdness!

For the past 20 years or so we've always BBQ/smoked our turkeys at Thanksgiving. They come out fabulous too! Moist and smoky, just delicious! For the past 5 years or so we've been brining our turkeys, and they come out even better still. Hard to believe, but true.

Okay, so what's so weird about that you ask? Well, turns out I don't really like turkey all that much. Love, love, LOVE wild turkeys, but can't always get one of those. Store bought or farm raised? Meh!

I actually like the whole prep and cooking of turkey on Thanksgiving more than I do the eating of turkey itself. I also love the making of the soup from the carcass. Oh, and the sammiches with dressing and cranberry (and lots of Helman's mayo...and fresh cracked black pepper). But the actual turkey-day eating of the turkey I could easily wave off on. I even like all the way up to the carving part, but again, not the turkey dinner eating part. In fact, my idea of a perfect turkey-day would be all the prep and cooking right up to the carving and then stop. Then go have some lasagna or something and fast forward right to the soup and sammich part.

Some people have said, why not just do a ham or something instead? I do love ham, but then I'd have to miss out on all the whole cooking part so it wouldn't be the same. Gave up having turkey for Christmas a long time ago, do all prime ribs now, but it's pretty hard to part with the tradition of turkey for Thanksgiving.

Should I seek therapy??

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk
You can smoke ham.

a reply to: Skid Mark

Weeeelllllll, yeah, but a ham really needs to be smoke 'cured' not just straight up smoked...and that takes upwards of a year to complete. In fact, the hams we do take 13 months. It's really a cold smoke aging and curing process more so than a cooking process.

originally posted by: Skid Mark
You can smoke ham.

When my Uncle Carl comes over for Thanksgiving we usually smoke this hybrid he's created, it's a cross between Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Heh, took me a minute to figure out what you wrote there.

I was sitting there thinking "Whaaaaaaa....OIC!"

"I also love the making of the soup from the carcass. Oh, and the sammiches with dressing and cranberry (and lots of Helman's mayo"

Here nothing but 'Duke' will do, we insist on it and ask by name...........

a reply to: Plotus

What's "Duke"?
I'm ignorant.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Skid Mark
You can smoke ham.

When my Uncle Carl comes over for Thanksgiving we usually smoke this hybrid he's created, it's a cross between Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia.

Oh now I get it...

You're a "High" level Mason...

originally posted by: muzzleflash
a reply to: Plotus

What's "Duke"?
I'm ignorant.

A brand of mayo.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

I find turkey too dry and as we don’t need a huge one they tend to have a low meat:carcass ratio - so you end up buying a bigger one.

I switched from Turkey (free range from farm next door) to apple fed cockerel 3 years ago. Would never go back and everyone I know that has tried one has done the same.

An 8-10 pound bird is more than enough especially alongside the gammon and pigs in blankets......

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Skid Mark
You can smoke ham.

When my Uncle Carl comes over for Thanksgiving we usually smoke this hybrid he's created, it's a cross between Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia.

I would so love to be there for that

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Every time I have something to eat is Thanksgiving.

Though I may not have what I want, I recognize that Mercy is being shown to me.
It could be so much worse. I'm getting off the hook easy. I get it.

I was blessed with one more day, and I'm all in one piece.

originally posted by: AugustusMasonicus

originally posted by: Skid Mark
You can smoke ham.

When my Uncle Carl comes over for Thanksgiving we usually smoke this hybrid he's created, it's a cross between Bluegrass, Kentucky Bluegrass, Featherbed Bent, and Northern California Sensemilia.

Touche' and say hello to Mr. Marion and Mr. Chong.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
For the past 20 years or so we've always BBQ/smoked our turkeys at Thanksgiving. They come out fabulous too! Moist and smoky, just delicious! For the past 5 years or so we've been brining our turkeys, and they come out even better still. Hard to believe, but true.

Okay, so what's so weird about that you ask? Well, turns out I don't really like turkey all that much. Love, love, LOVE wild turkeys, but can't always get one of those. Store bought or farm raised? Meh!

I actually like the whole prep and cooking of turkey on Thanksgiving more than I do the eating of turkey itself. I also love the making of the soup from the carcass. Oh, and the sammiches with dressing and cranberry (and lots of Helman's mayo...and fresh cracked black pepper). But the actual turkey-day eating of the turkey I could easily wave off on. I even like all the way up to the carving part, but again, not the turkey dinner eating part. In fact, my idea of a perfect turkey-day would be all the prep and cooking right up to the carving and then stop. Then go have some lasagna or something and fast forward right to the soup and sammich part.

Some people have said, why not just do a ham or something instead? I do love ham, but then I'd have to miss out on all the whole cooking part so it wouldn't be the same. Gave up having turkey for Christmas a long time ago, do all prime ribs now, but it's pretty hard to part with the tradition of turkey for Thanksgiving.

Should I seek therapy??

Wow, we must be related. Are you a Finn?

We stuff and roast our turkey, if I do make a smoked turkey I use about a ten pound or less one and I am not going to share that with everyone at Thanksgiving dinner. I like them just plain smoked after brining, getting an unbasted turkey is harder nowadays.

I am not much for the turkey breast, but the neck and gizzard and wings are quite tasty. I usually clean the carcass after everyone leaves and throw it in the pot, deboning the turkey and putting it in a bowl. How does the soup taste off a smoked turkey?

In the west it's Best Foods, in the middle it's Helmans, but in the south, we have something a bit different

www.youtube.com...

BUT, I wouldn't lose sleep over using either one....

a reply to: Plotus

I've been in the South most of my life, and I've actually never heard of Duke's.

Hmmmm. lol

Although I write a lot about holiday traditions from around the world, and show some really obscure stuff about their origins and the meanings behind all of it - I always find holiday traditions strange and foreign.

I'll put it this way:

It's not that I don't 'get it' why yall eat Turkey on a certain day ceremoniously - it's that I'm convinced yall don't get it why you eat Turkey on that day (or whatever your tradition is).

I think you just do it because that's what you do. That's the only reason you do it.
You can give thanks with crackers and peanut butter, and you don't need Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock to give thanks either.

There's no actual real reason people do this, is there?
It's just "what you do".

Technically you should give thanks for all of your blessings and prosperity every day.

I dunno I guess I just over-analyze everything and get a little weirded out by it.
I'm that disconnnected. Or maybe I'm that connected? Hard to tell either way.

a reply to: rickymouse

It has a fantastic light smoky flavor in addition to the wonderful turkey soup flavor.

It's off the hook good!

a reply to: Plotus

Seems like I just heard someone telling me the same thing recently. I don't think we have it around here, but I'll take a look next time I'm at the store.

a reply to: Plotus

My family has always used Blue Plate or Helman's, even though we're from the south. That said, I have found that Duke's seems creamier, and Helman's is fluffier. I prefer creamier.

Then again, I switched to olive oil mayo last year, lol.