Turkey Dinner

Liberalman

Senate Member
Mar 18, 2007
5,623
36
48
Toronto
Turkey Dinner


1 10 to 12 pound turkey, cleaned
For the Dressing:
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups light rye bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to preference
To prep the Bird:
1 tsp dried Basil
McCormack's NO SALT ADDED Citrus pepper
Veggies:
Freshly picked baby carrots , washed and thinly sliced
1/2 each green, red, yellow, and orange sweet pepper, coarsely sliced
about 1 1/2 cups freshly picked celery
1 lb fresh Asparagus
Potatoes
For the Gravy:
stalks and roots from the fresh vegetables
tops and stem of the peppers
liver, kidneys, heart and neck of turkey
3 tbsp salt-reduced Kikkoman Soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
rice flour (to thicken)
5 cups cold water




Make the dressing with its listed ingredients.
Do NOT soften the stuffing mixture with boiling water, but place the DRY ingredients into the lower cavity of the bird. And remaining may be stuffed into the neck cavity.
Add the butter into the cavity, and close by folding the legs up and securing
Cover wing tips with a piece of tinfoil to prevent them from charring
Place in moderate oven, covered with tinfoil at 350*F.
Baste often with the vegetable broth made from the roots and veggie tops; method to follow for making...
To make the Veggie broth:
Place cleaned tops and roots of vegetables into a pot of clean cold water, about 3 cups
add 2 tbsp soy sauce and the Worcestershire sauce.
Bring SLOWLY to the boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 minutes
As the bird roasts, baste it with the liquid, which will heartily intensify the flavor of the turkey.
To make the gravy:
Place the bird's heart, liver, kidneys and neck into 2 cups cold water.
Slowly heat until just under boiling, and keep simmering for bout one hour.
Note: ALL these preparation steps take place while the turkey is roasting; therefore I did not add this to the cooking time!
When this broth is cooked, break up the liver, kidneys, and remove the heart and neck; discard these. KEEP THE BROTH!
Puree the liver and kidneys, and add to the broth.
When the turkey is cooked, remove it from the oven, and tent with foil about 15 minutes
Bring the roasting pan to the stove top
add this gravy mixture to the pan drippings, and cook further, well finishing the liver and kidneys. Now that they are pureed, finishing will take little time.
Stir well, or beat with a mixer, and slowly add enough rice flour to thicken.
The vegetables are stir fried, with the exception of the potatoes, which are boiled and mashed well, with an addition of buttermilk, butter, salt, pepper, and parsley to your preference.
Other veggies commonly used in typical Canadian Thanksgiving dinners include corn niblets, pureed or mashed turnip, homemade rolls, etc...
 

YukonJack

Time Out
Dec 26, 2008
7,026
73
48
Winnipeg
Turkey is way below on my list of preferences.

Give me beef, pork, ham, chicken, oysters, spaghetti, lobster, crab, tortellini, duck, liver, kidney pie, shepard's pie, pea soup, bean salad, pizza, etc. etc.

Hell give me sawdust before turkey breast. Or a piece of lumber full of slivers before a turkey drumstick.
 

VanIsle

Always thinking
Nov 12, 2008
7,046
43
48
Love traditional Turkey Dinner because we "reserve" it for only a few occassions per year. I hate turkey dressing! (Unless it's rice dressing with almonds)
 

YukonJack

Time Out
Dec 26, 2008
7,026
73
48
Winnipeg
For the past 15 years four of us have been going to Myrtle Beach in the last week of November for 6 glorious rounds of golf.

In the evenings we eat dinner wherever the fancy takes us, but on the Thursday of the week (American Thanksgiving) one of us insists - and we are generous enough to humour him - we go to Ryan's for unlimited amount of turkey.

He eats enough turkey for all the rest of us. And that is satisfying to see.
 
Last edited:

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
17,467
139
63
Location, Location
For dressing, I like what my wife's family does: about half and half lightly cooked mashed potatoes / bread torn up into small cubes, with sauteed celery and onions, salt/pepper/summer savory.

And we just toss the neck and guts into the roaster for flavour as it cooks. After the turkey is cooked, take all the pan juices to make gravy, toss away the neck and organs (unless you have a dog). Nice simple gravy: take the pan juices, whisk in salt, pepper, and a couple of dashes of worcester sauce, a little finely sifted flour, bring to a gentle boil.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
Turkey Dinner


1 10 to 12 pound turkey, cleaned
For the Dressing:
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup diced onions
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 1/2 cups light rye bread, torn into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp butter
salt and pepper to preference
To prep the Bird:
1 tsp dried Basil
McCormack's NO SALT ADDED Citrus pepper
Veggies:
Freshly picked baby carrots , washed and thinly sliced
1/2 each green, red, yellow, and orange sweet pepper, coarsely sliced
about 1 1/2 cups freshly picked celery
1 lb fresh Asparagus
Potatoes
For the Gravy:
stalks and roots from the fresh vegetables
tops and stem of the peppers
liver, kidneys, heart and neck of turkey
3 tbsp salt-reduced Kikkoman Soy sauce
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
rice flour (to thicken)
5 cups cold water

Sounds good. The holiday is not complete without the wonderful smells of a cooking turkey and all the trimmings permeating through the house. Whether it be Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

I see Yukon Jack has yet again voiced his displeasure at the usual holiday fair in favor of just about anything else. Not to worry....This is Y.J.'s reaction to anything he didn't think of. Ignore him.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
Has anyone tried those boneless roast turkeys? I think "Butterball" is one of the brand names. The thing looks like a real roast turkey, complete with the drumsticks sticking up, but those are the only bones in this bird. I've looked at them and they seem to be about eight pounds or so including the cranberry stuffing and gravy. Eight pounds would not be enough if we had the whole family over but for just the two of us it might be ideal.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
Has anyone tried those boneless roast turkeys? I think "Butterball" is one of the brand names. The thing looks like a real roast turkey, complete with the drumsticks sticking up, but those are the only bones in this bird. I've looked at them and they seem to be about eight pounds or so including the cranberry stuffing and gravy. Eight pounds would not be enough if we had the whole family over but for just the two of us it might be ideal.

I bought the President's choice brand one. It fed 6 people for a big dinner, 4 people for two lunches and one supper. It was a LOT of meat. But, I did make extra stuffing. And, all of the ones I've bought like this are wrapped in netting once you open the box. They don't sit on a plate all pretty like a traditional turkey, but, in my experience, you won't care. They're so simple and good. Plus, they have the added bonus of being 'cook from frozen', so you don't have to worry about thawing.
 

talloola

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 14, 2006
19,576
113
63
Vancouver Island
my husband and I love turkey dinner so much. The traditional method for me.
Simmer giblets, heart and neck to make a large pot of turkey broth, (for the gravy).
Melt pound of butter,(lge amount of stuffing, for a 20lb or more bird), add onions, saute gently, add bread crumbs, add seasongs,
add boiling water till it is consistency you like.

Pour boiling water completely over turkey( just before adding stuffing), so that skin will tighten up,
then bird can be cooked at about 400 deg. which makes a very delicious tender
turkey, so tasty, and doesn't take 10 hours to cook.

Add flour to pan drippings, (after pouring out some of the fat), add turkey
broth, and also chicken bovril, (optional), for a wonderful gravy.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
I bought the President's choice brand one. It fed 6 people for a big dinner, 4 people for two lunches and one supper. It was a LOT of meat. But, I did make extra stuffing. And, all of the ones I've bought like this are wrapped in netting once you open the box. They don't sit on a plate all pretty like a traditional turkey, but, in my experience, you won't care. They're so simple and good. Plus, they have the added bonus of being 'cook from frozen', so you don't have to worry about thawing.
Exactly the sort of things I wanted to know. It is our turn to do the big turkey dinner for the family this year and I was thinking about straying from tradition and maybe doing two of the boneless birds. We are going to sit 14 people for Christmas dinner and this seems like a sensible answer. The ease of carving should make it worth doing. A half dozen of these people are going home on Boxing day and I have 8 full racks of back ribs in the freezer for a change of pace for the rest of us. I'm hoping to send everyone who wants one home with a turkey care package since they don't have a big turkey carcass to pick at home.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
my husband and I love turkey dinner so much. The traditional method for me.

Your dinner sounds very much like what we usually do. I've decided to try the boneless turkey this year. I'll let you know how it turned out.
 

karrie

OogedyBoogedy
Jan 6, 2007
27,780
285
83
bliss
Exactly the sort of things I wanted to know. It is our turn to do the big turkey dinner for the family this year and I was thinking about straying from tradition and maybe doing two of the boneless birds. We are going to sit 14 people for Christmas dinner and this seems like a sensible answer. The ease of carving should make it worth doing. A half dozen of these people are going home on Boxing day and I have 8 full racks of back ribs in the freezer for a change of pace for the rest of us. I'm hoping to send everyone who wants one home with a turkey care package since they don't have a big turkey carcass to pick at home.

2 will feed 14 people with lots of left overs. The President's Choice one also comes with pre-made gravy that is decent for adding to your own, but, not nearly enough for that many people.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
2 will feed 14 people with lots of left overs. The President's Choice one also comes with pre-made gravy that is decent for adding to your own, but, not nearly enough for that many people.

I have a fair amount of gravy in the freezer from Thanksgiving that should help. It is pretty easy to increase the gravy. Good thing. All that turkey and mashed potatoes will require a lot of gravy.....;-)
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
Better-than-Bouillon has a Turkey base that is as good or better than any drippings I ever got from a turkey. They make a great product.

Superior Touch
 

talloola

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 14, 2006
19,576
113
63
Vancouver Island
Your dinner sounds very much like what we usually do. I've decided to try the boneless turkey this year. I'll let you know how it turned out.

OK, I'd like to know how it goes, might follow up with one of our own.
The boiling water thing poured over the turkey came from Terry Moore,
who used to be on CKNW, and gave out lots of good cooking tips, tried it
back then, and it works, no need to cook turkey at a lower temperature for
a long period of time, as the skin tightens up and seals in juices, and bird can
be cooked at higher temp for shorter time.
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
OK, I'd like to know how it goes, might follow up with one of our own.
The boiling water thing poured over the turkey came from Terry Moore,
who used to be on CKNW, and gave out lots of good cooking tips, tried it
back then, and it works, no need to cook turkey at a lower temperature for
a long period of time, as the skin tightens up and seals in juices, and bird can
be cooked at higher temp for shorter time.

Up until about ten or fifteen years ago we(I) used to get up about five in the morning to get the turkey in the oven so it would be ready in time for Christmas dinner. The old rule was twenty five minutes per pound at 325 dgrees for a twenty five pound stuffed turkey in an open pan with foil covering the wing tips so they wouldn't char.

One year we bought a large Dutch oven with a lid that would hold the turkey. That year at Christmas we put the bird in the oven in the covered pan at the usual time. We were alone that year because the kids were away having Christmas with Grandma. About 9:00 am we decided to take a drive out to Harrison Hot Springs. We got back about 1:30pm and I lifted the lid to take a peek at the turkey in our new covered pan. What I found was turkey bones and stuffing floating in broth and fat. Obviously the covered pan made a hell of a difference in the cooking time. Over the years we've found that for big turkeys(twenty pounds or more) 12 to 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees in the covered pan is just about right.
 
Last edited:

talloola

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 14, 2006
19,576
113
63
Vancouver Island
Up until about ten or fifteen years ago we(I) used to get up about five in the morning to get the turkey in the oven so it would be ready in time for Christmas dinner. The old rule was twenty five minutes per pound at 325 dgrees for a twenty five pound stuffed turkey in an open pan with foil covering the wing tips so they wouldn't char.

One year we bought a large Dutch oven with a lid that would hold the turkey. That year at Christmas we put the bird in the oven in the covered pan at the usual time. We were alone that year because the kids were away having Christmas with Grandma. About 9:00 am we decided to take a drive out to Harrison Hot Springs. We got back about 1:30pm and I lifted the lid to take a peek at the turkey in our new covered pan. What I found was turkey bones and stuffing floating in broth and fat. Obviously the covered pan made a hell of a difference in the cooking time. Over the years we've found that for big turkeys(twenty pounds or more) 12 to 15 minutes per pound at 325 degrees in the covered pan is just about right.

Good thing you didn''t go to spuzzum. ;-)
 

#juan

Hall of Fame Member
Aug 30, 2005
18,326
119
63
BTW, we used a couple of the Butterball "instant" turkeys for Christmas dinner and there was more than enough meat and the cooking was absolutely simple. Out of the freezer, into the oven. We had to use some extra gravy but that was simple. These little Butterball boneless turkeys are well worth the extra money. I will still cook our traditional roast turkeys but I can think of all kinds of reasons to use these little boneless birds Sorry this reply is so late but in my defense I did have the flu for about a month.
 
Last edited: