Thanksgiving recipes
11-19-2011, 07:26 AM
#1
Thanksgiving recipes
I wanted to start this thread so all of us can share different things we cook or prepare on turkey day. Main courses, dishes, desserts, sides, snacks, drinks or whatever it is you make lets hear it. The rules are pretty simple if you consume it on turkey day it qualifies! Pictures, video's and recipes are welcome even if they are from previous years. I do ask if you post a recipe that you try to give us measurements of what is used so others have an idea of how much to use when preparing your dish. Lets see what you guys got to fill your bellies!
11-19-2011, 09:56 AM
#2
Turkey frying!!!!
This is a post I made a some years back when doing birds in my fryer. I thought some of you would like to see how it's done. Here are some Video's that we took of the start to finished product. I really enjoy doing this as you will see. The video's are pretty cheesy but you will get the point of how its done. The info below is modified from some stuff I've learned and also gathered from other threads I've been involved in. Enjoy!!!!
The first clip here I am injecting the bird. I did make my own butter and garlic solution however the solution was not the best. I tried to make something like what you would buy in the store and it was not as good. Then again you have to experiment and the store bought ones are pretty good and easy. I like to use the ones from Tony Chachere's. I do recommend no matter what you do to use a measuring cup so you know how much you use. Most of the store bought marinades come with direction and I suggest following them. If you make your own do not over do it like I have in the past. If you do you could wreck a good bird and well no one likes stomach cramps from the use of to much seasoning!!!!!!!!
You do not have to season or inject but I like to spruce things up some. Either way they come out great.
In the next clip I'm just adding some seasoning to the outside. Once again on this cook there were some things I would change. One of which was how I added my seasoning on the outside. In future cooks I just brush the outside of the bird with some of the marinade that came out of the bird. Do this to help any seasoning you might use on the outside to stick and then just sprinkle/rub on some seasoning. Mine in this video was more like a paste and I did not really care for it.
Here's a clip of the bird being lowered into the oil. You will here me say to do this real real slow! LOL For those of you that have never done this the oil starts to go nuts when you lower the bird into the oil. You want to be careful so it does not boil over. Also for safety purposes I wear welding gloves and also turn the fire off while I do this. This way I don't get burned by the splattering oil and also if for some reason the oil boils over it does not start a fires from the burner being on.
When you deep fry birds they say 3.5 minutes per lb @ 350* if I remember correctly. Personally I think this might be a bit long and also I run the temp on my cooker a little lower. I find that when the oil gets over 350* it climbs real fast. At 450* you could have a fire on your hands and never cover this pot with the lid when the fire is going. For me I try to stay around 325* so this way I kind of have a sweet spot if I get start getting to 350* to lower the fire. I also use a 3 minute per lb method and have never had an issue with raw or under temp birds. If your doing this for the first time its always a good idea to check the temps of the bird when you remove it. 160* in the breast and 170* in the thigh. Some will not go this high because as the birds sits it will gain in temp. There are always discussions that you can cook to a lesser temp but that's a whole different debate. I guess what I'm saying is don't serve it raw!
Just be safe when deep frying and don't burn your house down. Always do this in an open area. Do it outside away from any structure and not in your garage. Never leave the fryer unattended while its going. Always measure your temps with a candy thermometer. Never fry a frozen turkey and make sure its dry!!!!
If you are only going to remember one thing when frying a turkey please let it be this, so many accidents happen with people overfilling the pot with oil and bad bad things happen when it overflows. I normally use water in my pot before I clean my bird this way I have an idea as to how much oil should be in the pot. After removing the bird take a measurement as to how much water is still in the pot. You want the oil to just be at the top of the bird not inches over it! I then wash pot and then refill with oil to where you were at with the water. I use a tape measure to get this measurement of the water.
Also make sure to use a candy thermometer to monitor the temps of your oil. Make sure when you lower your bird into the hot oil that wear welders gloves and lower it slow! As I mentioned above turning off the burner is a good idea. Never leave your fryer unattended! Hope this helps some of you that might want to try this in the future. Vince[
The first clip here I am injecting the bird. I did make my own butter and garlic solution however the solution was not the best. I tried to make something like what you would buy in the store and it was not as good. Then again you have to experiment and the store bought ones are pretty good and easy. I like to use the ones from Tony Chachere's. I do recommend no matter what you do to use a measuring cup so you know how much you use. Most of the store bought marinades come with direction and I suggest following them. If you make your own do not over do it like I have in the past. If you do you could wreck a good bird and well no one likes stomach cramps from the use of to much seasoning!!!!!!!!
You do not have to season or inject but I like to spruce things up some. Either way they come out great.In the next clip I'm just adding some seasoning to the outside. Once again on this cook there were some things I would change. One of which was how I added my seasoning on the outside. In future cooks I just brush the outside of the bird with some of the marinade that came out of the bird. Do this to help any seasoning you might use on the outside to stick and then just sprinkle/rub on some seasoning. Mine in this video was more like a paste and I did not really care for it.
Here's a clip of the bird being lowered into the oil. You will here me say to do this real real slow! LOL For those of you that have never done this the oil starts to go nuts when you lower the bird into the oil. You want to be careful so it does not boil over. Also for safety purposes I wear welding gloves and also turn the fire off while I do this. This way I don't get burned by the splattering oil and also if for some reason the oil boils over it does not start a fires from the burner being on.
When you deep fry birds they say 3.5 minutes per lb @ 350* if I remember correctly. Personally I think this might be a bit long and also I run the temp on my cooker a little lower. I find that when the oil gets over 350* it climbs real fast. At 450* you could have a fire on your hands and never cover this pot with the lid when the fire is going. For me I try to stay around 325* so this way I kind of have a sweet spot if I get start getting to 350* to lower the fire. I also use a 3 minute per lb method and have never had an issue with raw or under temp birds. If your doing this for the first time its always a good idea to check the temps of the bird when you remove it. 160* in the breast and 170* in the thigh. Some will not go this high because as the birds sits it will gain in temp. There are always discussions that you can cook to a lesser temp but that's a whole different debate. I guess what I'm saying is don't serve it raw!
Just be safe when deep frying and don't burn your house down. Always do this in an open area. Do it outside away from any structure and not in your garage. Never leave the fryer unattended while its going. Always measure your temps with a candy thermometer. Never fry a frozen turkey and make sure its dry!!!!
If you are only going to remember one thing when frying a turkey please let it be this, so many accidents happen with people overfilling the pot with oil and bad bad things happen when it overflows. I normally use water in my pot before I clean my bird this way I have an idea as to how much oil should be in the pot. After removing the bird take a measurement as to how much water is still in the pot. You want the oil to just be at the top of the bird not inches over it! I then wash pot and then refill with oil to where you were at with the water. I use a tape measure to get this measurement of the water.
Also make sure to use a candy thermometer to monitor the temps of your oil. Make sure when you lower your bird into the hot oil that wear welders gloves and lower it slow! As I mentioned above turning off the burner is a good idea. Never leave your fryer unattended! Hope this helps some of you that might want to try this in the future. Vince[
11-20-2011, 09:30 PM
#4
Dressing or stuffing? I know there is some debate on this that I've read about. Not sure if any of these will help you but here's a link I was looking at the other day that has some different ones. Dressing for thanksgiving. - Yellow Bullet Forums
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
