Well, I think I survived Thanksgiving 2014. At one point I wasn’t sure it was worth all the hassle. I cooked all but one side dish and two desserts. I was not able to take all the pictures I had planned. The pressure was on for me to “put the groceries on the table, now!”
I had originally planned on spatchcocking my 12.5 pound fresh bird and cooking it on my PBC. I did spatchcock the bird, but found that I didn’t have a good pan setup to collect the drippings on the PBC. Not a problem. The Weber was my backup plan. I injected the spatchcocked bird with some Provence Herb infused EVOO. Nice, not in your face, EVOO. I did give the outside of the bird a nice “dusting” of Savor Spice, however. The bird did cook in about 90 minutes. Really nice color. After letting it rest for about 25 minutes, I carved the bird into medallions, just like the video that was posted here earlier. That is the only way to go, IMHO. The meat was moist and the skin just outstanding. Here is the carved bird on the platter.
I did try another version of Thanksgiving turkey. After seeing Terry’s post about doing a low country-style boil, I decided I need to give it a try. I had a turkey boulder in the freezer, so I figured “what the heck, let’s give it a try”. I added some Conecuh sausage and a couple of garlic bulbs like Terry did at the Fall Gathering. As spicy as the boil itself appeared (it caused everyone in the kitchen to cough from the vapors) the actual turkey was quite tasty and not too spicy. The sausage was really tasty, too. The boiled garlic bulbs were off the charts. I saved what was left of them and plan to spread them on some sour dough bread. Would I boil another turkey? YES!! I might limit myself to doing several boulders at once, however. Not everyone likes the “spicy smell” of a boil. Here is the other platter ready to be eaten.
The next picture is the green bean bake.
This next picture is a sweet potato casserole with pecan topping. I normally don’t care for sweet potatoes. I was making this for the people who were invited to dinner. However, I may have discovered a recipe that I can enjoy. I will post the recipe separately.
My favorite stuffing is my Mother’s recipe. It is basically a savory stuffing with a lot of green olives in it. I will post this one later also.
The next picture is my version of Hub’s Anytime Stuffing. I actually made it per Hub’s recipe, but split the stuffing into two batches and added some Jimmy Dean Sage Sausage to one batch. In case you are counting, I did make three different stuffings for today. Hub’s recipe is very good. I liked the combination of the two types of bread stuffing. The cumin came through in a very positive manner. It was not over powering. It complemented the stuffing. The JD Sage sausage really added to the stuffing.
For dessert my neighbor made two pies. A pumpkin pie and a chocolate chip pecan pie. They were both wonderful. No recipes to share here. Here are the pictures of them.
I did make a Buttermilk Custard Pie. I found this recipe link while I was looking at Terry’s turkey boil post. It turned out really good, also. I’ll post this recipe later.
All-in-all, the meal turned out great. Everyone had at least seconds. I am glad T-Day is over. On to the leftovers!! I did make some cranberry relish for today. Basic recipe with fresh cranberries, sugar and oranges. I kicked it up a notch this year. I usually add some tequila to the mix, but this year I added an orange liqueur. This was by far my best combination to date. It will go well with a turkey sandwich.
I have a busy week coming up. We are having a Christmas Party next Friday evening. The main menu will include my elk chili, a few dozen (as in 10 dozen) Moinks and three kinds of chocolate ganache dessert cups. Adult beverages will be served. Tim will be here to serve as my “grill coordinator”. That means he will be cooking the Moinks. His lovely wife will get to relax and “party down”!!
Art
