Comments on: Manly Ways to Prepare Turkey

By: Smok'n da Bird

Smok'n da Bird — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:34:00 +0000

My kids got me a smoker for Father’s Day years ago. Since then I’ve been smoking turkey for our family gatherings. My first few were a bit too smoky for everybody’s tastes, but I’ve refined my technique since then (and followed directions better, you can have too much smoke).

Of late, we found that fresh mulberry tree prunings give best flavor. We’ve used apple, white peach, plum and apricot too, the latter giving the really nice flavor, but with only one apricot tree in our orchard, we’re not always pruning enough for the smoker.

My family is partial to brining using a good amount of Wild Turkey or some other aromatic whiskey as part of the liquid. We’ve tried injecting too, and if we don’t have time for brine, we’ll just pump it full.

I used to inject spices mixed into Mountain Dew, Coca Cola, Root Beer, other soft drink or beer (usually something cheap). Dew’d birds always got the greatest praise. My “secret spice” is something right off the shelf. I’m just not telling which shelf, of which store, and the label’s been removed.

Soaking dried mulberry chunks in some spiked brine before putting them in the fire adds to the flavor too.

By: Wrongo

Wrongo — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 01:48:00 +0000

Surprisingly, roasting the turkey in one of those electric rotisseries works great. Ron Popeil does not lie. I inject it and rub it with a garlic butter and baste occasionally and it takes about 2 hrs 40 minutes to 3 hrs for a 12 pound turkey.

By: Scott-O

Scott-O — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:01:00 +0000

I have a Super Sized Big Mac Meal Deal every year for Thanksgiving.

By: Jerky Recipes

Jerky Recipes — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 15:42:00 +0000

I love the bacon wrapped turkey! That is the best idea i have seen all day.

Turkey jerky is a manly way to prepare turkey. Try THAT out, turkey lovers!

By: catharine

catharine — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 21:21:00 +0000

I had a REAL turducken a few years back, and have yearned for that flavor ever since. My mother buys the kind from the honey ham store that has chicken and duck sausage stuffed into the turkey, but it’s really not the same as having each individual bird with the layers of stuffing & sausage between them. Come to think of it, I might make one this year, since my dad’s decided to make dinner this year…

I’ve been making Thanksgiving dinner for the past 4 years (I was in the Navy and couldn’t make it back home to be with the family). I’ve tried Bobby Flay’s roast turkey recipe, Paula Deen, Alton Brown, and finally I kind of just threw some ingredients together and tossed it in the oven. Maybe I’m really that good of a cook or maybe I’m just really lucky, because I’ve gotten nothing but praise on each.

I’m actually starting to look forward to the holidays, this year…

By: adam

adam — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 10:59:31 +0000

it’s always been tradition in our family to use bacon to wrap the turkey. i’ve also used salt pork sliced thinly and placed under the skin. it makes it super juicy. and in a previous post, it really does a good job if you flip it half way through. the juices in the pan and the juices in the bird flow back into the breast.
i have also done the turducken. it’s quite impressive as it requires alot of work. i have also done a “turphicken”, or turkey stuffed with pheasant and stuffed with chicken. it was quite nice. pheasant with the nice sweet gamey flavor balances out the other two. and it’s less fatty than duck. but you still need to wrap with bacon.
i also like to stuff whole cloves of garlic under the skin. and if you’re adventurous, stuff the skin with habaneros. it gives amazing flavor to the meat.
also, sausage stuffing is a must in my family, but it’s nice to sometimes make with chorizo. and chipotle mashed potatos are tasty too.
either way, just get creative with it! it’ll probably turn out great.

By: minxie

minxie — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 05:39:02 +0000

One year we were having Thanksgiving in Key West at our inlaws and we had an extra 20lb. turkey laying about uncooked, so we tried a small experiment. We cranked the oven to 500 and put the poor thing into it unstuffed and uncovered. It cooked in no time and was amazingly moist and tasty with no burned taste or cardboard texture. It was also a beautiful mahogany color without basting! We had it for leftovers for a few days.

By: Tdave

Tdave — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:46:10 +0000

A few years ago some people were showing how to fry a turkey on a live christian TV talk show. They did it onstage in the studio, The oil in the big frying pot overflowed and (whoosh) everything on the table went up in flames. Burning oil was dripping on the floor. They tried to beat out the fire with towels which then caught fire. It was funny and scary at the same time, flames were shooting up into the overhead stage lighting. A guy said, “This is why you should do it outside.” (duh) They had technicians squirting the table with extinguishers. I kept waiting for them to go to commercial and not come back. They managed to keep the show going though.

By: cdc

cdc — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 21:03:12 +0000

Turducken is great!! Haven’t made one, but have gotten it from a company in Louisiana a few times. As far as grilling is concerned, a rotisserie is the way to go…the turkey is moist, tender, & delicious!

By: Mrs. F

Mrs. F — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 18:00:17 +0000

My husband (who obviously thinks he can cook better than me) stuffs the cavity with apples and oranges. It does have a sweet citrus-y taste.
Oh, darn. Does that mean I won’t have to cook again this year?