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Banned Turkey!

950 views 8 replies 6 participants last post by  thebeef 
#1 ·
Ok, so the title is a bit vicious but is intentionally playful. For Thanksgivin' most of my friends and family hate turkey so this year I decided to make MORE of everything else. Usually I do a turkey with an herb butter rubbed under the skin, a honey glazed ham (home made obviously), and a massive prime rib. But this year I decided to not make a Turkey, since only 4 of my 30 guests ever touch it (not because it was bad, mind you, they won't eat turkey anywhere), and made a whole bunch of Szechuan Sweet Ribs instead and this year all food was consumed, no meat left behind (but lots of scraps for making amazing stocks, which I am getting pots ready to do for tomorrow). Just out of curiosity, are there other people who have friends and family who ban Turkey from the clan gathering? If so, or just in thought, what other mains do you make at "The Giving of Thanks" dinner that would be used in place or alongside a Turkey that is more in spirit with the season.
 
#2 ·
I've always not liked turkey much. In fact, I'm pretty ambivalent about most thanksgiving foods. My mother always cooked prime rib and ham for Tday. Now I spend my holidays with more traditional people and so I'm stuck with turkey. I'm pretty hungry this morning slice I didn't eat much at all yesterday. I miss spending Tday with my folks lol.
 
#4 · (Edited)
@Koukouvagia Yeah, I know how that goes. I am the Thanksgiving cook in my family and I invite the neighborhood which is why I have so many people in one place. I will say my mother was one of the Turkey lovers and I never really had a strong taste for it. Funny thing is neither did my father or brother. So she stopped making it and just made ham for the longest time. When I took the Turkey Day reigns of cooking I rage exploded in the kitchen with one roasted turkey, one deep fried turkey, one prime rib, one honey baked ham just because I could. Sometimes you have to host it yourself and bring one and all to your Thanksgiving dinner and set it up the way you like it. b^^

@eastshores Well, a rib roast is not wallet busting expensive in light of cooking a whole hog or a turkey and it really is not that hard either. Some people go over the top with it but it is just a rib roast (four bone should be enough for most 4 person family settings), salt, beef/chicken/pork stock, and something to season the "jus" to serve it with (some people use Maggi seasoning , soy sauce, beef bouillon, etc). Some people do a lot more, but it really is not necessary and the steps are easy (a lot easier than babying a damn turkey). Roasting pan, sauce pan, fat separator (for the "jus") and an oven for the cooking hardware, thats really it.

I actually just thought of Beef Wellington as an alternative as well! b^^
 
#5 ·
Duck and Rock Cornish Hens
 
#6 ·
Agreed - when I was care taking a friends place on long island sound a couple of decades ago I always made several ducks instead of a big turkey.  I'd cook a whole salmon if there were a lot of people coming.  Aldi has duck for $2.49/lb this week I think I'll grab a couple.
 
#7 ·
Last Christmas our traditional country ham was caught in the UPS foul-up: when we realized it probably wasn't going to make it on time my son went to a local premium butcher shop and got a USDA prime 10-lb bone-in prime rib roast. On the morning of the big day,he gave it a rub, brought to room temp, put it in the smoker with just a little hickory, let it run until it hit 125* internal which took about 4-1-2 hours, then rested and put it into a screaming hot oven briefly, for a nice crust.

It was just sensational, and a way-more-than-adequate star of the family feast. Best of all, when the ham finally arrived the next day, all the guests had gone home and I had it all to myself. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/bounce.gif

This year's ham is scheduled to arrive a week before Christmas, so I will probably have to share it. /img/vbsmilies/smilies/redface.gif

Mike
 
#8 ·
I don't host Thanksgiving, never did.  It not only is the least exciting food to prepare but there is also so much PRESSURE.  So and so has to have his favorite stuffing and it has to be made just like his mommy use to make, somebody else hates sweet potatoes and therefore HAS to have mashed potatoes instead, everyone dives for the breast meat leaving the hosts with only the dark meat, I skip it all.  I'm happy to bring one of my signature side dishes like my spicy sweet potato mash or my famous corn pudding but other than that I'm just a passenger for this particular holiday.  

I'm responsible for the big Christmas and Greek Easter holidays.  With Christmas especially I get to be super creative every year.
 
#9 ·
Duck and fish sound like excellent alternatives.

@Koukouvagia Well, you could just cook the main attraction or two and let others bring the side dishes, but I understand where you're coming from. Kind of silly when someone wants something one way and refuses to try or even says "nothing will ever be as good as" the way someones mother used to make it. I try to glare at them from across the table and go "You're mama won't be around for ever if she's not already, give mine a try. Perhaps I know a few tricks yer mama don't!". I obviously do this satiric manner, but some people are just stuffy "I won't try this because someone else did it better, I know without trying it!" kind of people and you could have put one of the best meals in front of them ever.
 
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